WHISKEY REVIEW!

Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Cornerstone Rye – 109 Proof – 9 & 11 year old Rye

Thee Wild Turkey. This distillery and I have a deep love affair. I believe Wild Turkey is the most consistent distillery in the last 50 years of distilling in Kentucky. Yup, that’s right, Wild Turkey. You see they have only two mash bills – one for bourbon and one for rye. It’s quite impressive. So with that, here is my first whiskey review on CigarHawk….oh and Drink More Turkey!

Nose: You will not want to stop smelling this glass. A warm and inviting vanilla marshmallow smell. It follows up with a hint of sweetness. There is absolutely no ethanol here.

Taste: Very bold up front. A peppery vanilla taste meets the forward palate. The forward palate lasts quite awhile. Honey immediately follows. The spice never fades. This is absolutely the most impressive thing about the taste. 

Finish: A solid lingering finish. The honey moves to the mid palate. The sweet spice carries all the way through. It’s warming in a good way. The spice comes back around to the forward palate which is unusual for any pour. 

Overall: Eddie Russell has done it. His father distilled the infamous “Christmas Rye”, which is something of legend. Eddie has landed himself another anchor to cement why he will be just fine the day (the unfortunate day) Jimmy steps back as Master Distiller at Wild Turkey. Cornerstone Rye has become (that’s right past tense) what it’s name says, a cornerstone. I am extremely impressed with this profile and will be purchasing more before it’s gone. Do yourself a favor, grab one before that happens. Cheers!

Score: 9.5/10

Added Water: After 5 drops of water, the spice dissipates. After 10 drops of water, it is sweet sweet honey all the way through.

*Full disclosure: I warm my palate before tasting any bourbon. Typically with a potato vodka. It’s always treated me better and I feel I get a much better nose and finish by doing this.

Celebrating 243 years of one sweet victory….and American whiskey!

Whiskey claims to itself alone the exclusive office of sot-making.

Thomas Jefferson

A Stolen Throne Crook of the Crown with a 13 year old WhistlePig Rye Whiskey from the Bourbon Society of Central Florida.

It is July 5th. Independence Day is over. Although for some reason I do not want to stop celebrating that sweet victory that is 243 years old. Independence Day is my favorite holiday. I love it more than Christmas. Hell, I love it more than my own birthday. Which leads me to one massively important point. American Whiskey is the best whiskey to ever grace this planet.

Without our Independence from Great Britain, we would have never been gifted what the Founding Fathers spent so much time working on. I know what you’re thinking, the Declaration of Independence….WRONG! It was whiskey. You see, the way I look at it is quite simple: the Declaration of Independence was simply a document to give America the freedom to distill the best liquid to grace Earth.

Now, now, I am moderately joking. It serves as one of the greatest historical documents of all time (taxation IS theft). The greatest country in the history of mankind formed as a result. The freedom to write this piece is evidence of that. Yet, for some reason I always come back to whiskey. So with that, I believe a toast with some fine rye whiskey is in order. George Washington did it and he arguably drank more than any other President. Something about it must be good, right?

So toast we will to the greatest country in the world. To all those who did and continue to sacrifice so much for our freedoms, we say thank you. I will always love Independence Day. Cheers everyone!

Cigars or Bourbon? I say both!

If I cannot drink Bourbon and smoke cigars in Heaven than I shall not go.

Mark Twain

My name is Bryan. Bourbon is just my thing.

State of distillation: Florida

Rick house: Tampa

Floor: 33614

Taste profile: Forward, a good kick in the mouth, with subtle hints of citrus, cut to the chase, and good laughs.

My name is Bryan Brantley. In 2016, my bourbon love affair began, or as some may call it, my date of distillation. Bourbon is unique as we all know, yet most of us didn’t start by drinking bourbon. We usually picked up another cheap spirit and called it a day. This is what makes bourbon so beautiful. We all end up here. Bourbon is meant to be a spirit we enjoy in brotherhood (or sisterhood – shoutout to the bourbon women!). Enter my goal: to bring more people together over this brown water that is so cherished.

As I embark on this blog journey I encourage all of you to try something new. After all, that is how it all begins. For those who may not be familiar, I will post weekly bourbon reviews and suggestions of what is available at different price ranges. Once a month I will dive into my favorite pour and smoke pairing during that time. I will also post pictures of what I find along the way.

I want to personally thank Scott for inviting me to join the Cigar Hawk blog. I am roughly a year into the cigar game but thoroughly enjoy my humidor being full. As the Hawk himself would say, “Long ashes, and full glasses!” Cheers everyone!