Nathan Green 1870 UPDATE

Labels from the TTB Online COLA Registry

Just a quick update on the Nathan Green 1870 Premium Whiskey from Uncle Nearest. I reached out to the distillery and haven’t heard anything back yet. But I did hear from Fawn Weaver, the CEO and co-founder of Uncle Nearest, on Instagram. She was kind enough to let me know that since this is cask strength, the proof for each barrel will vary. Even though they got the label approval on January 14, according to Ms. Weaver, “it is not releasing soon. We just got our labels approved for when we do release it later this year.” She also went on to say, “What I will say is we like to drop special gifts for our whiskey family on our bday. Last year it was 1884. Who knows what it will be this year…”? Could she be hinting at a possible July release? When I informed her that I had reached out to her assistant for more information, I had to laugh at one of my favorite responses ever. “I am the only one that has that… and my lips are sealed!” Ms. Weaver replied.

So, it looks like we will have to wait for more information from Uncle Nearest about the 1870. But thank you Fawn for what information you did give us. Oh, and sorry for letting the cat out of the bag. Apparently when I posted the labels on Instagram, her social media manager reached out asking. I posted it before she had a chance to announce it internally. Umm… my bad! While we all wait, make sure you check out one of Uncle Nearest's earlier releases. Grab a bottle of 1856, 1884 or 1820 and raise a glass to Nathan "Uncle Nearest" Green (and Fawn Weaver) who made them all possible.

Until next time,

Quick Update & New Logo

Just wanted to give you a quick update, I'm still dealing with my health situation but hopefully I will be back soon. Since I have nothing but time on my hands right now, I figured I might as well go ahead and start blogging again so I will probably start posting again next week. But until then, I thought I would share my new logo with you so here it is. 

Well I say new, I've been using it on my Instagram and Twitter accounts for a couple of months now. I hope you enjoy it! Until next time, stay meady and drink more bourbon!

Caught on COLA - Bourbon

It's that time again fellow bourbon lovers and we are back with another update of Caught on COLA. Normally this would have come out on Sunday but a couple of things prevented that. One, it was Father's Day and two, I've been under the weather, so I guess better late than never. Anyhow, I'm really excited about this edition so let's not waste any time and dive right into those labels and see what's cooking in those distilleries.

Anyone who is a reader of the blog knows that I have a fondness for Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey and let me tell you, I was so surprised when I came across this first label. Seems the folks at Uncle Nearest aren't happy to just settle for the 1856 and 1820 expressions. Nooooo, they've done gone out and gotten approval for Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey. Well, that didn't sound country as hell now did it? Anyway, what does that have to do with anything? Now, I really don't know a whole lot about this release other than it's bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV) and that I am sure it lives up to the standards that we have come to expect from an Uncle Nearest release. But I did sort of reach out on Instagram to Uncle Nearest and Fawn Weaver seeking some kind of comment or possible insider information and Ms. Weaver was kind enough to reply, "Our tasting panel, Nearest's family, Keith and me are finalizing the first batch blend tomorrow... debuting at Tales of the Cocktail in July. Announcement coming soon!" So there you have it, if you are in New Orleans July 16th-21st, make sure you swing by and see what the 1884 expression is all about and let me know what you think. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to track down a bottle somehow and will be able to do a review on here as well. Here's hoping!

Next up is Odysea, a rather odd blend from Florida's Oceanside Distillery in Cape Canaveral. This is a 90 proof (45% ABV) blend of straight bourbon whiskies sourced from distilleries in Kentucky and Tennessee. I couldn't find any information online about the company other than the business license information so there is no information about the release.

Next up is another blended bourbon. This one is from my home state of Michigan and comes from Red Cedar Spirits. Each bottle of 84 proof (42% ABV) Melting Pot Blended Bourbon Whiskey "uses a popular Red Cedar Spirits bourbon as the primary spirit along with other aged Red Cedar Spirits whiskies." According to the label, the whiskey is wheat free which is interesting since there is no mention of any wheaters on their website. I also couldn't find a mention of this release either but there is mention of their Melting Pot Whiskey.

I decided to include this next entry out of Texas out of morbid curiosity maybe. I don't know. But it sort of scares me. Not as bad as the thought of the PBR whiskey release but still... Maverick Whiskey's Alamo Whiskey makes me pause for the cause. According to the label, this whiskey is bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV) after having been aged for one day in new white oak barrels. Aged one day? According to the tasting notes on their website, Maverick claims Alamo has "a nose of light brown sugar, candied cinnamon, creamed corn, and black pepper. The palate is delightfully smooth with notes of crème brulee, corn pudding, vanilla, and spice. The finish is mellow with lingering notes of spearmint, cardamom, and allspice." All that from aging just one day? Ummm.... okay! Next!

Where there's smoke there's fire, so where there's a smoke wagon there must be fire water right? In a way, yes. Because I'm talking about Smoke Wagon Bourbon from Nevada H&C Distilling Co. This MGP-sourced bourbon is bottled at 92.5 proof (46.25% ABV) and is readily available or so it seems on their website.

Wyoming Whiskey brings us our next entry with The Stargazer. This limited edition bottling celebrates mans journey to the moon 50 years ago. This 100 proof (50% ABV) bottle will only be available at the distillery (when it's released) but as for now there is no other information on this wheater (I'm guessing it's a wheated bourbon since there others are) on their website.

Our last entry comes from Colorado's Tower 56 Distilling in the form of their Tower's 56 Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Now this 90 proof (45% ABV) bourbon may have been bottled in Greeley, Colorado but it was distilled in Statesville, North Carolina so that tells me it was probably sourced from the Southern Distilling Company (I could be wrong). Tower 56's previous bourbon release is a wheated bourbon but I am not sure of the mashbill of this straight bourbon release and there is no mention of it yet on their website.

That's all I've got for now, folks! Until the next round, cheers!

Pinhook 2019 Plans - Vertical Series and Beyond

So earlier this week, after some snooping on the TTB COLA website, I found the labels for some upcoming Pinhook releases. After posting them here on my blog in my regular Caught on COLA - Bourbon feature, I decided to post them on Instagram. When I did, I gambled and asked Pinhook Bourbon Founder and Master Taster Sean Josephs if he would provide any insight into the upcoming releases. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised, no… I was shocked with the response I got. He not only responded but went into some detail. No release dates but… well read below and you will see.

The first label I posted was the Bourbon War which is this year’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey. I finished my post by asking Mr. Josephs if he had any tips on a release date? This was his reply:

"This is the fall bottling of Pinhook’s first release of our Vertical Series. Age statement of 4YO (proofed to 98) and will be released for 9 years, with the age statement increasing by 1 year annually. I will proof each vintage to what I think is the ideal proof. Idea is that you can collect from age 4-12 and follow the barrels as they mature. Doing the same for rye, with the first Vertical Rye coming Spring of 2020. Cheers"

My next post was for Rye Humor and likewise, I finished the post asking Mr. Josephs if there was any info he could share. His reply was:

"I was working on this blend 2 weeks ago at Castle & Key. Our first cask strength rye release. MGP barrels that will be a little shy of 4YO. Proof won’t be known until we dump, but guessing in the 115 range. Total production for the country is 65 barrels. For whatever it’s worth, coming from my biased perspective, it is ridiculously good"

Now I am sure his perspective is biased but I am also sure that the rye is really, really, REALLY good as well. The concept of the Vertical Series has me extremely intrigued and I really hope I can get in on them. I’ll do my best to track them down and will even try to review them but coming across them is not always easy for me. Unfortunately, I am not in the circles that people like Mr. Minnick and others are where they are all but guaranteed access to some of these releases. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for them, I’m just saying that I will struggle to get the Vertical Series and bring my thoughts on it to you.

Hmmm… I have apparently gone off rambling. I’m sorry. Well, that’s it for now. I hope you enjoyed this little bit of insight into this year’s Pinhook releases. If you have any additional information or thoughts, please let me know in the comments.  And thanks again to Sean Joseph.