Red Stag by Jim Beam.

[gr8erdane]

I think that some here have missed the point. Many have said they don't taste the whiskey. I don't think you're supposed to. That's why they add the flavor. This is probably aimed toward the cocktail drinker who doesn't want to taste the overwhelming alcohol in say an infused vodka. Bourbon doesn't give me that alcohol taste so is a good medium to add flavor to for cocktails. And though I'm not the chemist I imagine the aftereffects of one too many might not be as painful the day after.

[fishnbowljoe]

Does it share any flavor similarity with cherry cough syrup? Cherry Nyquil?
Or less harsh and mostly sweet?

Less harsh and mostly sweet. A manager of a local grocery store liquor department gave me a 50 mil bottle so I could try it. It's very sweet. I use my empty 50 mil bottles to send samples in. I soaked, washed and rinsed this 50 mil bottle. I'm afraid to send a sample in it because there is still a heavy cherry smell with this bottle. Joe

[kickert]

Less harsh and mostly sweet. A manager of a local grocery store liquor department gave me a 50 mil bottle so I could try it. It's very sweet. I use my empty 50 mil bottles to send samples in. I soaked, washed and rinsed this 50 mil bottle. I'm afraid to send a sample in it because there is still a heavy cherry smell with this bottle. Joe

I had the mini sitting next to a 50ml of American Honey (which is my go to sampling bottle b/c I can get them for $0.50 a piece) and I too was thinking just how nice they would be to send samples. Plastic bottle with a very sturdy cap. I would be interested in buying some of these empty bottles.

[gothbat]

I think that some here have missed the point. Many have said they don't taste the whiskey. I don't think you're supposed to. That's why they add the flavor. This is probably aimed toward the cocktail drinker who doesn't want to taste the overwhelming alcohol in say an infused vodka. Bourbon doesn't give me that alcohol taste so is a good medium to add flavor to for cocktails. ...

I don't know, maybe, but then I don't see why they'd bother mentioning that it was infused bourbon instead of simply saying black cherry liqueur or something. My assumption is that by telling us that it's implied that they intended for it to have a bourbon taste, if only a slight one. I mean when I have a cocktail with bourbon in it I can taste the bourbon just sometimes more than others. I do have to admit I haven't tried a lot of cocktails with bourbon in them though. You'd think that at the very least the power of suggestion would make you think you sort of taste it but I don't even get that.

[cowdery]

What people sometimes misunderstand about the regs is that you can't flavor a spirit and call it bourbon, i.e., not disclose the flavoring and the true provenance of the underlying spirit. That's what the regs were designed to prevent, the sale of compound whiskey as straight bourbon.

Once a spirit has become Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey you can't debourbonize it. If you add cherry essence to it, it is then classified as bourbon with cherry essence added to it, but the bourbon is still bourbon. The regs are about truth in labeling and the Red Stag label is truthful. The product is Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with X, with the X in this case being black cherry and other natural flavors.

Should it be labeled a liqueur?

Liqueur is defined as follows in the Federal regs:

(h) Class 8; cordials and liqueurs. Cordials and liqueurs are products obtained by mixing or redistilling distilled spirits with or over fruits, flowers, plants, or pure juices therefrom, or other natural flavoring materials, or with extracts derived from infusions, percolation, or maceration of such materials, and containing sugar, dextrose, or levulose, or a combination thereof, in an amount not less than 2 1/2 percent by weight of the finished product.

The classification system allows a certain amount of producer choice, in that a product may use any term for which it qualifies. As I read the reg above, the sugar requirement is in addition to the natural sugars in the fruit or juice ingredients and, in fact, fructose isn't mentioned, so I suspect Red Stag does not even qualify to be a liqueur. Even though it tastes very sweet, the sweetness is coming from the bourbon itself and the fruit essences, not from added sugar.

As I've said before, probably already a couple of times in this thread, if you don't generally drink cocktails and don't generally like anything sweeter than straight bourbon itself, then you won't like this stuff. And, in fact, you'll probably think it tastes like cough syrup. Personally, I think they dodged the cough syrup bullet, but it's a close call and your mileage may differ.

[gothbat]

Well, I guess that's why they call it what they call it, I still think they should have made it taste a little like bourbon though, cherry flavored bourbon sounded good! :]

[pepcycle]

If I were Beam, I'd be thinking like this.

1. Bourbon has a mystique
2. Bourbon doesn't have a taste that appeals to everyone
3. How can we make this more palatable

Add Flavor!!! that everyone likes.

Voile.

The newest version of LPR.

[AVB]

Chuck,

While they may be adhering to the letter of the law they are sure not adhering to the spirit (pun intended), The advertising is: "A Different Breed of Bourbon, Red Stag by Jim Beam" It isn't a different breed of bourbon since it isn't bourbon. I for one, hope it fails miserably.



[QUOTE=cowdery;172480]What people sometimes misunderstand about the regs is that you can't flavor a spirit and call it bourbon, i.e., not disclose the flavoring and the true provenance of the underlying spirit. That's what the regs were designed to prevent, the sale of compound whiskey as straight bourbon.

Once a spirit has become Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey you can't debourbonize it. If you add cherry essence to it, it is then classified as bourbon with cherry essence added to it, but the bourbon is still bourbon. The regs are about truth in labeling and the Red Stag label is truthful. The product is Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with X, with the X in this case being black cherry and other natural flavors.

[cowdery]

The fact that it is bourbon and does not mean it's not bourbon. The bourbon is still bourbon. You may feel that's not what the regs mean, or that's not what they mean to you, but that's how the TTB is interpreting them these days and that's all that matters. (Another example of Obama ruining America, no doubt.)

[booniesville]

It's too hot out side to drink this stuff anyway but I imagine I'll have a different opinion when the temp drops and I reach for something to warm me up. The flavor is not bad but a little to heavy for this time of year.