Can you’re taking a touch?
I can’t, because it seems. Think about the bourbon I’ll be reviewing at this time: it’s sourced whiskey with little transparency relating to its origin, repackaged by an organization I disdain, and bought within the fraught single barrel format via a sprawling liquor chain. As if these specs weren’t sufficient to warn me off, I’ve personally been burned by one in every of its siblings on this vary.
So, what’s the matter with me? Name me a cheapskate however, after I noticed this bottle with the value reduce by -30%, nicely… I’m a sucker for a discount. How dangerous might or not it’s, proper? We’re going to seek out out shortly. First, although, some background on this model and bottle…
Dropped at us by Lux Row Distillers, “producers” (ought to that be “pushers?”) of the laughably overpriced Blood Oath sequence, the Ezra Brooks model has a winding historical past reflective of the tumult and horse buying and selling of the bourbon trade extra usually. Because of Michael Veach and Brian Haara, amongst others, for the unique analysis supporting the next abstract:
Who was Ezra Brooks? No one, because it seems. The identify and model have been conjured out of skinny air in 1957 by Frank Silverman of New York Metropolis’s 21 Manufacturers distribution firm. The whiskey was sourced from the Hoffman Distilling Firm – then owned by the Ripy household of Wild Turkey fame – in Lawrenceburg, KY. For what it’s value, Chuck Cowdery claims in his e-book “Bourbon, Straight” that the identify is derived from Ezra Ripy, who was then (alongside his brother Robert) operating the Hoffman distillery.
Making an attempt to capitalize on the recognition of Jack Daniel’s Outdated No. 7, the bottles and labels have been initially designed to resemble Jack of their form and colour. The copycat nature was evident from the beginning and was truly performed up within the model’s promoting on the time. Brown-Forman unsuccessfully sued Hoffman Distilling shortly thereafter, with the choose ruling that the identify and completely different state of manufacturing have been ample to tell apart the product.
In 1979, 21 Manufacturers (and the Ezra Brooks model together with it) have been acquired by the Medley Distilling Firm, which moved manufacturing of the bourbon to their very own distillery in Owensboro. Medley was acquired by Glenmore in 1988, itself acquired by United Distillers in 1991. United Distillers tossed Ezra Brooks to Heaven Hill like a scorching potato the subsequent 12 months; only a 12 months after that, Heaven Hill bought the model to Luxco, then often known as the David Sherman Firm.
Heaven Hill continued to supply Ezra Brooks for Luxco from its 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% barley mash invoice, shared by the distillery’s personal Evan Williams and Elijah Craig manufacturers. Heaven Hill additionally produced Insurgent Yell from a separate, wheated mash invoice similar to that of Heaven Hill’s in-house wheater, Outdated Fitzgerald. However does the Ezra Brooks juice nonetheless come from Bernheim?
A look on the entrance label exhibits “DSP-KY-20044,” indicating Lux Row Distillers’ personal distillery in Bardstown. Nevertheless, the again says “DISTILLED & AGED IN KENTUCKY. BOTTLED FOR LUX ROW DISTILLERS, BARDSTOWN, KY” which makes me assume it’s nonetheless Heaven Hill.
I quizzed Brian Haara concerning the permissibility (or lack thereof) of the apply of labeling with a DSP that wasn’t the supply of the distillate. He helpfully replied thus:
“If they might have bothered to ask me, I’d have instructed Lux Row (MGP) that in the event that they’re going to make use of their very own DSP, they’d higher put “bottled at” earlier than it, as a substitute of stand-alone. The again label that you simply quote, simply as you point out, has to imply that it’s not their very own distilled bourbon but. Some labels will disclose two DSPs, like Henry McKenna BiB (Bardstown and Louisville) and typically EH Taylor once they bottle in Frankfort as a substitute of Bardstown.”
Setting these considerations apart, what has turn into of Ezra Brooks? Up to now, the model carried a seven 12 months age assertion, with single barrel bottlings (referred to as “Ezra B”) coming in 15 and 12 12 months iterations. These have fallen by the wayside, nevertheless, and the present Ezra Brooks lineup is considerably extra modest in its ambitions.
On the low finish, the Ezra Brooks vary encompasses a trio of worth expressions: a 90 proof rye ($15), a 90 proof bourbon ($18), and a “Bourbon Cream” liqueur ($15). Transferring up a bit of offers us the 99 proof bourbon ($24), and ultimately Outdated Ezra 7 Yr ($60 to $80), which I loathed, and which was additionally given a drubbing by Sam.
Nevertheless, I used to be pleasantly stunned the Insurgent Cask Power, one other Binny’s decide from Lux Row. With that reminiscence freshly revived, I made a decision to discard my beforehand talked about preconceptions and take a flier on this bottle.
That is barrel #7544625. It involves us at 120 proof (60% ABV). The barrel was stuffed on 11/15/2016, making this in all probability about 5 years previous, presuming it was bottled final 12 months shortly earlier than I picked up the aforementioned Insurgent Cask Power. Initially priced at $50, this was marked all the way down to $35 as a part of the chain’s periodic finish of bin clearance gross sales. I’ll be utilizing the upper retail worth as my benchmark for our price-sensitive scoring bands.
Ezra Brooks Cask Power Barrel #7544625 – Overview
Coloration: Medium gold.
On the nostril: First impression is “scorching buttered chestnuts.” Is that even a factor? It’s right here, although this pivots (via a cloud of alcoholic esters) to a lighter fragrant profile comprised of floral notes, the sweetness of confectioners’ sugar, and a chalky minerality. Some extra time within the glass releases a thick, gooey, fruity notice of brandied cherries in addition to some scorching fudge sundae topping. After some time, I begin to decide up the basic Heaven Hill hallmark notice, a wedding of metallic and citric components, accented on this case by some spicy scents of floor cinnamon.
Within the mouth: Once more, a nuttiness and a buttery oakiness are offered upfront, in an uncharacteristically ahead presentation within the entrance of the mouth. That Heaven Hill notice is on full show as this strikes towards the midpalate, although it’s also intertwined with extra of that mineral notice from the nostril, skilled right here in drying type. The end retains a pleasantly prickly aftertaste of cinnamon chewing gum, harking back to a pack of Large Purple. The excessive ABV is most evident, too, on the again of the tongue and within the throat, returning to the entrance of the mouth with a persistent warmth that continues to tingle the tongue and lips lengthy after the final swallow.
Conclusions:
If this isn’t Heaven Hill distillate, then Lux Row has discovered methods to do a really convincing Heaven Hill impression. This tastes like a child Elijah Craig Barrel Proof; at lower than half the age it doesn’t have the fullness of the flavour improvement evident within the higher batches of that expression. Nevertheless, the core components are all there and – extra importantly – exist in a properly proportional steadiness that’s usually arduous to seek out in expressions of this age, particularly when they’re offered at full power. It’s quite a lot of whiskey for the value, which leads to a solidly optimistic rating from me.
Rating: 7/10
Coloration me pleasantly stunned by how a lot I favored this one. Possibly it’s value disregarding my very own “knowledge” (usually simply amassed preconceptions, biases, and heuristics) extra usually? I’ll proceed to be a hawkeyed discount shopper, within the hopes that I’ll as soon as once more be led into surprising delights at compelling costs.
Lead picture courtesy of Binny’s. Classic advert picture courtesy of Brian Haara.
