Since we weren’t doing a tour of the distillery, the woman said we could just do a tasting and set us up with our own personal tasting.
Of all the tastings we did on our trip, this one was definitely one of the best. It was clear that Mike, our tasting guide, had grown up and appreciated a good bourbon.
He walked us through the differences between each of the bourbon’s as well as explaining in detail the differences between single batch, single barrel, age statements, and what it means if a bottle doesn’t have an age statement at all (basically that it’s usually just the minimum years aged).
Of the bottles we tasted here (Russel’s Reserve 6 Year, Russel’s Reserve Single Barrel, Wild Turkey 101, Long Branch, and American Honey), our favorite was the Russel’s Reserve 6 year.
Surprisingly, the Russel’s Reserve 6 year is a very affordable go-to bourbon and usually only costs around $26 even here in Pennsylvania where prices are terrible. I’d definitely recommend trying a bottle if you’ve never had it.
My friend had also never had American Honey so tasting that was a bit of a shock to him at how sweet it was. His first reaction was that it wasn’t something he would drink normally, but would go excellent in tea. I have had American Honey before and it’s more of a lighter drink that does go well in tea or is great to bring to parties where people aren’t used to sipping on whiskey straight and plan to use things to make cocktails.
Next up was my favorite distillery of the entire trip – Four Roses Distillery.