From Labrot & Graham Distillery, the Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select (it's full name) is a deceptively smooth but sharp-biting bourbon, which weighs in a 45.2% alcohol (or 90 proof, fer us Yankees). Sipped neat, the alcohol bite is nearly overpowering, numbing the mouth briefly in a quick blast before fading swiftly away in a welter of flavors which are gone too fast. Successive sips, as the ice melts into the drink, allow it to offer the subtones which are only sensed generally on that first excursion.
There is a strong caramel to this bourbon, which never goes away but is balanced to a greater or lesser degree by other tastes. Anise, in the early stages; refined licorice in the middle, with a finish (breathe out through the nose) of sharp, aromatic oak. There is orange in there, along with a hint of lime, perhaps? An almost cinnamon flavor can be detected during the exhalation, if you do so through your nose. Mmmmm.
This liquor is recommended not only for its straight quality, but for the changeability of the drink as you go down the glass. Plus, it's got more of a kick than the 'standard' bourbons, which may or may not be to your liking. It's attractively presented in a squared-off, shallow glass bottle (sort of flask-like) with a cork. It lends a rich, deep brown and orange to the glass.
In their W. L. Weller line, the Buffalo Trace distillery has created a wheated bourbon - the grains are all corn and wheat, no rye at all.
The result is a bold, full flavoured whiskey that takes over your mouth and sinuses. Sweet orange and bitter oak dominate the experience.
I recommend it with a splash of water - I find it a touch too sweet otherwise.
Bourbon's roots lie in Pennsylvania, the Scotch-Irish settlers in the Western part of that state having been some of the nation's major whiskey producers in the late 1700's. The whiskey produced in that region was primarily made of rye at the time.
In the Spring of 1791, an excise tax was levied on the production of whiskey to help pay for the debts of the American Revolution. An organized resistance to the tax began later that year, and all producers of whiskey in the region refused to pay. Tax collectors were roughed up, some even tarred and feathered, but the situation was stable for a few years.
In 1794, the mansion of excise inspector General John Neville, a personal friend of (then president) George Washington, was burned to the ground by protestors. Washington personally led an army of 13,000 to quell the rebellion, and a number of rebels were arrested. The tax was eventually lifted in 1800.
Some of the whiskey distillers fled to the mountains of Kentucky, where they started replacing the rye in their whiskeys with corn. The process of aging the whiskey in charred oak casks was developed, and bourbon was born.
The Hirsch 16 was distilled in 1974 at Michter's Distillery in Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania. It was aged 16 years, and bottled in 1989. Some of the history of the distillery can be found here.
Hirsch is one of the few bourbons one can find that was made with a traditional copper pot still. Its color is a slightly yellowish amber, and the nose is of orange and walnut.
It has an airy, oaky flavor that moves from the tongue to the nose a few seconds after swallowing. Caramel, orange, and the spiciness of a high rye content. I most enjoy it taken neat.
The Hirsch is truly a fantastic bourbon. I encourage anyone to try it, if you can get your hands on a bottle. Michter's distillery is now closed, and that batch from 1974 is all we have left.