Happy 4th! HH90th, RR13 45th, Star Hill 2026, and Caleb's Crossing; Ep. 68

Dan and Jared: Good afternoon. Happy Fourth of July. Happy Independence Day. America's two fifties. Two fifty. Yeah. welcome to Bourbon Brass and beyond. Welcome back to Jared. Thank you for having me. Yeah. The family's back up from Virginia. So ⁓ we're gonna open a bottle. Heaven Hill Distilleries 90th Anniversary haven't opened it, so So what you can you tell me about this? well let's see. ⁓ It actually has mash bill and everything on it. Need glasses. Seventy-eight percent corn, ten percent rye, twelve percent malted barley. was barreled in December thirteenth, twenty fifteen. And It's a nine year old. It it is a yeah. A blend of two different nine year olds. Thirty percent Kentucky Strait bourbon whiskey and then thirty percent Kentucky Strait bourbon whiskey aged in char barrels. Ooh, I do like a heavy char I like a heavy char barrel. I do too. Yeah. I do too. So I've good things about this. Great color. Yeah. Nice and nice and deep. right. Ooh, good pop. Yeah. Great pop. Great. Great bottle. It comes in a box, has a nice, you know, box that come with it and Cheers. yeah. That smells. ⁓ it smell Caramel, vanilla. Yeah. I I always get a lot of vanilla on on the Heaven Hills stuff. Smells sweet. That's like dessert. that's it's really ⁓ you really get that the deep char on it? Yeah. There's a spiced cherry cola to Gosh. Almost like a little bit of licorice. Yeah. Anis, as they call it. Yeah, that's right. It tastes ⁓ there's also some you know, like I'm thinking ⁓ back in my cooking days, there's some ⁓ you know, like candied bacon y it's like I don't know if it's it's a brown sugar. Yeah. and I come back to the nose even after that first sip. It's so smooth. This is delicious. And it's light. It doesn't it doesn't hang around. Yeah. As much as I would expect. It's dangerous. That's what this is. No, it smells so good. Mm. seven proof. Okay. I'm not getting I mean it doesn't. No, it doesn't it doesn't hit like that. No. It smells like that. I smell, you know, you can definitely get some of that. You can as you're as you're you know, taking in the notes, you can definitely feel the higher proof, but does not taste that way. No. And it's a fresh crack, so some of that could be the fresh crack. This is really good. I would expect it to sweeten just a little bit. Yes. The cherry cola man is it's right there. This that's that's a great flavor. Yeah. Get a little bit of the rye spice in the back end. That's really good. Mm. Mm. Yeah, that's that's a good bottle. This is great. Happy with that one. Little bit of the Kentucky hug. Yeah. You know, you get a little bit of that warmth. Yeah, it's warm. Mm. I think the nose just keeps getting better and better. So good. Right to my cheeks. Mm. This is a really w well rounded bourbon. Yeah. Some of these you get a lot of the sweetness, but you get some of that burn where the nose isn't there. But this is this is really nice, all around. I would say I I think that Heaven Hills has come out with some really some great stuff lately. Like that Elijah Craig fifteen. Yeah, that is really good. That is really good. I've heard the twenty two is really good. I tried getting one of those but when Ohio released it, but I wasn't able to get one. Okay, th this is this is quite nice. I like this. Yeah. Mm. This is kind of like the antithesis of what's the when I was here last time we tried the double oaked. And you put that on one end of the spectrum, this for me feels very much at the other in terms of just the depth. This is a really nice light bourbon. I would drink this at any time during the day. Yeah. Whereas the double oak is a night, you for me, that's like a nighttime good cigar, quiet, dark, ⁓ yeah, This is this is very fresh. This is nice. I like this a lot. Very much a classic bourbon. Yeah. I'm surprised how sweet it is. It's really good. I mean I expect you expect it to be sweet, but is a really nice like said, it's like a dessert. I get dessert notes with this. Yeah. ⁓ this is yeah. Thanks for letting share. Yeah, you bet. This is fantastic. I the best part. It is the best part, absolutely. Well and you don't get up here very often. So it's like ⁓ love it. Every time we come we I get to try something new. This is great. Yeah. Well and I have another one I haven't opened. Yeah? What do you have? This is good. a Russell's. The Russell's Reserve thirteen. This is the forty-fifth anniversary ⁓ master distiller Eddie Russell. Awesome. Yeah. Also a great color. It's a little darker. Yeah. So that's a nine year old. So this one should be a little darker. It's a thirteen year old. Mm-hmm. It is America's birthday. It is America's birthday. You know, we're doing this for for science. F absolutely. Absolutely. Now been on a little bit of a run with the the Russell stuff. I got the Ohio private barrel pick. ⁓ And we did that Russell's Reserve two thousand three the last time you were here. Yep. This is their They just came out with this. This was their allocated list. ⁓ man, the the notes of this are gosh. ⁓ that's so deep. That's like So this to me is the classic wild turkey funk. It's just got that great barrel smell. It really does. It smells like I would expect the warehouse where it's being stored to smell. Yeah. just old world. wow. Mm. That's So I'm getting like a cinnamon. Yeah, definitely. Like the the a little bit of the it's like the pumpkin pie spices. Yes. You know, ⁓ not just the cinnamon but a little bit of nutmeg This is this is a deaf this is much ⁓ this is when I said this was light, this is much more complex. I the I feel the flavors a little bit more. Like I said, this one hit me straight with that kind of like cherry cola burnt brown sugar kind of flavor, which is wonderful. I loved it. This has a a much more kind of lasting, deeper, oakier. Yeah, more cinnamon nutmeggy. Yeah, and it it reminds me of like that you know you get that cinnamon and sugar butter that you put on a roll. Yes. Like that's what I'm getting from this. Outpack or something I get like Yeah. ⁓ this is this is also one. What's the proof on this? one is non-chill filtered. It ⁓ ⁓ this is so good. I'm need my glasses. Do three a half. 121.2. You would never that. No. And this is even I skate even less of the proof on the nose with this than I did with the Heaven Hill. Yeah. That's impressive. This is really This gosh, this is like This is a memory provoking bourbon. Yes. This takes me back to some places and some times with my dad. This is nice. Talk about a warm hug. This is this is this is the embodiment of the warm hug for me anyway. This that's what this gives me. It's like ⁓ gosh. That is incredible. I it's almost like if somebody to make were to make an orange loaf of bread. Yeah. Yeah, orange chocolate. Yeah, yeah. Yep. That's what I get on the nose. I want this this scent to linger. This is a you know, it's like I you know if I had you know this was on me, you know what I mean? Like if th this is a wonderful scent. Yeah. It's just it's wonderful. And it almost makes your mouth water. It does. Yeah. It does. And you're right, it makes me crave ⁓ you know, like my mom's coffee cake. Yeah. You know, like that's what it this is this is this is delicious. Mm. That is really good. different these two. Yes. And both, you know ⁓ excellent. bottles. Yeah. And I think they both showcase ⁓ their distilleries. Yes. I mean, 'cause I get very much as soon as I smelled the the Heaven Hill, I mean, y to me it was Heaven Hill. Yeah. But it just probably just a fantastic offering of it. And then with At Russell's, I mean Yeah. They do such a nice job. I mean between I've had so many of the wild turkeys. I've even had the Russell's fifteen, which is supposed to be one of the best. Now they they just came out with that wild turkey Austin Nichols for the cheesy gold foil. Yep. I not had that yet. I really wanna try to find one of those. Yeah. ⁓ to try. But I I just think this Russell's thirteen is so good. It's very good. And and it one of my favorite bottles of all time is that two thousand and three Russell's. I mean, I j I just don't think this one is the one that's sixteen years old but it's only eighty nine and a half proof. And that's barrel proof. Yes. So it was on a low rickhouse floor. But ⁓ I have a bunch of picks from the Russell's reserve that are really good. Just Well, if you're out there trying to decide which bottle to buy, you can't go wrong with either. If you can find ⁓ If you can find ⁓ Because both of these are allocated. This is definitely you know, th this Heaven Hill is definitely a a a lighter ease easier drinking bourbon. It's a little less contemplative. It's delicious and I would have no problem drinking this all day. This is this is one you want to sit with. Yeah. I think. Yeah, the Russell's definitely You could almost do a cigar with a cigar. You could a hundred percent you could. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean it's it's really good. We we Yeah. mm. That's nice. Yeah, that's good stuff right there. Yeah. So that one the first one was nine year old. That one's thirteen. Yeah. And I think we talked the last time, you do like the rye. No, I'm actually not a huge rye fan. I prefer I'm definitely a more of a I'm a sour mash guy. Okay. Through and through. I don't mind the ries. I find them a little sweet, I think, for my palate personally. Okay, versus do you like the wheat then? I don't mind like if you're thinking like ⁓ like the crowns and that it's it's just a little weller. Yeah, I don't mind Weller. my brother loves Weller and I've you know, certainly like special reserve, great can't it's hard to beat that. Yeah. But like on a standard kind of ride, like I'm not a huge Sazerac fan of the Rise, not a huge Crown fan. 'Cause I've got some really good wheaters that just came out. Yeah, I mean I'm happy to try anything. If you've got one you're like, this is your wheat, let me try it. this is this is a maker's mark. This is like a specialty maker's mark. This is from their farms. I do like makers. And this 27% But it's malted wheat. Okay. ⁓ okay, that's nice. ⁓ I a good malted wheat. So this one has a lot of well, I'll I'll let you what notes like. I actually got to try this with Bill Samuels Jr. ⁓ cool. Louisville. And he got he said distillery only gave him four bottles. ⁓ wow. So he brought two to this dinner. That's great. And then ⁓ it took a while, but I finally found one and got one. Mm-hmm. And this one, is there an age statement on it? barreled in the fall of twenty seventeen and fall of twenty eighteen. So And then twenty twenty five, so seven to eight years old. Okay. But it grown right there. Smells good. Okay. That's lit. I mean, that's great. Well that is that is also really sweet. Which it characteristics. They generally are. it's a nice warm caramel. Yeah, that's it is it's lighter than I anticipated. It ⁓ the finish on this, to me, just stays. It d it really does. So that is not what I expected. Yeah. I've just been drinking the wrong wheats. wrong bottles. ⁓ So I come here, see? We gotta we gotta do that. I really get like a floral Yeah, super floral. And I I really love that nose. I actually sent this to ⁓ J D Fridges. He's on the Bourbon Hunters podcast and he blinded everybody on that podcast with it. He g he gave us a shout out, so that's cool. Shout out to J D. Thank you. This is when I had the dinner with with Bill, the farmer that owns the farm ⁓ was us as well. That where they get all their wheat from. A more complex than I thought it would be. One flavor profile. get it. It's nice. ⁓ really good. Yeah. You can really taste it. And I love malts, like chocolate malts, anything malted. Yeah. I mean, even Parker Beam was famous for wanting malt flavors. Sure. Yeah. He would go get chocolate malts with his grandkids and his kids ⁓ just he could add a little bourbon to it. That's great. That's that's You know, it's it's so sweet, but there is this nice there is this nice just ⁓ at the tail end flavor that is that is quite nice. Yeah. That's like kind of like that chocolate or cacao. Yeah, like yeah, like I'm thinking right, we were just I was telling we were just in Guatemala and ⁓ tons of chocolate, like all super dark, and that's very much what I get at the tail end of this, this kind of like dark, like eighty percent dark chocolate. Right at the tail end. Yeah. It's good. This is really good. I'd like to change my mind. Mm-hmm. So I I'm a huge fan. You don't normally get as dark as this or as as with that chocolate notes, especially with like Pappy We I we've had the Pappy. It just that nice, soft, sweet, yep. But between these, know, you have a little bit of rye or you have the full wheat. there was a bourbon that came out that was actually based on the rye. It used rye as the base, but it's a blend. but then it with a a normal bourbon. Okay. And That's this one. crossing. ⁓ that one is fantastic. And don't get the sweetness of what the sweetness from the rye that you think you will get. Yeah. But that David Jennings. He's written couple books. He's as RareBird101 on ⁓ Instagram. And ⁓ that's his that's his bourbon. All right, we're gonna this will be our our final one. We'll we'll Do it. great color. ⁓ color. So this is a blend of year five five Indiana rye. So it's Michters Okay. About a twelve year. And a seven Green Rivers bourbon. Okay. And this is a small batch. It's So this is hundred only six hundred and fifty eight bottles from this. Now What I get is this is the best of both worlds from what we just had with that Russell's Reserve thirteen, the Heaven Hill, and this Okay. Yeah, there's a solid candy. Not near as ethanol on the nose. Like I don't get as near as much spice on the nose. No. And also I'm getting some toasted almond. Yeah. ⁓ wow. ⁓ that's totally different. It's not as sweet at all. You're right, it is a nice blend. Mm-hmm. wow, that's really different. And the on this, the finish is one of the longest finishes I've ever Yeah, it's just you're right, it sticks. Yeah. Mm. That's really interesting. That that really is a It's a s it's a much lighter f flavor and it does. It just kinda sticks in your mouth. It's it's just like floats on your tongue without being super d deep. Yeah. This is nice. Yeah. So I I call it like a brighter flavor. Yeah, brighter is a great way to describe this. Yes. And it's ⁓ fruit forward. Yep. Like an orange or like apricot or pear. And then ⁓ like pear brandy. Like it's yeah, I guess a pear brandy for sure. But they're not finished barrels. No. Huh. And then the carmel just kinda just seeps in. It just Smells great. And the legs. The legs on this is just fantastic. Mm-hmm. a really Yeah, the legs are not a Which is probably why you have such stays, yeah. Like look at that. the first time I had this, I had it. I got the bottle, ⁓ ⁓ sent it to and then ⁓ I I I tried because I couldn't wait to try it. And an hour later I still had that taste. It's still there, yeah, I can see that. Absolutely. wow, this is Nice. This this gives it this just brings a smile. Yeah. And it is it is really sweet, like immediately. This one, you know, was a little bit longer. This is this is really sweet for front too. This this actually, you're right, it is a nice blend because this guy has the same forward immediate sweetness as as the heaven hill. doesn't stick around very long and then it just like lingers. Yeah. ⁓ this is great. This is like a nice ⁓ cologne. You know, passes you by, you're like, ⁓ that person smells great. Yeah. And then and then it just kind of ⁓ there. You know what? Yeah. Even the nose on it. Yeah, it's it's it's very good. Glad you got to try this. This is Yeah, me too. This has become one of my favorites. Yeah, this is very good. yeah, that's ⁓ It really does just. Yeah, if you didn't have a palate cleanser in this, you you would taste this for a couple hours. Yeah. That's really good. Well. I even get like a a dusty note on it? Yeah, definitely. Like an older Yeah. Like that old Fitzgerald that I have. Yeah. We tried that. Yeah, we did. That was great. Yeah. ⁓ Mm. Happy fourth. Same to you. Thanks for letting me ⁓ yeah, thanks for coming up. We lucky to be going to our in-laws. Yes, we are ⁓ for the evening. And ⁓ celebrate fourth. Celebrate the fourth. Kids get to watch fireworks. Fireworks, yeah, cross the street. It's gonna be exciting. Yeah. So have a good night. Everybody be safe, keep your fingers. If you do keep your fingers, please like, subscribe and share. we'd appreciate that. And ⁓ we'll see you ⁓ next week. Thanks. Thanks.