BMC Bourbon – Four Roses Small Batch 45%

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Carissa Hickling

This Kentucky small batch bourbon wasn’t originally part of the trio, however our host received it as a rather timely gift and decided to bring it along as an “appetizer” to our main “meal.”

As we poured, we compared notes on our preferred standard bourbons… names that came to mind included Blanton’s, Elijah Craig and yes – Four Roses… ideally with a nice large chunk of ice.

However, true to our tasting traditions… we sampled each first neat, then some added water, then each bourbon was set aside until all were tasted for a revisit… followed by closing which whisk(e)y we thought could best partner our cigar.

Four Roses Small Batch 45%

Colour – Bright yellow straw
Nose – Musty sweet mash, wood, bit of citrus, pear drops, oily orange, sweet tobacco leaf or sweet grass, loads of sour mash, hay…
Palate – Very smooth and a bit peppery
Finish – Orange zest with some thinking perhaps a chaser of anise
Water – Makes it spicier initially then once it settles down simply dilutes
Revisit – Coming back for a revisit after sampling the others – wow! Pear with sweet white flowers, certainly very easy going

Overall? We were reminded of why this bourbon came to mind in our collective short list. Truth be told, most of us are not typically bourbon drinkers unless it happens to be cocktail hour! In which case, having a base with more power is preferred.

As for what the folks over at Four Roses have to say?

Nose – Mellow spice, rich fruit, hints of sweet oak & caramel.
Palate – Mellow, ripened red berries, dried spice, well-balanced, rich.
Finish – Soft, smooth & pleasantly long.

We tried it from a closed bottle in Mumbai on March 2019.

As for what this would set you back? It remains quite affordable… currently selling on Master of Malt for approx $30.

BMC’s Bourbon Night

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BMC Bourbon Night Take 2 – Four Roses, Clyde May’s, Breaker, Bib + Tucker

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Carissa Hickling

A personal connect often is the magic link in our sourcing efforts… Which is exactly why our Bombay Malt & Cigar group has enjoyed a decidedly Norther American “twang” to some of our tastings…

One member’s spouse is Canadian with a recent trip leading to a Canadian Club tasting and another’s spouse is American. This member last brought us a Westland Trio and now a special evening focused purely on Bourbon!

But these were no ordinary run of the mill bourbons – nope! Other than Four Roses just to whet our whistles, the other three from Alabama to California are not your standard garden variety brash bourbons.

What did we think? Read on and discover!

BMC’s Bourbon Night

Our favourite? There was zero doubt that the Clyde May‘s came out on top for its delightful sweetness plus made a terrific complement to the cigar initially.

And next up? The Bib & Tucker was the most interesting… and as the cigar became spicier, most of us shifted to pairing with it instead.

For the rest? Four Roses the most accessible – both in palate and as a bourbon.

Whereas the Breaker Bourbon Port Barrel Finish? Not sure it quite worked for us… pity.

Interested in other Bourbon focused evenings? A few memorable ones include:

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Cleveland Underground Apple Bourbon Whiskey Sour

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Carissa Hickling

Ah… there are times when a chilled whisky sour just hits the spot! Which is exactly why our bourbon evening closed with a non-traditional take on this whiskey cocktail standard.

This isn’t quite what we tried but pretty close…

Underground Whiskey Sour

1 ½ oz Underground Bourbon
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp sugar
1 drunken cherry
Chickpea froth

DIRECTIONS

In an old fashioned glass, add Underground Bourbon, lemon juice, and sugar
Shake with ice and strain into chilled tulip glass
Add the froth
Garnish with a cherry

Often it is made with frothed egg white… in our case we had a less traditional “vegetarian” version made with the froth from boiling chickpeas – which works surprisingly well.

Our Bourbon trio included:

FEW Bourbon 46.5% was the base for a rather delicious Manhattan
Mitcher’s Small Batch 45.7% morphed into a marvellous Sazerac
Cleveland Underground AP Bourbon Whiskey finished with Apple Wood, Batch 3, 45% frothed into a twist on a Whiskey Sour

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Mithcher’s Small Batch Bourbon Sazerac Cocktail

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Carissa Hickling

After sampling Mitcher’s Small Batch Bourbon solo, we had a change to try it in a different avatar – an exceedingly good Sazerac… so good that a few even had a repeat!

Mitcher’s Small Batch Bourbon L16F747 45.7% (91.4 proof)

This isn’t quite what we tried but pretty close…

Mitcher’s Bourbon Sazerac

2 1/2 oz. Mitcher’s small batch bourbon whisky
1 sugar cube
2 dashes bitters
Absinthe
Lemon peel
Old-fashioned glass

Directions:

In an Old-Fashioned glass, muddle a sugar cube with a few drops of water.
Add several small ice cubes and the whiskey and bitters.
Stir well and strain into a second, chilled, Old-Fashioned glass in which you have rolled around a few drops of absinthe until its inside is thoroughly coated, pouring off the excess.
Garnish with a twist of lemon peel

The quality of the absinthe makes all the difference. In our case, we had a Czech absinthe – Bairnsfather;’s Reality Absinth – that was truly exceptional.