El Jefe
03-22-2014, 01:28 PM
This was a very nice pairing. :)
As I said in the other thread, these Bolivar's are stronger than their torpedo sibling. The flavor profile is very, very similar, but the strength seems to be at the least 25% higher.
You still get flavors similar to burnt sugar, cedar and cinnamon, but these also have a flavor that I've struggled to quantify in the past. Usually I just call it the smell of leather. A more accurate description would be the smell of a tack room and or a boot store.
http://s29.postimg.org/h2dbttyuf/tack_room.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
I know that doesn't make much sense, but thats what I'm reminded of and I can't come up with anything better.
*
http://s18.postimg.org/ufoc1obzd/euan_cigars_and_rye_002.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
*This is an older photo of a bottle I had. Didn't bother to snap one yesterday.
The 95 on the Bulleit bottle is not the proof. This is 90 proof. The 95 on the label is in reference to the mash bill. 95% rye grain, 5% barley or ? This cost me $32 at the grocery store. That up from $25 just last spring. :sadwave:
This is my favorite rye thus far. I even like it better than Rittenhouse-100. Not that I'm denigrating the Rittenhouse, its good juice, I just like this a smidge better.
This stuff is nice and sweet, lots of caramel and burnt sugar. Its also spicy, hard to describe rye spice to someone who hasn't tasted it, but its great. Kinda like baking spices mixed with mint, orange peel and pepper. Sorry, thats the best I got.
Age wise I don't know as theres no age statement. If I had to guess I'd guess between 4 and 6 years of barrel time. I'm also not sure who distills this. Bulleit doesn't have a distillery, they source all of their whiskeys. I'm sure its from one of the big outfits, tho I highly doubt its Beam, but you never know.
Anyway, as I usually do with a new to me hooch, or one I've not had in a while, I put a little into a nosing glass and poured about 3 fingers over a single cube.
http://s30.postimg.org/8kc5ebwe9/bolivar_fonseca_bulliet_rye_008.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
I left the unaltered hooch set for about 10 minutes before I poured the other. I then got reacquainted with its aroma. Smells hot and spicy, the ethanol really steals the show. For my tastes it begs for a splash of water, or better yet, the smoothing effect of a melting ice cube. This can easily be taken neat, but is much more enjoyable on the rock(s). I haven't tried it, but I'd be willing to bet this would make a great Old Fashioned. I should probably attempt that one day soon.
Now, about the two combined. Both are very good on their own, but together, they're nothing short of fantastic IMO. Both have some heft and are spicy, but yet sweet enough to thoroughly enjoy. I don't personally like my whiskey to be too dry. Or my cigars too acrid.
I do have one bitch concerning the cigar. Toward the end the damned thing started to come apart. Most of you will have had this happen, a portion of the rolled up middle swells or an unnoticed vein breaks out.
http://s4.postimg.org/iub9n5sq5/bolivar_split_002.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
Anyway, all in all, a very enjoyable combination. ;)
As I said in the other thread, these Bolivar's are stronger than their torpedo sibling. The flavor profile is very, very similar, but the strength seems to be at the least 25% higher.
You still get flavors similar to burnt sugar, cedar and cinnamon, but these also have a flavor that I've struggled to quantify in the past. Usually I just call it the smell of leather. A more accurate description would be the smell of a tack room and or a boot store.
http://s29.postimg.org/h2dbttyuf/tack_room.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
I know that doesn't make much sense, but thats what I'm reminded of and I can't come up with anything better.
*
http://s18.postimg.org/ufoc1obzd/euan_cigars_and_rye_002.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
*This is an older photo of a bottle I had. Didn't bother to snap one yesterday.
The 95 on the Bulleit bottle is not the proof. This is 90 proof. The 95 on the label is in reference to the mash bill. 95% rye grain, 5% barley or ? This cost me $32 at the grocery store. That up from $25 just last spring. :sadwave:
This is my favorite rye thus far. I even like it better than Rittenhouse-100. Not that I'm denigrating the Rittenhouse, its good juice, I just like this a smidge better.
This stuff is nice and sweet, lots of caramel and burnt sugar. Its also spicy, hard to describe rye spice to someone who hasn't tasted it, but its great. Kinda like baking spices mixed with mint, orange peel and pepper. Sorry, thats the best I got.
Age wise I don't know as theres no age statement. If I had to guess I'd guess between 4 and 6 years of barrel time. I'm also not sure who distills this. Bulleit doesn't have a distillery, they source all of their whiskeys. I'm sure its from one of the big outfits, tho I highly doubt its Beam, but you never know.
Anyway, as I usually do with a new to me hooch, or one I've not had in a while, I put a little into a nosing glass and poured about 3 fingers over a single cube.
http://s30.postimg.org/8kc5ebwe9/bolivar_fonseca_bulliet_rye_008.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
I left the unaltered hooch set for about 10 minutes before I poured the other. I then got reacquainted with its aroma. Smells hot and spicy, the ethanol really steals the show. For my tastes it begs for a splash of water, or better yet, the smoothing effect of a melting ice cube. This can easily be taken neat, but is much more enjoyable on the rock(s). I haven't tried it, but I'd be willing to bet this would make a great Old Fashioned. I should probably attempt that one day soon.
Now, about the two combined. Both are very good on their own, but together, they're nothing short of fantastic IMO. Both have some heft and are spicy, but yet sweet enough to thoroughly enjoy. I don't personally like my whiskey to be too dry. Or my cigars too acrid.
I do have one bitch concerning the cigar. Toward the end the damned thing started to come apart. Most of you will have had this happen, a portion of the rolled up middle swells or an unnoticed vein breaks out.
http://s4.postimg.org/iub9n5sq5/bolivar_split_002.jpg (http://postimage.org/)
Anyway, all in all, a very enjoyable combination. ;)