If you’ve never been on a riverboat – it’s objectively okay. Sure it feels nicer than say a regular ferry, and it’s certainly got some historical interest – but then so does a clipper ship. The point we’re very long-windedly trying to make is that it’s nothing special. This is because it makes a perfect segue into this Riverboat whiskey.
Now we know two things in regards to Winchester. The first being they made the Winchester rifle, the gun of the American West. We also know of the Winchester House, home of Sarah Winchester which is very haunted and weird. (What we like ghost stories even if they aren’t real). Now something we don’t know of is the ‘Winchester Cowboy’ or “Winchester Whiskey’ and yet here we have the name of the famous brand on this Rye – but why?
We’ve done the Bourbon before which was middling in all but some ice, so now let’s check out the Rye. Thankfully we can say while it’s fine that the Indiana company wasn’t good at bourbon, they do know their way around a rye. We do wish this was better though at that which we want from a rye – an old fashioned, but alas it’s good even when neat so we can’t complain too hard.
Typically you don’t see something that’s both a rye and a bourbon – they mostly just make the rye whiskey to their own standard. Maybe that’s something that should change though because this has ‘loads of flavor’ going on, and it’s only improved when you mix with it.
If you’ve noticed a distinct trend on this site it’s that overall we’re not big fans of sherry casking. It’s often just the result of a tax avoidance, and usually is used improperly and to ill effect. However we have been known from time to time to enjoy that bit of sherry, and it seems that while a nice 12 year scotch may not be helped with it – it seems Rye and Sherry might just be the combo we needed. That or maybe these Limestone Branch Distillery folks know what they are doing.
We’ve previously had their ‘estate’ vodka, but how about the original? Well if their special version wasn’t a great showing it’d be odd if the original was better – thankfully that’s not the case really. This really only scores higher overall because it is (thank god) cheaper.
So we have recently had the Bulleit 95, but thanks to our Father’s Day gift of whiskies to recommend we have the 12 year and figured we’d put this one on the usual Wednesday. This too unlike Cascade was also just a sample size, but unlike that French Oak Crown Royale – we wish we had a full bottle of this.
It’s a lesson once again in well-known obscurity as we once again have something to review that we here know well enough about, something we’ve carried in our bar and ordered in others, and yet something that for some reason hasn’t made it to this damn website. So let’s hear it for Bulliet rye for being all the rye you ever truly need, but maybe not what you want.
If we’ve ever laid anything of simmering anger at the door of Belvedere it’s that some people associate it and their frosted bottle with higher tier vodka (it’s not). So strap in folks because this will not be a kind review to Sobieski which would be better served clearing snow off of your skiing boots than sipped back at the lodge.
(Disclaimer we have no idea how skiing works, and if that’s a thing you do)
We have a few sins one can commit on this site. First is the lack of frank discussion about spirits and their companies. The second is the usage of language meant to confuse people not familiar with spirits to make it seem like secret knowledge. With that in mind here’s a company from 2009 peddling as a prohibition whiskey that because New York has ‘terroir’ is a good whiskey. What a load of horseshit.
