Don't Forget The Bourbon
A trio of fine bourbons for gifting or enjoying yourself.
Wow. It’s been insane in the store this week as the holiday rush is decidedly upon us. As a result, our little advent calendar has seen a slip in the past few days. Just like when you forget to eat your chocolate out of a tiny door, you now the chance to catch up with a couple in a row. While Malt Whiskey Advent Calendar has a ring to it, we’ve had a few complaints that there hasn’t been a lot of focus on all of the other great spirits we have available for gifting this season. So here it is:
Brown Forman has delivered again on a phenomenal single barrel. Our single cask of Old Forester that just came in is classic old school bourbon. It’s big and rich. Absolutely loaded with caramel and vanilla and candied corn. Just enough spice to keep it fresh. I’ve unabashedly destroyed the better part of a bottle on my own in the last 3 days. I am pleased. Aged in warehouse H on floor 7.
Old Forester K&L Exclusive Barrel #0755 Kentucky Straight Bourbon $39.99
One of New York States best craft distilleries delivers a masterpiece with their bottled in bond wheated bourbon. Situated on the east shore of Lake Seneca in the heart of the Finger Lakes wine country, McKenzie has always made their whiskies with locally sourced NY grain and dedicated themselves to environmental stewardship. They were a huge hit here at K&L many years ago when they were brand new with baby aged whiskey. Today they're better than ever. By law the bottled in bond is at least 4 years old, but some of the whiskey here is substantially older than that. The rich and creamy texture is perfect at 100 proof. With the sky high demand for wheated bourbon, I don't expect us to be able to keep this in stock, but it would be unfair to compare it with Weller or Pappy. The real story here is in the curation of exceptionally high quality grains grown in the bread basket of New York. The distillation ends at a slightly lower proof to preserve more of the inherent wheat and corn flavors in the final product. The quality of the whiskey is superb. It's dense, rich, smooth as silk, and wildly flavorful.
McKenzie Bottled-In-Bond New York Wheated Bourbon $44.99
One more for good measure: a beautiful cask from High West. This particular American Prairie Bourbon Cask comes to us at full proof after an addition 16ish months in tawny port barrels. It’s basically a Mid-Winter Night’s Dram made out of bourbon instead of rye and with substantially more port character. Oh yeah, and it’s cask strength and $35 cheaper. This beauty is cranking on its own, so it’s nearly gone. But if you missed out on the limited nature of the Mid-Winter, you have a second crack at High West port finished goodness.
High West “American Prairie” K&L Exclusive Tawny Port Finished Bourbon $54.99