Kentucky Owl Batch 9 Bourbon – 70 cl

Behold, the ninth batch of Kentucky Owl Bourbon! These expressions are highly sought-after, and just generally very impressive indeed - and the brand has an interesting story behind it, too. Kentucky Owl dates back to 1879, created by Charles Mortimer Dedman, but its production ceased when Prohibition came along.

In 2010, Dixon Dedman revived his great-great-grandfather's whiskey brand, and the Kentucky Owl spread its wings once again!

Tasting Notes: Notes of apple, white grape, cinnamon roll, maple candy, vanilla and rick oak. The taste is of honey, honeysuckle, tea, citrus, caramel and has a pepper spice finish.

Batch #9 has a great complex sweetness of fruit and creamy notes across the front palate, then crawls back to some more significant oak notes in the middle, before the spice of the finish spreads across the back of the palate.

ABV: 63.8%

Country: USA

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Maker's Mark started with bread, of course. Bill Samuels bought the Burks' Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, in 1953 and did the predictable – just not in a predictable way. He wanted to select the right mashbill for his new Bourbon. He took inspiration from the Old Fitzgerald and W. L. Weller recipes made by Pappy Van Winkle. He did not want to take the time to distill, age and taste each candidate, so he made a loaf of bread from each mix of grain. One had no rye in it. No rye? Samuels liked the loaf without the rye best so he ran with it. The winner contained the customary corn with malted barley and a large dose of red winter wheat. The product is in stark contrast to rye-heavy spirits like Bulleit or Knob Creek. The result is less spicy than the rye-influenced whiskeys. Bring a glass to your nose. You'll smell spiced honey, cut fruit and citrus peel. Have a sip. Barley malt, butterscotch and vanilla bean will gradually bloom on your tongue. Wait a moment. The finish is of medium length with gentle caramel and dry oak spice. This collection of flavors makes Maker's Mark very friendly with sweet vermouth. It makes a fine Manhattan with a cherry. Go light with the bitters. It's also a great choice with an Old Fashioned, particularly if you have dark purple Bing cherries to muddle. If you're feeling funky, ask yourself two questions. Does bourbon like peaches? Both are as southern as sassafras. Does peach like orange? Of course, or we'd have no Fuzzy Navel. Bring all three together. Add 1 1/2 ounces of Maker's with 3/4 of an ounce peach schnapps to an ounce of OJ. Shake that well and then serve it up or on the rocks. There's a navel with some extra fuzz. For your home bar (depending on your budget and the height of your top shelf) Maker's Mark makes a fine everyday house bourbon or a special occasion sipper to put next to your best bottles from Scotland, Ireland and Japan.

The grapes for Gallo Family Vineyards Merlot were harvested at optimum ripeness, which allowed for easy extraction of rich color and velvety tannins. The winemaker selected aromatic yeast strains and employed a warm fermentation process, which has resulted in a wine with more flavor and fruitier aromatics.

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HEAVY CHAR RYE WHISKEYAGED 8 YEAR SEach year as part of the Parker’s Heritage Collection, we select a special whiskey to be released in the name of our late Master Distiller Parker Beam. The barrels selected for this series include Bourbon, Rye, and Wheat Whiskeys, among others, and are some of the finest and most diverse American Whiskeys ever produced. They are a fitting tribute to the expertise of Parker Beam. The first ever Rye Whiskey of the Parker’s Heritage Collection, the 13th edition consists of 75 specialty barrels that were charred for a full minute and a half, as opposed to our traditional 40 seconds. These “Level 5” barrels were aged for 8 years, 9 months on the seventh floor of Rickhouse Y. There, the heavier char allowed the whiskey to penetrate further into the barrel, extracting deep notes of spice and wood, and resulting in an elevation of the spicy, distinctive character of our traditional Rye Whiskey mashbill. It is bottled without chill filtration at 105 proof.

Proof: 105

Proof Color: Deep copper

Nose: Chocolate & smoke

Taste: Honey sweetness and big spices; dry tannins accentuate the rye character, especially the pepper notes

Finish: Very long & warm. Cloves & cinnamon linger

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This Chardonnay features delicious notes of ripe tree and stone fruit layered with hints of browned caramel, vanilla, and wood shavings. This wine pairs beautifully with pasta in cream sauce, mild cheeses and grilled chicken.

Describing itself as 'the rum for bourbon drinkers. Bayou Select is copper pot distilled from Louisiana sugarcane and then aged in the Solera method for up to three years. The result is a creamy rum with a bourbon-esque character, accompanied by notes of cinnamon and maple. The Solera method involves a pyramid of stacked barrels. The oldest liquid is in the bottom layer of barrels, the youngest in the top. When a batch is harvested it is filled solely from some of the bottom layer, and those barrels are then topped up with rum from the layer resting on top of them. This second layer is, in turn, topped up with the contents of the third layer, and so on. This process is a way of naturally blending spirits for consistent taste and quality.