This whisky writer also tastes about 1500-2000 new whiskies each year along with doing distillery visits, tastings, writing and having a personal life along with travel, eating and sleeping... does that add up?? I don't think so... just not enough hours in a day, IMO.
Does he have other people nosing and tasting for him?? If he does it should account for the discrepancies found in the publication of his. I know quite few people has raised this issue here and there, but I've only seen a few air it on forums and blogs. Some Facebook groups on the other hand, has had a quite a few people question the validity as I do above, so I know I'm not the only one... and I thought, as this Gent rates this bourbon the World's best bourbon, I'd raise the issue again... 'Nuff about that for now.
The BTAC collection comes out every year and sometimes the abv% of the bottlings are above 70% abv, which means there has been some very hot summers involved during the maturation of the casks gone into those... so hot that the water evaporates before the alcohol does!! Something you sometime see in the Southern US...
The maturation has brought this bottling and a few other GTS bottlings above 70% abv, which classifies it as 'hazardous goods' and you can't bring bottles like that on e.g. a plane... it's simply not allowed since its highly flammable. Fun fact, yes... but remember that if you buy and plan to fly later!
On a final note I have to, again, mention the price on a bottle like this in Denmark... around 2700,- Dkr. or about €360/£300/$450, which is just crazy for a bourbon! Its taxed -of course- but that only about €20/£17/$25 of it, so the Danish importer should have a smack on his head for charging that kind of money for it, since its only about $100 in the US... and for slapping extras on it because someone names it the World's best Bourbon!
We've come to the final US whiskey review for now...
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| Wall at the main road entrance. Picture from Buffalo Trace Media Kit |
George T. Stagg Hazmat Edition IV, 72,4% (2007), Buffalo Trace Distillery & Antique Collection
Colour is dark mahogany
Nose:
Oranges, cocoa, peppery, almonds (marzipan), ginger and cloves, toasted oak and cinnamon, solventy, cherries, floral and lots of vanilla
Taste:
Alcohol for sure, some citrus (oranges again), BBQ tomato glace, cinnamon, mint, clove corn and syrup, pine and polished wood. With time and water notes of peach and coconut comes through...
Another good, but no where exceptional whiskey IMO
82/100!
With that, it's time for a controversial conclusion!
Now I've revisited some bourbon & rye... and my conclusion?? Fun to try, yes, but I'm not gonna put much more effort into it. I'll try if offered, but other than that I'll not be spending my money on it as its not, IMO worth it!! This may sound harsh, but there's so much good malt out there, so why bother with a spirit that's proved inferior to malted barley, right?
Numerous reports has concluded that barley malt spirit is probably as complex a spirit as you can get, which is partially why you won't see me review much else on this blog. Some may call this narrow minded, but really - aren't some of you also just drinking other things, so you won't be branded as being narrow minded?? I try other stuff, yes, but I will always return to single malts... and luckily I have no trouble being branded a malt snob...
Guess there a reason why my blog is called 'The Malt Desk' ;-)
