This morning something a little different from me. This is a Flash Blog in collaboration with The Whisky Wire. If you don’t know them, they have been around since 2010, writing about whisky, reviewing, interviewing distillers and hosting tweet tastings over on Twitter.
I’ve done a few tweet tastings, which are loads of fun, you can read other people’s tasting notes as you go, and explore together how the spirit (sometimes it’s not just whisky) changes with time, or opens up with a little water.
This as a blog post is a little different. A number of us are giving samples of the spirits, and we all write out our tasting notes and thoughts, and post together by a specific date and time. So, in this case, today after 10am.
That’s the what and how, let’s get into the good stuff. The actual booze itself.
Lux Row Distillers are based in Kentucky in the USA, and so I’m pretty sure you can guess when it comes to whisky, we’re talking Bourbon. Whilst I recognised Rebel Yell (and I should, it’s been around as a brand since 1936, and I shall also point you quietly to the Billy Idol song), I’m not hugely au fait with the rest of their range, so this is going to be an interesting dive into the spirits they create.
Their brands include Rebel Bourbon, Ezra Brooks, Lux Row Distillers, Daviess County, Blood Oath, and David Nicholson (named after the grocer who started it all in St Louis).
In this Flash Blog I’ll be looking at two from their huge range. The Ezra Brooks 99 Straight Bourbon (49.5% abv) and the Rebel 100 Kentucky Straight Bourbon (50% abv). So let’s start at the beginning.
The Ezra Brooks 99 Straight Bourbon is classed as an entry level Bourbon – it comes in at a very purse friendly £35 a bottle. It’s made using a blend of rye, corn and barley (78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley), so before we sample, we know there’s going to be a bit of spice there from the rye, a good amount of sweetness from the corn, those classic Bourbon flavours from the oak.
On the nose, you get all those classic Bourbon notes, vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, a little soft peach. It’s a little shy, not as big as you’d expect for the ABV. The vanilla sits right at the base, quite creamily, despite the liquid not looking as rounded as it smells.
On the palate, it’s a little more beefy than the nose. Again, those classic flavours. Caramel (think Werther’s original), brown sugar, lots of wood and a little white pepper. The strength of those wood notes, means I think it’s ideal for mixing. An Old Fashioned, Mint Julep, I can see them all working really well.
Onto our second, the Rebel 100 Kentucky Bourbon. Again, this one comes in at a penny friendly £35 per bottle, but the mash bill is a little different, with corn, wheat, and malted barley (though we’re not told the split on this one) putting it in the same category as other wheated Bourbons such as Makers Mark.
On the nose this feels much more savoury in nature than the Ezra Brooks. More wood, but also a little green herbaciousness, there’s still a little caramel, but this is dialled right down, more like a browned butter note, than a something sweet.
On the palate, again, much more savoury in nature on the finish, but the texture is more buttery. Wood, maple, a little dryness (reminds me a little of walnuts in that respect, or leather with it’s dry finish. Again a delicious Bourbon, but a rather different beast than it’s sister spirit.
Overall, I’m rather tempted to hunt out some more from the entire distillery! The variation in flavour profile is rather delightful, tempting me to explore what else they can offer.