Bomberger's, America's 47, Caleb's Crossing, and the sleeper- Commander's Club Grand Cuvee; Ep. 66

Dan and Nick: Good afternoon. Hey Nick. How's it going? It's gone. Good to be back. Well, welcome back. We're here at Bourbon Brass and Beyond. It has been a crazy, crazy week. And ⁓ Nick, how was your experience with the big OHL Q drop? ⁓ yeah, virtually. virtually I got to see you guys. yeah, but didn't get to experience it for myself. But it ⁓ It sounded like it was eventful. It was it was very eventful. Very eventful. I I actually getting the camera re recentered. was It was it was it was a great time. I think that ⁓ there were some great things that got put out. I finally got Bomberger's. I've been wanting one for a while. And ⁓ you know. Now we get to actually it. I I don't think I've actually tried it, so Yeah, lots of lots of product yesterday. Yeah. Things we haven't seen. The foolproof CYPB, stag, single barrels, think. Single barrels. And well, our barrel. They the Heavenhill twenty two. Jack Jack, twelve, fourteen. And batch one and two of the fourteens, which was interesting. You know, in so this is a twenty twenty five Bomberger's There was a twenty twenty four, what did you say? Yeah, that's why I picked up one of the Micters toasted and it was a twenty twenty four. So they've been holding product for a little bit, it seems like. So is OHL Q just clearing the warehouse? That's what it feels like. I mean right before that, right? Remember Tuesday, there was a massive shipment ⁓ Old Weller Antique as well. I mean never usually seeing more than three or four cases at a time. And we saw several stores with six cases. Yeah. Right before this. So yeah, hard to say. Yeah, i ⁓ it was the week ⁓ National Bourbon Week. Yeah. And but yet the week before the Fourth of July. So even timing I'm just ⁓ Yeah. timing was odd with a really big shipment right before the bonus drop. But I have a feeling like we talked about the bonus drop was a lot of product they were sitting on because we saw some older ages dated bottles. You know, like I said, twenty fives and twenty fours and yeah J D fourteen batch ones and so So we'll start with the Bomberger's twenty twenty five release. said this is one eight. Hundred and eight proof. And they change they change it every year, right? They that's the thing about Bomberger's that like it's a different This is never the same flavor. ⁓ you know, like we were just talking about before, I have a couple of different years of it. can't recall a time where I sat down and tried them side by side. So I'm not sure. I don't think a lot changes about it. ⁓ I think it usually sticks right at that one ⁓ eight proof. but I don't know, maybe we'll have to sit down and and try a couple different ones. And that's that's pretty much cask strength, right? That's Yeah. Obviously Mictor's not known for anything, you know, high proof. So that's that's definitely up there for them. yeah, we'll have to probably try that out sometime 'cause we have the the PFG to get into as well to Yeah. To you know, the the big brother Bomberger's What do you get on the nose there? I'm getting corn. I get a lot of corn. Yeah, there's a corn sweetness there. Yeah. I so my initial the initial nose I got a fruit right off the bat. I'm like, woo, that's fruity. But then now I'm just getting the corn. Yeah, I get a lot of that corn sweetness there. So I'm getting a little corn on the palate, a lot of caramel, a lot of a lot of sweetness. Now this is a very fresh crack. Fresh crack, yeah. Fresh crack. Yeah, I think the the corn sweetness doesn't really stay there on the palate for me as well. It's kind of a little bit of a deeper, darker sweetness to it. I would agree with you there. Good finish. stays for a while. that hits a spot. A bit sweeter and as as it just kinda finishes. Yeah, definitely some classic bourbon flavors in there. A little bit that darker kind of caramel sweetness. A lot of corn on the nose. So this is bottle twenty four sixty one of twenty-four seventy-four. ⁓ So this is the very end. Yeah. Batch twenty five F nineteen forty three. Twenty twenty five release. Stilled and bottled in Kentucky. Yeah, these seem to have been a lot more available this year. You know, part of the times of the secondary market and yeah, not quite going for as high as they used to, but they seem to be out at the distillery quite often as well. I was saying I think I have the I think the one I have is the 25 and the I think I did get the 26 last time I was down there. That's I I think it was ⁓ the Bomberger's and the Shenk's 26 if I remember right. But yeah, nice to see good product hitting the shelf. proof wise, what do you think? Proofwise, I don't even think it, I don't think it drinks 108. I think it's got a real real ⁓ nice gentle finish to it. I would say it's on par with like an antique one ⁓ seven. Yeah. ⁓ s proof wise, but I do get a little more of that rye bite. Yeah. You know, but just just just a minuscule. Yeah, definitely. You know, if you told me it was one ⁓ eight I wouldn't be surprised. If you told me it was less than one ⁓ eight I wouldn't be surprised. You know, it's just a little little bit of that spice, but very light on on the palate. I don't know what the age is on this. Do you know what they are? 'Cause I I think with that corn I'm I'm thinking it's a younger Yeah, I don't recall what the age is on these and I'm not really sure if they say, you know, there's always people always speculate, you know, over the years about what they've heard, but you know, it's ⁓ probably less than less ten because obviously they do their their ten year bourbon and and ryes every year, their annual release, but ⁓ Even then with the ten years that they put out, there's some that I'm pretty convinced are quite older than ten years. Right. You know, there there's some older some older distillate in there for sure. So Well and but I don't get any oak. I don't get this. No, it's not very oaky at all. I would guess maybe in that seven, eight year, you know, somewhere in there, maybe six to eight maybe, possibly. Nice. Hmm. Yeah, good drinker. Yeah. Yeah. And look at the legs on that, just on your glass. Yeah. I mean that's fantastic. So this next one, know, this didn't really sell. I don't think anybody really knew what this was. ⁓ Well, I had to look it up when you told me about it. ⁓ This is Commander's Club Kentucky Strait Bourbon Whiskey Grand Cuvée Reserve. What what does Cuvée Yeah, ⁓ well, we were just doing a little bit of Googling ⁓ right before this. ⁓ part of me is one Part of me wants to really like it and see if ⁓ I I don't know if they sold out of all of them or if they're still there, but reading about it, yeah, it was quite quite interesting. ⁓ Rare Character, just says it's a blend of ⁓ 10 to 15 year old whiskeys. I really find that much information about it. ⁓ Yeah, so it is, it's bottled by Rare Character Whiskey Company. This is from Lexington, Kentucky. It is 110.42 proof. Batch number one. you said it is a blend ⁓ When I Googled it, it's a blend of ten to fifteen year old. That was about all the information they had on their site. I'll have to dig a little bit deeper, but that is a dark amber. That's what when I picked it up before I read about it, I was like, This got some color to it, so ⁓ Not a real cork and and ⁓ don't think that was very expensive. Like I I think the MSRP on that was maybe a hundred bucks. I was gonna say maybe I remember you when you sent it to me, maybe about a hundred. You said people were selling it. well I just when I googled it real quick, yeah. don't think I've had a rare character before. ⁓ so many different releases that they've done and store picks out there. It it's one that I really ⁓ haven't ⁓ dove into a lot, but that that re that nose reminds me of Pappy. That reminds me of a lot B. There's is like a wheated sweetness and ⁓ just nice. Yeah, that's why when I took a smell of it, I was like, ⁓ Yeah, but it said one time release. think when I looked at it on my phone, maybe around twenty three hundred bottles, I think is what it said. ⁓ So I guess I'm not sure why there's a batch number if they say they're only doing one. So it's a it's a one of one. But but cheers, that smells delicious. So Great legs. So right off the bat, like, you know when you take a drink and it almost feels like there's something in the liquid, like like I just hit like a with a semi solid hit my tongue. Like it was so thick. When it hit my tongue And then Right off the bat I get Little bit of oak, but I get a lot of the the fruit flavors. I get a lot of the the maybe cherry. Yeah, you can definitely tell. You know, almost like we just said with the Bomberger's You don't get a lot of the oak on that Bomberger's. You could tell this has some age. You get a little bit of that bit of that oak. But not that bitterness. You know, you know, sometimes it doesn't say what the the breakdown is of the ten to fifteen year old blends, but And is it there a wheated in that blend? I don't know. It smell that's what it it reminded me of on the nose. Because ⁓ this me Pappy. In the the nose and in the palate. Yeah, I haven't had the Pappy often enough to recognize that by memory, but it smelled familiar. Yeah. I I get that. Mm. Okay, so this might be the best bottle I found yesterday. I mean ⁓ and I had no clue what it was, and I'm like, you know what? I'm looking forward to getting it ⁓ getting onto my phone when we ⁓ shut this down. They might still have it. They might still have it. I think that's what I recall it was, and gonna look. That's ⁓ 'cause you know what? And I actually don't know. Like I'm not There's really nothing standing out to me that's like in your face, one one note or one flavor, but it's just you know, almost like we had the discussion with Mike, the the podcast we did together and Yeah. So there there's some of ⁓ that you're just every once in a while you're like, I'm not exactly sure what I'm getting there, but it's it's good. It's great. I love it. So it was 199. 199. Okay. It says unavailable from supplier. So they eventually got rid of them all. Yeah. I don't know, maybe. Are you on the app? I'm on the app. Okay, because sometimes I'll have to filter through a little bit differently on the web page. Can can OHLQ OHLQ hot take? the hell do I have to go in and Enter everything by name when you can just list what what's being offered at that store. You know, like just off the bat, here's what's Yeah. So yeah, I went through We make it difficult web page and yeah, it looks like there's no availability, so they must have completely sold out. ⁓ man. That hundred dollars makes a little bit more sense now. That's worth it. Based yeah, yeah, exactly. Not that it's not worth it, but based on the stats that I read ⁓ and what it looked like they were going for on secondary market, that makes Who is rare character? That's my next question. you know, I believe and again, this is I'm sure there's somebody that might see this that thinks we're idiots because we don't know about rare character. believe they do a lot of s it seems like they do a lot of sourcing, lot of store picks out there because, you know, we both travel and ⁓ see a lot of store pick rare characters out there. obviously cool packaging, cool presentation. Usually most of the it's all wax dipped, so it's kind of a little bit different. That's why I was surprised when I picked up the label to see it was an offering from rare character, but well and I think that's part of it, you know, we're seeing so many blends, like ⁓ companies now. You know, like Olde Raleigh, we did that. I mean well and even this distilleries blending their own stuff. Like ⁓ I'm wearing my log still America's forty seven they did that Kentucky Well, the Americas forty seven was a blend ⁓ of two ryes a wheat. Okay. That's an interesting combination. ⁓ it's fantastic. Have you had it? I don't know if I tried that. I mean if it's sitting close by, it is you know. I wouldn't be upset. And you know, this is a patriotic bottle. Yeah. So the story behind it is They actually the a bottling for the inauguration. Okay. And they were gonna do that whether it was ⁓ won. So it wasn't a political statement, so to speak. Use log still distillery glasses. But so they did a ⁓ a bottle for the inauguration and this is that that whiskey was in the bottle. So they called it America's forty seven because their distilled spirits producing number is forty seven. Okay. 'Cause that's the original one from the the family. DSP. DSP forty seven. Okay, got it. So that's where that came from. Of course, now with America's two fiftieth coming up, you know, that that's The bottle for the two fiftieth as well. but this was fantastic. This is As far as a blend goes, this was two ryes and a wheat. Two ryes and a wheat. it's 94 It's not a it's not killer one, but it's got a lot of flavor. Yeah, yeah, it's funny. Ninety four proof and I did notice like it's got a very light color to it, but where that flavor comes from. Yeah, because it it it's got such a light color to it, you would think it's extremely young and at a lower proof at ninety four. So but it it doesn't ⁓ And Logstill has not been think some of their oldest stuff now is maybe up to ten years old if you know, but some of their original juice was distilled by others. Sure. That that was contracted while they were getting set up. But it's from the original it it's on the original JW Dant distillery site. And of course, Log Still is not associated with the JW Dant brand. That is owned by Heaven Hills Distillery. Always gotta throw that in. That's a I definitely get the rye, a very delicate rye spice. You know, not a not a real punchy rye. No, this is one of those ones that you can drink and just enjoy it all day. I just yeah. Ninety four proof drinks really clean. Lots of flavor. Yeah, lots I mean it's it's really shocking me for how how light that is at ninety-four proof, the amount of flavor. so kudos there. You know, a lot of times with with ryes, I tend to like ⁓ a know, a lot of MGP ryes out there and I feel unless they have a lot of that age on them, they really just don't reach that that sweet spot, you know, until they get some age on it. But on the color alone, and obviously it's batched, you know, and cut at ninety four proof, but don't think that's very old, but it does not taste young. It's got it's got a great flavor. Yeah. You get a little bit of the sweetness of that wheat in the background, almost like a floral. Yeah, and maybe that's what balances out a little bit of that rye spice a little bit of that wheat sweetness to it. So that Commander's Club is phenomenal. I I yeah I'm gonna give it I I so glad I got that one. The America's forty seven is phenomenal and I like that sweet floral, low proof. We have try one more thing. Before we do that, that almost makes it so impressive, that 47th. Because this definitely had a lot of that age, that oakiness. Yeah. And then you jump over to something that's ninety-four proof. A little younger. it ⁓ know what I I didn't even think of that before. And I and I'm and I believe the the barrels were between four and seven years old. Yeah. That would yeah. You know, so but Having actually tried their ryes and their ⁓ ⁓ the the Rick House. Yeah. stuff. No, that's that's delicious. Yeah. And that's one that you could you can go back to at any time. very drinkable. you have not tried this one. Okay. Hit me. Last line. Hit me. I mean I've actually been so excited to have you try this. Okay. I think I know what you're reaching for. I'm gonna close my eyes, ⁓ I think I I know what's gonna appear in front of me. And please tell me it's a Caleb's Crossing. There we go. All right. Rarebird 101, Jennings, Caleb's Crossing. You've very high this one. I I have. Yeah. And And I'm not a rye person, I know you're not, ⁓ rye, it he used a 12-year 95-5 rye ⁓ as base, and then added a seven-year Green River bourbon as the blend. So 12 year 955, gotta be MGP, right? Yep. Which I have a Evernorth 12 year 95. Yeah, so and I I get so many of that Russell's two thousand three on this. Yeah. I mean but is It's almost that same that Russell's two thousand three. Sometimes I want to describe it like a Sharpie marker and not in like a bad way, but it's like there you know, there's so it's like it's like it's it's like when you're it's taking markers to smell ⁓ 'cause you like ⁓ Exactly. Yeah. Except right. Some people like the smell of gasoline, some people don't right. The Sharpie smells great to me. I like I like the smell of like the drag racing gasoline. That old hundred and fourteen octane. VP racing fuels. Okay, so one more time. So twelve year ninety-five-five is the base and then blended with a seven-year Green River ⁓ Green River, okay, yes. Complex. fifteen point two proof. And I don't get that. No, definitely drinks under its proof. so that makes sense. Distilled in Kentucky and Indiana. Yep. MGP Rye is the base. Green River. This to me, I like that. America's 47 is one of my favorite blends ⁓ just drinkability. Everyday sipper. I mean, that is just a fantastic blend. Cause you get both the wheat and the rye. But this Caleb's Crossing. is also just fantastic. It's the one that gives you a little bit of that pepper bite. It gives you a little bit of but it gives you of the oak. And I'm an oak fan, you know, so I like that aged feeling. So that Caleb's crossing is like Very long finish. that's why I was just letting you talk sitting here after I had that that next sip. So the first time I had this and it was a fresh crack, an hour after I had it, I still could taste it. Yeah. I mean it it has such a long finish. I'm so distracted by the nose because that's nose that I want. ⁓ Right? R so Yeah, I can d I love those high age ninety five five MGP ryes and I can tell that's what's here. but that's Nose is incredible that that palette, the the rye, and that's what I love when MGP gets age on it. MGP rye gets age is I I think that's where you can convert somebody who says, I don't like rye, yeah, is a more aged 95-5 MGP rye because you get just a tiny little bit of that spiciness on the back end, but yeah, you get a lot of that kind of floral. god, it just keeps going. It it really does. Yeah. Yeah, there's just a lot of that kind of floral, herby. Which is always so funny because I hate tea, but I guess that would be like what people who like tea like right. It's kinda like floral, herby. Very little bit of that little rye bite on the back end definitely drinks below its proof. But I feel like So I'm not a pepper fan. That's actually what I don't like about ryes, is I don't like pepper. Yeah. I don't like spicy things. I feel like what David did with this, he got all of the good flavors of the rye minimized that pepper bite. And that to me is like holy ⁓ shit, is fantastic. Well, and that's what I tend to notice. I it's funny, 'cause you said twelve year, ninety five five. Probably one of my favorite ryes that I have sitting on my bar is that Evernorth, which is just a you know unblended but 12 year I think you gave me I think you gave me a sample. I do believe I I I gave you a sample of that because that's one of my fa you know, I love huge fan of the triple mash rye from Pursuit. Love the Mickters ten ryes, but a ninety five five MGP rye, and what I find. All right, if you don't like rye, that's where you start getting into that ten years and older, it starts getting rid of that little spice. Because that's what a lot of people think they don't like about and and not think they don't like, but like you say, you don't like spicy foods, you don't like that pepper. Yeah. That's just not your preference. But as it gets that age on it, it just tends to kind of really mellow out. And well, you still get all of the flavor. It just diminishes the pepper bite. And I I think that that age, that Right around twelve years must be just about perfect. David has written he wrote a book about wild turkey. He's been a ⁓ bird and wild. I followed I followed him on Instagram for a long time. I actually admittedly did not know until you got this and you were telling me that this was his his blend. I didn't I didn't know that, but I followed him for a long time on Instagram and So ⁓ I do feel like there's like a little bit of an ode to wild turkey in there. And that's where I think I I can compare it to that 2003. then I think he just cranks up the flavor. Yeah. You know, it it's it's a fantastic, it's a it's a one-off batch. It's batch number BBR ⁓ bottle three ninety-two six fifty-eight. And he sent me So the question is of the six fifty eight. I I think they're I think they're on the website. I I did see that. Yeah, they do ⁓ Yeah, I can send ⁓ a message now. site and see it that's is a bottle worth picking up yeah and Green River does I mean Green River always continues to amaze me they're putting out really stuff at sometimes points that I don't understand. You're like how are you putting this product out at this price point? Like it's so it's so good. ⁓ you know they put out that foolproof wheated this year. Yeah. I don't maybe late last year, early this year. And I have this the single barrel wheated and the single barrel bourbon that I haven't even cracked yet. Yeah. From Green River. So I'm I'm we've so much to open. You know, like I we is part half of what I picked up for ⁓ Super Drop Sat or whatever it's called. Extravaganza. well yeah the The great news is picked up thirteen bottles yesterday. We have a lot of really good things to still get to. Yeah. Heaven Hill ninetieth. I mean I've got a lot of stuff. I've got a few that I've been saving for when we can film an episode and you've got some and I do want to get into some of those river roots with you as well. And yeah. I I haven't even opened that one from ⁓ Cleveland Hunter. I know. That it's that double oaked wheater Yeah. So ⁓ man. Good and bad problem. We haven't opened them all yet, but that means ⁓ and of course our 250th pick from Tom Foolery. Plenty of ⁓ future episodes. Yeah, I'm excited to take that set home today too. Yeah. Yeah. So I guess that means stay tuned. Stay tuned. Yeah, lots of good bottles that's so cracked. So thanks for watching. please like, subscribe, share, give five stars. hey. Great comments. I do respond. You know, if there's something you don't like or something we need to do, I'm a consummate learner, wayward journeyman, as they say. ⁓ so yeah. And on that note, I'll give one shout out. You met my dad yesterday. Yeah. And he comments on all the videos on YouTube. So dad, comment. Yeah, Dave, it was nice meet yeah. Nice meeting you. And ⁓ it was good talking to you yesterday. That was that was a good time. Yeah. You know, appreciate it. All right. Till the next one. Till the next one. Thank y'all.