Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel bourbon by Buffalo Trace Distillery was rated by the Washingtonian Magazine as “The World’s Greatest Bourbon” in 1995. Price ranges anywhere from $40.00-$60.00, so this can be an expensive bourbon. I was able to score a bottle for $38.00, but having tried it I can say I would easily pay more for this one, and probably will in the future!
If you’re looking for a bargain price bourbon, you may be interested in Heaven Hill Old Style. Heaven Hill is very cheap at just $9.00 a bottle, but you’ll notice something which stands out about it right from the off, which is that it’s bottled in glass and not plastic, despite the low price. Heaven Hill Distilleries is based in Kentucky and is family owned and operated since 1935. They have created a number of different bourbons but this is perhaps one of their best-known concoctions.
One bourbon I’d been reading about repeatedly all over the web is the Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel, named after the Master Distiller by the same name who joined the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky in the mid 20th century. Since what I’d been reading was praise on every account, my curiosity was naturally stoked, and I finally caved in and bought a bottle. $28 isn’t cheap, so needless to say my expectations going in were high.
How did my investment pay off? The Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel was a lovely deep reddish amber color in the bottle, consistent with 14 years of aging. It was immediately clear to me when I picked up the bottle that the consistency was smooth and thick.
A wee while ago I was contacted by a company called Arizona High Spirits. While it was the first time I heard of them, I gather that they are best known for their prickly pear (cactus) vodka and liqueur (which I shall search high and low for – sounds delicious!), though they also make a chilli flavoured vodka, spiced rum, gin and, of course, whiskey! Now, the whiskey is a rather new addition to their range – in fact, they’ve only made 1 batch and so far as I am aware it has not been released for general sale yet, as they wanted some expert opinions first (yikes!).
I’m really enjoying rye whiskey at the moment – much like pretty much everyone else, it would seem – and so was pleased when I was able to pick up a bottle of Sazerac Rye (though unfortunately it was merely the standard expression, and not the 25 year old 18 year old that scored a hefty 97.5 and taking the place as the world’s best whisk(e)y in Jim Murray’s 2009 Whisky Bible) at one of my local whisky shops. Regular readers may expect a bit of history before I start the review, but unfortunately I couldn’t really find anything interesting to write about Sazerac. You may think that would mean that the review will be nice and short – but I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I’ve chosen instead to give you my pick of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival (as I did last year).
Knob Creek 9 Year Old is a bourbon that I had heard a lot about leading up to its winning of the Whisky Bible 2011 award on the various bourbon sites that I frequent. It has been lauded as one of the best bourbons in its price range and has received critical acclaim since it was first released. I was blessed enough to get a chance to try it at a friend’s house during a recent weekend and I have to say, Knob Creek 9 Year Old certainly lives up to all of the hype.
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