Penny for Your Thoughts - Widow Jane, Bulleit 10-Year Bourbon, Wild Turkey 101
A lovely Thanksgiving double rainbow
This set of belated reviews represents the odds and ends of the last few weeks, which I finally got around to reviewing on Thanksgiving.
Widow Jane (45.5% ABV) - For some reason, this costs a relatively reasonable $13 a pour at my local bar, in line with the basics like Knob Creek or Bulleit. Anyways, compared to those, I'd give this one the call maybe a third of the time, opting for the other two the rest of the time — it doesn't stand head and shoulders above them, in other words. Relatively one note, albeit a pleasant note, on the nose and palate, with a heavy dollop of maraschino cherry. For a 10-year old bourbon, this is not oak-heavy, although there's definitely evidence of cask influence. I've seen a lot of reviews claim that this bourbon has a strong chocolate note, but I'm not seeing it — fudge, maybe. The most unique feature of this bourbon is that, although sourced from the Midwest, the company uses New York mineral water to dilute it down to its bottled proof. Not sure I can really tell the difference, but there's a slightly bitter or grassy quality, reminiscent of lemon rinds, at the end that may be a result of that New York water. B-
Wild Turkey 101 (50.5%) - Wild Turkey 101 is one of the distillery’s basic, affordable expressions, but I came away quite impressed. The name isn’t particularly creative but denotes the proof, kind of like Weller Antique 107. At over 50%, this bourbon is like prime-era Manny Pacquiao, with a lot of knockout power for its weight class. Although this bourbon lacks an age statement, it does not feel particularly young to me, and has the complexity of a good 8-10 years in the barrel. What begins as a fruit-forward experience, with orange citrus and cherry flavors that would do amazing work in a Godfather or Old Fashioned, transitions after a few sips into a creamy, vanilla-laden sundae treat. Throughout, those sweet flavors are balanced out by some char, heat, and spice. The primary flaw is a little too much spirit-y aroma. I’d slot this somewhere between Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare 10, which is a great place to be in the affordable bourbon category! Since it's $7-10 cheaper than Eagle Rare, that may make it my No. 1 bourbon of choice for $25. B+
Bulleit Bourbon 10-Year (45.6%) - This has got to be some kind of Four Roses. Tasting this side by side with Four Roses Small Batch or Single Barrel would be an interesting exercise. The combination of floral, fruity, and spicy characteristics is almost a dead ringer for that distillery’s offerings, but this is a clear case of just buying from the source in my book. The stunning Four Roses Single Barrel is basically the same price, comes at a higher ABV, and is just flat out better. Combined with the hit that Bulleit’s taken recently due to a controversy over the family’s treatment of their daughter Hollis (look it up), I don’t see myself ordering this one again. B
Monkey Shoulder (40%) - Monkey Shoulder is a blended scotch that features only malt scotches rather than the more typical blend of grain and malt scotches, which sets it apart from most other blenders, including Johnnie Walker. It's not particularly expensive but well-regarded among the mid-range blends, and consists of whisky from Balvenie, Kininvie, and Glenfiddich. Given my experiences with two of those three distilleries, it's no surprise that I enjoyed but did not love this generically sweet, malty scotch. The typical Highland apple is present, along with some of the vanilla cream signature of Balvenie, and a slight hint of bitterness that hints at immature whiskies or at somewhat spent casks, releasing their last-gasp tannins. On the whole, the profile is sweet, with that bitterness cropping up toward the end almost, on some sips, lending this scotch a faint smokiness. B-