by Mike » Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:35 pm
I happened, at the time Ron's Famous Four Grain was concocted, to have the same ingredients on hand and made an almost full bottle. I thought it to be excellent bourbon at the time and have been back to it frequently. Tonight, I chanced across the bottle and decided it was time to taste it again, and to make some notes. I make no pretense of having the same skills as a taster or note taker as the illustrious Saint Bunghole.
I had a sip of Pure Kentucky XO Bourbon beforehand (a first rate bourbon in its 10 YO incarnation), which, by my lights, disqualifiess me from absolutely nothing in so far as giving a good account in my tasting of Ron's Famous Four Grain.
Glassware: Riedel bourbon glass
Color: Not dark, not deep, but quite appealing
Nose: Sweet caramel and corn with some definite rye standing by, ably assisted by a backbone of oak supporting the whole edifice. There is a subtlety here in the nose that adds to the complexity.........not too much of anything.........not too little of anything. It passes with this fellow for a bourbon of significant age.
Mouthfeel: It is not as rich as Stagg (the anchor bourbon here, for sure), but it has some weight that is slick, soothing, and almost delicate as it 'grows' its way across your whole mouth. Ron, you are a bourbon genius to have come up with this!
Palate: The thick mouthfeel guarantees a nice palate experience. There is a beautiful balance twixt the spice from the Stagg, the sweetness from the Maker's, and the the continuity provided by the 1783.
Finish: More than respectable, less than fantastic (come to think of it, I know of no bourbon with a fantastic finish...........that didn't have a decent front and middle). It is 'dry' (Maker's Mark has a very definite problem with its finish in this reviewer's opinion, so adds little here) as one might expect from the 15 YO Stagg, but a good 'dry' that does not 'cut off' the tasting experience before its time, but wraps it up with a nice slice of the wood.
Overview: A vatting that lies twixt excellent and great in my opinion. Well balanced, complex, rich, and tasty. Soon, I will be doing a 50/50 with Baker's and Old Rip Van Winkle 15 yO (both 107 proof) to test Saint Bunghole's proposed vatting...........stay tuned! If I like it I will send a sample to SB for him to work his magic with words!
Last edited by
Mike on Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. - Dylan Thomas