Bushwood Spirits Front 9 - 7 Year Bourbon - Review

The Details

Bushwood Spirits Front 9

Premium Straight Kentucky Bourbon

Black Label

Single Barrel

7 Years Aged

Bushwood Spirits - Stanford, Kentucky

Distilled in Kentucky

95 Proof

Mashbill: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley

Price: $129.99

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Dark Gold

Nose: Light Fruits, Honey, Vanilla, Caramel, Roasted Peanuts

Palate: Smooth, Creamy Caramel, Corn Flakes, Grass and Honeysuckle

Finish: Medium Finish with a peppery rye spice on the side palate

Overall: Playing through!! Why is it that every time you attempt to play through the slow group in front of you, you get stage fright and always seem to top the ball or hit it in the water? Clearly golf is 87% mental and only 43% skill ... yeah, have another sip if you're calculating that in your head right now. The pressure of hitting in front of a group other than your own always gets in my head. But there is a cure...more bourbon!

Bushwood Spirits impressed me with their Stillwater Rye and Long Ball. Throw a 7 year age statement on the Front 9 and we are in business. This makes hitting the halfway house at the turn a little more enjoyable. Honey roasted peanuts and light fruits mixed with a slight citrus zest brings in your senses. Upon the first sip, Corn Flakes with a touch of sugar and some smooth creamy caramels entertain the sides of the palate while finishing with a beautiful peppery rye spice to round things out just right. There's no need for a "Breakfast Ball" off the first tee if you're looking to score well on the Front Nine.

Appreciate the hookup from my friends at Bushwood Spirits! This is one I'll be sharing on the course in the very near future.

Library Rating: 8.2 / 10

Castle & Key Wheated Bourbon - Review

The Details

Castle & Key

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Small Batch

Batch 2 - Bottle 00780

5 Years Aged

Castle & Key Distillery - Frankfort, Kentucky

98 Proof

Mashbill: 73% White Corn, 10% White Wheat, 17% Malted Barley

Price: $59.99

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Golden

Nose: Creamy Vanilla, Butter Cake, Milk Chocolate, Toasted Almonds, Nougat, Honey

Palate: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Milk Chocolate, Toasted Almonds, Nougat, Anise, Caramel

Finish: Warm medium viscosity with a sweet finish

Overall: Wheated bourbon always gets my full attention. I'm a wheated fan. You know it and I know it. Am I biased towards wheated bourbons? No. I will always speak my mind when it comes to how I feel about certain products. Let me tell you about something that needs to be tried: Castle & Key Batch 2, Wheated Bourbon.

From the second I saw this posted online, I knew I needed to make a push and find a bottle. A big shoutout to Liquor At The Lake in South Carolina for getting this in. I wasted zero time picking this up and opening it. I was also careful to sip on this on two different occasions before jotting down my notes for this review. My overall impression of this, you ask? Okay, I'll give away my secrets...Toblerone Candy Bar. It's all I could think of enjoying sip to sip. With the White Corn and the White Wheat coming from Walnut Grove Farm, I ventured down a bit of a rabbit hole while doing a little research on the grains. Reading more and more on hominy and the healthy benefits of white wheat, all of a sudden my glass was empty. What did I take away from all the reading I did? I determined this whiskey was healthy for me. This review took me a little while longer than most others because I wanted to be sure of the notes before publishing them. Initial thoughts and tastes followed through both times. I'm a fan. When you are immediately able to pick out a memory or a flavor from a sip of whiskey, you know you won't be able to think of much else to talk about. Well, I'm fine with that mainly because I love Toblerone, but also because I love wheated bourbon. Have I already mentioned that? Well done, Castle & Key!

Library Rating: 8.3 / 10

Clyde May's 12 Year Cask Strength Whiskey - Review

The Details

Clyde May's

Cask Strength Whiskey

Small Batch

Aged 12 Years

Conecuh Ridge Distillery

Distilled in Indiana

Bottled by Conecuh Ridge Distillery - Aubuendale, Florida

120 Proof

Mashbill: Not Specified

Price: ~$130

Poured Neat in a Copita nosing glass - Click Here to order

Appearance: Dark Amber

Nose: Green Apple, Vanilla, Leather, Tobacco and Buttered Toast

Palate: Stone Fruits, Vanilla Wafer, Stroopwafel, Black Pepper, Leather and Light Tobacco

Finish: Warm lasting linger with a very viscous coating

Overall: "Finished with a kiss of apple" - This is the Clyde May's way...but just enough to wet the whistle and not overpower the bold flavors of leather and tobacco. For a 120 Proof whiskey, this is incredibly approachable and a fantastic sipper. The apple on the nose is even more evident with just a drop of water. Although I enjoy my whiskey straight and neat, I was very happy with adding a drop to bring out the nose a bit.

Overall, I can sit down with this and enjoy a light to medium cigar on the back deck and not plan on moving for about an hour. Like I mentioned, a fantastic sipper with so much to offer. Just be careful when standing up as that 120 proof might surprise you even more...

Library Rating: 8.4 / 10