Caught on COLA - Bourbon

Hey fellow Bourbonites! I'm back again with another update of COLA approvals. So, let's get right to it and see what we have to look forward to in the coming weeks and months from the whiskey industry.

We get started with the Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch 2019 Release, which as you can see, they are saying is a Barrel Strength at 108 proof (54 ABV). According to the back label, "The art and craft of mingling exquisite Bourbon from multiple recipes is something unique to Four Roses, especially as witnessed in this exceptional Limited Edition Barrel Strength release. Four of our perfectly-aged, handcrafted recipes were selected by our Master Distiller, Brent Elliot, then mingled expertly to present elegant aromas of oak, honey, red raspberries and vanilla. Complementary flavors of bright sweet fruits, cinnamon, baking spices, and mellow barrel flavors lead you to a rich, soft and lasting finish." There is no mention of the four recipes used for this release but I'm sure this will eventually leak out but as of yet, there is no mention on the website of this release.

Our next release is not really a special bourbon but just the special 2019 Holiday label for Woodford Reserve. Not really much else to say about it but thought I would share it anyway. Sort of Christmas in July... er... June!

Up next we have the Jack Daniel's Legacy Edition #3, which is the latest installment of the Legacy labels. If you aren't familiar with these, Jack Daniel's has a 150 years of history of making old No.7 and we all are familiar with that iconic black label. But it wasn't always black. Along the way, there were several iterations of the label that came and went before they settled on the current label we are familiar with and the Legacy Editions honor those labels. You can still find Edition #1 on shelves and Edition #2 came out a couple of months ago but there is no information on the website yet on when this edition will be released.

Next we have Sundance Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Sundance Distilling in Grants Pass, Oregon. According to the label, this is a two year bourbon, mashed, distilled and bottled on site and aged in charred new oak barrels. It is then bottled at 96 proof (48% ABV). There is no mention of this yet on their website. Actually there is not much of anything on their website. Oh well.

Colorado's Peachtree Distillers brings us our next label with their Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This bourbon is "made from sweet Western Colorado corn, pure Rocky Mountain water and a healthy dose of old-fashioned tomfoolery." Aged for two years, this small batch bourbon (each batch yields only three barrels) is bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV). They already have it up on their website so I am guessing that it is already available.

Finally, take a look at Texas' own Bishop Straight Bourbon Whiskey which, according to the label, takes "great care to honor the great whiskey makers of the past." Apparently those whiskey makers are from Indiana as this bourbon is MGP sourced. It is aged for "a minimum of two years" and is bottled at 80 proof (40% ABV). There is no mention of this bourbon on the Gulf Coast Distillers website because the site is just a splash page that says coming soon.

Okay, that's it for this update. Check back with me next week and we will see what's hiding in the those warehouses for us later in the year. Until then, drink curious and drink more bourbon! 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.