The Whiskey Gets Shot at the End of the Movie
Written: Mar 01 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Just smell it. I could almost be happy just sniffing it occasionally. Almost.
Cons: Inconceivable. You should be smacked for thinking it.
The Bottom Line: A world classic. Find this one, and don't delay. It will not disappoint you in your search for fine bourbon.
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| beerfly's Full Review: W. L. Weller 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon... |
Ol' Weller.
Ten years old, to be exact. And I have to say, it doesn't smell like a single day in the oak was wasted. Best of all, this being a ten-year-old and all, it is Stitzel-Weller stock, pre-closure. What's that mean? It means history, and real tradition, and a connection with one of bourbon's oldest families. It also means that this stuff was made with a sharp regard for quality, and maybe not so sharp an eye out for profit. It shows, and I'm grateful.
First, smell it, deeply and intently. Even if this is not your first time through this bourbon, don't take it for granted. This is why you paid the money, this is why you cared for the bottle, this is why you got out the good crystal: savor every molecule.
I smell honey, lightly touched with blanched almond. I smell sun-warmed honeysuckle, and chopped sugar cane. I smell creme anglais and light vanilla, white grapes. I smell an amazing melange of brisk, bright aromas, wonderfully lively after 10 years in the warehouse. No rye spiciness; there is no rye in this wheated whiskey (not a wheat whiskey, silly: the small grains are malt and wheat. It's still bourbon, still corn likker.) The color shows those ten years; a dark shade of amber, with a glint of red fire.
I could smell it for another five minutes, easily, but... That would be to cheat myself. This one's at 100 proof, full-bore flavor-carrying power. I'll pour in a sip. Sweet smooth fire, a delightful heat, carrying to all corners of the mouth -- that's why I love over-proof whiskeys, they don't just lay there.
What's burning in the fire? Tastes like caramel, deep orangey flavors like the ripest, juiciest clementine you ever had, and that white grape has matured to a dryly raisiny fruit, mingling with a hint of blackberry. The vanilla comes through in high waves, an eye-opener. There's so much going on here, but it's all so well-integrated.
The finish is beautiful. It lingers forever, smooth, warm, mellow, and just a hint of woody dryness. It's velvet, a warm comforter for the mouth.
I could tell you stories about this one. About Pappy Van Winkle, who ran Stitzel-Weller for making fine bourbon, about the Weller family, who came down the Ohio on a flatboat on the run from the Whiskey Rebellion. But this time, talking about the whiskey alone, without story or editorial, is the right way to do it. That'll do, I think.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to drink some more whiskey.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
beerfly
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Member: Lew Bryson
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 82 members
About Me:
One bourbon, one Scotch, one beer, eh? I'll take Kentucky Spirit, Scapa, and HopDevil.
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