BOTM, 5/06: 1792 Ridgemont Reserve

[Virus_Of_Life]

First impressions are not good. Nothing significant on the nose and not much in the taste either just a fairly pleasant finish. Maybe it just needs to air for a couple of days... I'll withold final opinion as always until the end of the month.

BUT regardless, thanks again to Dave for the tip on the sale at Hi Time!!!

[ProofPositive]

First time to get into a bottle of 1792. I was visiting a fairly new store today in town and found it for $19.99. Although I had planned to get one before the month was out, could not pass it up at that price. Everywhere else I have seen 1792 locally it has been $24.99 & up. So, it followed me home at a date in May earlier than expected.

My first impression....a little on rough side going in and a decent sized burn at the end with a definite alcohol aftertaste. I let it sit open for a couple of hours and got busy with some work. Went back for a second pour and found it much more enjoyable to my pleasant surprise! The late burn is still visible but less pronounced this time around. Although my tastebuds are very novice and pretty dulled after years of close friendship with Tabasco, I pick up a hint of cinnamon, apples and caramel on the nose with some slight licorice going away at the end. Overall, it is a great pick for BOTM. If it was not the pick for May, it would have likely been many moons before I tried a bottle of 1792. So, thanks JEFF for the selection! There's just no way I was going to open my 'Ridgewood' bottle.....even for BOTM!

[MurphyDawg]

The friendly folks at Barton have been generous to the members of Straightboubon.com by granting access to their rarely-seen distillery and rickhouses. I was reminded again at the recent Bourbon Festival Sampler of what an excellent bourbon this is. Not simply honey-barrels of VOB, 1792 is a unique product that stands out in the crowd.

Now what do you think?

Sound off

Ooooooo I wish I coulda seen the Barton digs ;-).

But I think this is probably (esp with the tweaking of Russells Reserve) the best cost/quality ration bourbon you can get in central ohio. Recommended.

Tom (not dead) C

[pepcycle]

The thing that attracts me to this bourbon is the mouth feel.
It is unusually viscous and round.
I find this very appealing.
Most bourbons in this price range show a thin quality commensurate with the price.
Not oily.
Flavors of Caramel and baked apple are balanced nicely.
I like this. It stands in the upper half of my choice selections.

[bluesbassdad]

Impressions:

1. Handsome bottle. Elegant, yet brawny.
2. Burlap around neck looks cool in a 1958 Buick tailfin sort of way.
3. Plastic shrink-seal comes off easily.
4. I grasp stopper and twist gently.
5. Stopper is in my hand; cork is still in the bottle. The recessed bottom of the stopper, where the cork should be, shows glue on less than 20% of its surface. It never stood a chance.
6. Using a champagne cork-style of alternating thumb pressure I manage to extract the cork in two minutes.
7. I'm too annoyed for objective tasting right now. Recork it and wait until later.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[ProofPositive]

Impressions:

1. Handsome bottle. Elegant, yet brawny.
2. Burlap around neck looks cool in a 1958 Buick tailfin sort of way.
3. Plastic shrink-seal comes off easily.
4. I grasp stopper and twist gently.
5. Stopper is in my hand; cork is still in the bottle. The recessed bottom of the stopper, where the cork should be, shows glue on less than 20% of its surface. It never stood a chance.
6. Using a champagne cork-style of alternating thumb pressure I manage to extract the cork in two minutes.
7. I'm too annoyed for objective tasting right now. Recork it and wait until later.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

Good idea. Sometimes when things go from good to bad that quickly, waiting for a more objective moment is the right thing to do. I doubt I would have demonstrated that much discipline & maturity as of yet. Impulsive as I am, it would have been in my glass and the frustration of it all would have tainted the tasting.

[ProofPositive]

In a store on the expensive side of town today, I saw 1792 priced at $32.99. I paid $19.99 plus the 9.25% gratuity to the city of Memphis and state of Tennessee in a store a few miles south of this one in a shady part of town. I don't recall seeing such a gap in the price of one label.....not in this area of the country anyway.

On second thought, this same store has Pappy 23 priced at $229 while everyone else in town that has it sells same for $199 plus the gratuity. Maybe this store is higher on everything. I don't go in there often. I guess the wealthy are paying more!

[MurphyDawg]

Impressions:

1. Handsome bottle. Elegant, yet brawny.
2. Burlap around neck looks cool in a 1958 Buick tailfin sort of way.
3. Plastic shrink-seal comes off easily.
4. I grasp stopper and twist gently.
5. Stopper is in my hand; cork is still in the bottle. The recessed bottom of the stopper, where the cork should be, shows glue on less than 20% of its surface. It never stood a chance.
6. Using a champagne cork-style of alternating thumb pressure I manage to extract the cork in two minutes.
7. I'm too annoyed for objective tasting right now. Recork it and wait until later.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

You're a bigger man than I , my friend. The bourbon would have been in my glass and I would have been bitching, a first impression wasted (and I find that its hard to get past first impressions sometimes, as open minded as I try to be.). Hopefully you can reapproach it soon!

TomC

[Geo]

Ok, I had to buy a bottle. It is not my cup of tea for sure. A bit to Rye and not sweet enough. I would not by another bottle. On a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 5.

[jburlowski]

It's been a while since I've had any so I bought another bottle to refresh my memory.

Very nice and well rounded. The oilyness in the taste reminds me a little of Jack Daniels. Overall a very good whiskey.