Meeting #10: November '24 - Show 'N Sip #2

For November, the club revisited the Show 'N Sip theme, which has been a fun way for others to run the show (and it gives us the night off!). Jared and Alex, our club aficionados, brought 3 great bourbons, all slightly different, and guided us through a very well-curated tasting! And the lineup...

#1) Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond (Bardstown, KY)

100 proof / Aged 7 years /$50

78% Corn, 10% Rye, 5% Malted Barley.

HF Avg: 3.52

NOSE: Vanilla, hone, and rich caramel sweetness

TASTE: Caramel and honey, hint of rye spice with an okay char.

FINISH: Long, lingering.

Heaven Hill is the perfect example of a classic Kentucky bourbon. Its packed with notes of sweet caramel, vanilla, and oaky char. It's really a crowd pleaser, and the best part - it's also easy to find! Heaven Hill is located in Bardstown, KY, and also produces some other brands you may have heard of (Larceny, Henry McKenna, Pikesville, Elijah Craig...). This is a solid drinker, definitely worth keeping in your collection!

#2) Bardstown Origin Series Straight Bourbon (Bardstown, KY)

96 proof/  Aged 6 years /$45

60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Matled Barley

HF Avg: 3.43

NOSE: Vanilla, Stone Fruit, Citrus, Pepper, Caramel, Bright Oak

TASTE: Peaches and Cream, with notes of baking spices

FINISH: Dry oak, rye spice, leather, peppercorn, and hint of vanilla

Bardstown makes some awesome bourbon, and bottles like this can be had for only $45! They are great at what they do - which is exactly why many other brands source from them. This bottle offers a more complex sip given it's "high-rye" content at 36%. It adds a nice depth of spice and citrus, which contrasts nicely against the classic vanilla and caramel bourbon sweetness. Bardstown has quite the lineup - check out their discovery series for some really interesting bottles! Their quality is crazy good across the board, and this one is a killer value - unfortunately, you have to venture across state lines to find any of them!

#3) Johnny Drum Kentucky Bourbon

101 proof / Aged 4+ Years /$65

52% Corn, 38% Rye, 10% Barley

HF Avg: 3.37

NOSE: strong caramel and red fruit. Less potent oak, vanilla, lemon, granny Smith, apple.

TASTE: plum, cranberry, black cherry. Some subtle notes of vanilla, caramel, honey and milk, chocolate.

FINISH: warming spice and apple.

Johnny Drum is owned by Willet, which is known for its incredible pot still whiskeys. A traditional copper pot still offers a noticeably different style of whiskey versus a column still (which now that I'm typing this, would be a great future meeting topic). In many instances such as this one, it can add a musty earthiness, for the lack of a better term. It really stood out when you compared it to the first two tastings. Johnny Drum also has a more complex flavor profile beyond the traditional caramel notes. The high-rye content adds some citrus and spice, while the copper pot still adds that unique earthiness. Many bourbon folks consider this a "hidden gem". Thanks again to Jared and Alex - everyone really enjoyed your presentations and we appreciate your whiskey expertise! We will be resuming our meetings after the holidays, so mark your calendars for Thursday January 9th - details will be emailed in the near future. Hope to see y'all there!