Evan Williams Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Eight dollars. That is about the price of a Big Mac combo at McDonalds. That is also the price of a bottle of Evan Williams Bourbon. Not a mini bottle. A completely regular 750 mL size bottle.

In Florida, I visited the mind-boggling Lueken's Liquors. Their selection is huge. Their prices are tiny. I headed straight to the bourbon, no pun intended. I picked out a nice green, no age statement bottle for $7.99

What does the price say about Evan Williams?

I opened the bottle with a clear mind, trying to be as objective as possible. Alcohol, sweet, medicinal. It was really hard to judge from the nose.

The taste was an eight-dollar surprise. Sweet and slightly spicy, a touch of honey, maybe a hint of that goo. You know, the stuff in the middle of butter tarts, but not quite as sweet. Yes alcohol was present but it was, um, well, smooth. The mouthfeel was thin, but not bad. Actually, it was really nice. Eight dollars nice? No. Nicer.

The finish was another eight-dollar shocker. Spicy (rye maybe?) and sweet. Quite short though. I was impressed. Eight-dollars impressed. No, that doesn't sound right.

Evan Williams isn't complex, that's obvious. But it's definitely eight-dollars complex. This is a bargain. Eight bucks? Seriously? For eight dollars most people would exepect their whisky to be mixer quality. And even then some wouldn't tolerate it in a mixed drink. But not only is this drinkable neat, it's GOOD.

Evan Williams is a barn-find DeLorean. Everything is covered in 3 decades worth of stinky barn dust. The leather is dried up. The tires are cracked. But surprise! Everything works. A steal for the price.

Lueken's Liquors: $8
750 mL
40% (80 proof)

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon

I suffered through my first glass of Woodford Reserve as an acrid layer of hot spice blanketed my tongue and choked my tastebuds. I had tried it in a tavern setting, with savory food. It was a mistake and I was thankful I hadn't made the costly investment of an entire bottle at the LCBO prior.

Yes, it was terrible and the balance was way off. But I was in denial, partaking of it plenty more times since that first night. Each time I had it it was dramatically better and for a long time I excitedly thought of adding one of those unforgettable bottles to my shelf.

I didn't have to wait long. When my parents returned from a Florida vacation they surprised me with a bottle of Woodford Reserve. It was a gift set which included two tasteful etched glasses as well.

Woodford Reserve, with its beautiful wood and cork stopper, is a small batch whiskey and as such it varies from bottle to bottle. I wish I'd recorded the batch number from that first one, not that it matters because that particular supply is long gone. The one I have currently is bottle 545 from batch 654. And this is a fantastic batch.

Nose: sweet spicy metal, and surprisingly little alcohol considering the 45.2% abv.

This was my favourite Woodford to date with cherries and almonds followed by the strong tell-tale metallic flavour of copper pot distillation. What really surprised me was a delicious but faint smokiness too. Finally, the spicy rye hits.

The finish is dry and nutty with a hint of pine. Nosing the glass afterward all I can smell is fresh cut wood. Very nice!

WR is akin to a nicely kept, relatively stock DeLorean. The biggest difference being some 17" aftermarket wheels. The car definitely looks flashier and more luxurious, fast even. But it's probably not to everyone's taste.

Gift from my parents
750 ml
45.2% (90.4 proof)

www.woodfordreserve.com

Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon

I don't really live a life full of vice, but one of my kryptonites is cherry-flavoured beverages. Cherry Coke, Wild Cherry Pepsi and for the love of God, the best of the best, Cherry Dr Pepper.

Unfortunately I live in Canada, whose importing authorities see cherry-flavoured drinks as a sort of deadly violation of the Canada Food Guide and avoid it.

When a friend told me the LCBO was carrying Jim Beam Red Stag, I jumped on it. Why? Red Stag is Jim Beam's Black Cherry flavoured Kentucky bourbon, aged four years. Not only did I get one, but I got it on sale: $25. (It was a limited offering in 2011 and is currently not available at the LCBO.)

I like bourbon and adding cherry flavour to it would only deepen our bond, I was sure. Did my fingers tremble as I cracked it open? Maybe a little.

The nose was strong. Alcohol, medicinal cherry and bourbony. Not so promising.

There's a tired line I've avoided all my life. It's so effortless to say something "tastes like cherry cough syrup!" I tend to really like cherry cough syrup, so this descriptor doesn't work for me. But the taste was so medicinal that I couldn't help but think, "Now I know what people are talking about when they say cherry cough syrup!"

My wife gave it a try and to my surprise thoroughly enjoyed it. Based on this I gave it a second chance. And a third. Fourth. Fifth. Nope. It was awful. It tasted like two separate drinks in my mouth, one being some sort of Robitussin product which came close to overwhelming the second, bourbon.

Did I get a bad bottle? I'll never know.

I would liken Red Stag to a DeLorean barn-find. It's exciting to discover it, but there are just no redeeming qualities about a DeLorean with a rusted frame, dented stainless panels and gummed up fuel injectors.

LCBO sale: $25
750 ml
40% (80 proof)

www.JimBeam.com
www.JimBeam.com/Red-Stag

Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon

God must hate the prideful folks at the Buffalo Trace distillery. Why? Well, the bible says pride is bad. I think. So Buffalo Trace better get off their high horse before somebody smites them.

So what gives?

Buffalo Trace, which produces Blanton's single barrel bourbon, clearly makes a huge effort to show the world theirs is a truly exceptional bourbon. And rightly so.

First, as stated, this is a single barrel bourbon. The process is very difficult because the whiskey isn't blended with a group of barrels to mask small imperfections. Single barrels have to be perfect. And when it emerges all perfect-like, it's bottled in an amazing grenade of a bottle with a metal horse stopper.

Additionally, they've carried their bottle philosophy through to the lowly miniatures. And just when you thought they couldn't possibly care any more about their product, you open your mini and, for better or worse, a genuine cork shows up in your hand. THAT is how serious they are.

In April I spent a rather obscene amount of money at La Maison du Whisky, and picked out two minis as well, including a Blanton's single barrel for 11 Euros. As a thank-you, they gave me the two minis for free.

I was so excited about the Blanton's that I drank it in my hotel room (and brought the empty bottle home). It was strong on the nose but around the alcohol I detected sweet caramel and cherries.

In my mouth it was zingy, but the cherries were there again, dancing alongside almonds. The intensity grew in my mouth and it became spicy. It was sweet but strong.

The finish was a bit short, dry and nutty. Walnuts maybe.

A very limited supply of this showed up at the LCBO a few months ago and I kicked myself for not forking over the $75 before they all vanished. Luckily I got a second chance in Paris. Next time it shows up in the LCBO, it will not escape my clutches.

La Maison du Whisky: Free ($14 Cdn)
50 ml
46.5% (93 proof)

www.blantonsbourbon.com
www.buffalotrace.com

Wild Turkey American Honey

I've been drinking Southern Comfort since I was a wee child. It is still one of the staples in my house, but in recent years I had become bored with it. About the only thing I hadn't mixed it with, was milk. Scratch that. Just tried it. Don't do it.

And so, on a Vegas vacation a few years back, I found myself shopping at a grocery store in Henderson with my friends. While they shopped for nutritious things to sustain us, I took a detour into alcohol alley. I asked one of the employees if there was a bourbon-style drink that was sweet like Southern Comfort yet not quite as sweet. I wanted something more bourbony. One of the suggestions he made was Wild Turkey American Honey.

That sounded great to me, and I admit since it was not available in Canada, the cool factor (read: "I have something you don't, nya nya!") played into it a little too. I bought a 750ml bottle for the equivalent of $26 Cdn.

American Honey is Wild Turkey bourbon mixed with real honey. And the nose doesn't lie. I smell bee barf, nectar, a strong sweet citrus, and something bitter like orange peel.

The taste is just a tad different. The light golden sunshine liqueur is hugely sweet, but not like Southern Comfort. It almost has a candy-like sweetness to it, honey, a faint bourbon quality and fleeting citrus.

The finish is sweet and dry, I still taste honey and something else. Something weird. Kiwi?

The honey overpowers the bourbon, but not entirely. And because of its versatility, it's pretty great. Bourbon and Scotch drinkers won't want to drink this neat, but if you're new to this it is a very good place to ease into your whisky sipping journey. And it's even perfect for mixing, adding a sweet corny honey taste to cola or root beer, and probably ginger ale and milk too. Yes, super sweet American Honey is perfect for the bourbon wuss.

NV grocery store: $26
750ml
35.5% (71 proof)

www.wildturkey.com
www.americanhoney.com

Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon

I'm back again, polluting the internet with my amateur whisky reviews. While my posts aren't ill-conceived, the notion that I know whisky probably is. However, whisky is a very personal thing.

Reading reviews I find I'm sometimes baffled by the elaborate or curious descriptions given. Chocolate? Creme brulee? Baked goods? In whisky? Well, sure. And I probably smell things that other people don't too. It's just how your brain interprets the scent.

On my way home from Costa Rica, which smells like bananas and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, I made a pit stop at the airport's mega-tiny Duty Free. When I say small, I mean it. I've been in bathroom stalls bigger than this place.

The store was so small, I was not able to shop. I had to get in line and shuffle along as the line moved forward, viewing what was on the shelves as I passed them. After about 10 minutes, I saw the very last 750ml bottle of Maker's Mark and grabbed it. Duty Free price: $26.

By most accounts Maker's Mark Straight Kentucky Bourbon is aged between 6 and 7 years. The rich orangey amber bourbon is a "small batch" whisky which means each batch is made from 20 or less barrels.

When I peeled the trademark red wax off the top and poured it, the nose wasn't what I expected: Thick wood, almonds, a hint of spice, and alcohol. But it was all fairly muted. I tried many times, but found it difficult to get a smell of something good and solid.

The taste was much better yet still simple. Caramel, vanilla, pepper and Portuguese cork notepad. Wha??? Yeah, I also noted a very odd flavour - it tastes the way my Portuguese cork notepad smells; kind of musty, but not in a bad way.

The finish was spicy and peppery, which is strange because there's no rye in this bourbon. I'm not sure where the taste comes from, but it's very distinct and strong.

Overall, I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would. I guess the hype this brand has built up around itself backfired. I discussed this with a coworker and he convinced me to give it another chance. But over and over again, there was something about it I didn't love. It really threw me. So I decided to *gasp* try mixing it.

I made two of my favourite drinks, the first using Retro Pepsi, the second using Rootbeer. The Maker's Mark added a creamy vanilla flavour to each one, making them THE best Pepsi & bourbon and Rootbeer & bourbon I've ever had. They were so fantastic in fact, that I will happily sin again. If you think I'm a monster, leave me a comment and let me know!

Duty Free: $26
750ml
45% (90 proof)

www.makersmark.com

Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon

In my first house, one day, I suddenly became aware of a gas leak. I called our gas company who sent a man to our house with some sort of portable gas detection tricorder. I showed him where I could smell the gas and he pointed his tricorder around until he found the leak.

"You can SMELL that?" he asked incredulously. The leak was so small, he said, it was nearly undetectable by his tricorder. So you'd THINK I have a good lil sniffer, eh? Not really. And what does smelling gas have to do with whisky? The 'nose' (sniffing the scents of the dram) is half the experience! But just because my shnoz is good for gas doesn't mean anything in the whisky world.

Today I'm taking a step backwards from my Auchentoshan review and talking about Four Roses Kentucky Straight Bourbon. If you read that rookie whisky review, which you most certainly didn't based on the staggering number of comments, you'll already know that I don't know what I'm doing and you're about half way through a big ol' mess.

Preferring to spend as little as possible without leaving my country or robbing any old grannies, I had a friend snag me a 750ml bottle of Four Roses bourbon at his LCBO at significant savings. Sale price: $23.

Four Roses has recently returned to Canada from a decades-long vacation, so I was excited to try the medium copper coloured bourbon back to back with my others. Opening the bottle, I was intoxicated by the aroma, which was primarily of sweet cedar mixed with a slight sherry note. After a time I could detect flowers too - but what kind? I dunno. White ones.

The taste was very similar: strong wood, floral, honey. Sweet on the tip of my tongue, then got hotter as it moved back. It finished with more barrel wood, a little sweet & spicy.

If you love the smell of fresh cut wood (who doesn't?), this might be a super bourbon for you. It's like a bunch of beardy lumberjacks bottled sweet Alpine forest just for you. Thank you lumberjacks! I'm going to have another. And maybe grow a beard.

LCBO clearance: $23
750ml
40% (80 proof)

www.fourroses.us

Auchentoshan 12 year Single Malt Scotch

In his prime, John DeLorean was featured in Cutty Sark scotch ads just before his company began the downward spiral that ended in bankruptcy. While his DMC-12 is not new to me, whisky is. I don't know exactly how to properly taste it, and I definitely don't know how to review it. It feels a bit fancy. And sometimes it's nice to feel fancy. Some guys like to wear women's panties, some smoke Cuban cigars, and others enjoy a dram.

A few years ago a neighbour gave me a bottle of Glenfiddich 12 year for Christmas. It was the most vile thing I'd ever tasted and I decided right then that I didn't like whisky. Over the next few years I had the occasional bourbon... and liked it. In 2010 I toured Kentucky's Buffalo Trace distillery with my car club and had a tasting there. "Mmmm!" I thought, which led to continued bourbon drinking at Halloween, Christmas, and weekend parties.

Like I said, this is new to me. My drink of choice was always gin. But whisky is a whole other animal, and I've discovered how much I like both scotch and bourbon. Should those words be capitalized? I don't even know.

The other day I went to my local LCBO. Once a month or so they put various items on sale. I scanned the aisles and decided on a bottle of Auchentoshan (Oken-toshen) 12 year single malt scotch. Sale price: $48.

It is presented in a nice silver box, which I suppose also protects it from the sun, the only triple-distilled scotch in the world. It's a medium amber colour, and without knowing the proper way to describe it or reading other people's reviews, that's the best I can do.

When I opened the bottle I was shocked at the varying and subtle smells. Old wood, green apple, orange peels, a slight toffee scent. Amazing! I went back again. There's more there, but I don't have the experience to discern the nuances.

The taste was laid-back and soft. It was sweet on the tip of my tongue. Wood, caramel, charcoal, green apple, and finally a tiny punch of smoke. There was a very slight bite as I swallowed, then slowly that apple returned. This time with a bit of spiciness. The finish was mellow and long with a delicious smokey flavour too subtle for me to distinguish.

This bottle makes me excited. It is going to be fun playing "guess the flavours" over the next few months as I learn.

LCBO sale: $48
750ml
40% (80 proof)

www.auchentoshan.com
www.buffalotrace.com