Straight Edge bourbon

[tanstaafl2]

Several different sources mentioned this new brand to me today. From what little I can find it sounds like another sourced bourbon by an NDP from the wine world (David Phinney) that wants to get a piece of the current bourbon frenzy. 5yo sourced bourbon that is finished in cabernet wine casks it appears. But I can find out very little about it to include the true source. Has anybody else heard anything about it? It gets a brief mention in Sku's amazing list of NDP's but that is about all I can find about it.

Bin to Bottle, Napa, CA. This company mostly bottles wine for other labels, but are also planning on releasing Straight Edge Bourbon under the Splinter Group label.

Apparently it has now been released...

[tylermke]

Haven't heard much either, Bruce.

Looked up the COLA details and didn't find anything useful except the bottling DSP, which is CA-15072.

https://www.ttbonline.gov/colasonline/viewColaDetails.do?action=publicFormDisplay&ttbid=14213001000322

[tylermke]

It's also worth mentioning that the COLA classifies it as a Straight Whiskey, but there is no mention of age on the label. We know it's at least 4 years, so your findings of 5 years seem certainly plausible.

[Ravensfire]

Label has finished and bottled by information, but not distilled by. Also no information about the finishing, which you'd think would be something to mention to justify a higher price. Interesting.

[NickSmithIsDead]

Assuming that the price tag is not outrageous, I will likely buy this one purely for the (unintentionally?) ironic label/brand name. To be consumed exclusively while listening t my old Minor Threat records of course.

[wadewood]

It's also worth mentioning that the COLA classifies it as a Straight Whiskey, but there is no mention of age on the label. We know it's at least 4 years, so your findings of 5 years seem certainly plausible.

This is likely a TTB mistake (and very common). The TTB fills in the class type, you can look and it see it's the dark grey area marked TTB use only. For some strange reason, the producers do not get to submit the class type, the TTB decides and they often decide very wrong. The product itself is just labeled Bourbon Whiskey. I'm sure this product is sourced whiskey and in violation of 5.36 (d).

[squire]

I'm sure Wade is correct.

[TunnelTiger]

I am making a concious effort to leave all these new craft bottles on shelf until I see a whole lot of positive feedback here. There are jsut so many now on the shelves around here that I can't keep up with them.

[luther.r]

Haha, Straight Edge Bourbon is an oxymoron to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge

"Straight edge is a subculture and subgenre of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs."

[tanstaafl2]

I saw it on the shelf yesterday. The label has less info than I can find on the web which isn't much and as noted is almost certainly not 5.36 (d) compliant as there is no state of distillation and can't imagine it was sourced from California. Doesn't even note what it is finished in which seems odd. Also didn't appear to have given much thought to how the label was slapped on there!

Maybe at $25 I would buy just to try it but for $45 I didn't give it any consideration. They do at least say "finished and bottled" rather than "produced" on the label.

[P&MLiquorsEric]

Interesting. I enjoy dave phinney wines and the label looks like his work. Cab finish is intriguing.

Price doesn't look terrible for a NDP. Low proof concerns me a bit.

Would be neat to see an NDP with wine connections try out all the odd wine style cask finishes and then release them in a gift set of smaller size bottles (200ml).

[oke&coke]

That label really is bare bones isn't it. Almost a required pass up on that bottle.

[gooneygoogoo]

Passed on this today. May consider it in the future if any more info comes out.

[Kalessin]

Assuming that the price tag is not outrageous, I will likely buy this one purely for the (unintentionally?) ironic label/brand name. To be consumed exclusively while listening t my old Minor Threat records of course.

I'll have to add some Jerry's Kids, DYS and Slapshot. I wasn't big into hardcore or straight edge, but I had friends of friends give me cassettes...

Edited October 17, 2014 by Kalessin

[Josh]

Haha, Straight Edge Bourbon is an oxymoron to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge

"Straight edge is a subculture and subgenre of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs."

Beat me to it!

[Jazzhead]

I found some information about this dram from the bottler:

The Spirit

An exceptionally distinctive bourbon with remarkable depth, complexity and length, procured by Dave Phinney.

A rare and special spirit, Straight Edge is a blend of 5, 7 and 8 year old Bourbon from Kentucky and Tennessee. The mash bill is approximately 70% corn with a balance of rye and wheat. The Bourbon was finished at our facility in the Napa Valley where it was aged in Mercury Head barrels (Dave’s high end Cabernet Sauvignon). The barrels imparted toasty vanilla and dried fruit notes while also allowing the Bourbon to soften and mellow. The spirit was aged at 124 proof and then titrated to its bottle strength of 84 proof. The water used was from Dave’s ranch that is high in the hills of Alexander Valley at over 2000 feet elevation. This property is rugged, remote and more importantly, the home to three aquifers that pump out pristine, crystal clear, idyllic water. The Bourbon was bottled at our facility in Napa Valley and released to the market in late 2014 with a mere 1800 6-packs.

The Profile

Aromatically intriguing with brown sugar, maple, caramelized oak, exotic spices, orange peel and campfire. The palate is velvety smooth, rich and packed with flavors of brown spice, honey and intense caramel. The complexity is apparent and the finish is persistent, long lasting and focused.

There's no reveal as to the distillery(ies) from which this is sourced, but there's enough information to make it sound interesting. I've tried the wine-finished Angel's Envy and have never been inspired to pick up another bottle. Still, it's a new arrival in the Pennsy state stores, and if I decide to splurge, I'll share some tasting notes.

[Tony Santana]

Just a guess, but Brown-Forman? They own both Kentucky and Tennessee distilleries. And they've already paired up with a California winemaker for their Master Collection Sonoma-Cutrer Finish product released last year.

[squire]

Fluff, well written but still fluff. One third of the description goes on about the water as if that's important. Why is a creek 2000 feet in elevation significant? Stitzel-Weller did alright using an underground well. The first sentence says enough by using the word 'procured' which is another way of saying we didn't make it. A mixture of three they say, well who blended it, the winemaker? Why only 1800 bottles, surely their suppliers have more. That small a run wouldn't be enough to have three distilleries set up to make contract whisky to specs so how do we arrive at 70% corn in the mashbill? An average surely but of what? The major Tennessee distillers use about 80% corn and bulk Kentucky suppliers are not far behind that.

The art of the sale is in creating a desire for the product, whether it be wine, whisky or widgets. To me all this says is artfully packaged to sell at a premium ($50.00) and guile customers into thinking they're getting something special.

[meadeweber]

Fluff, well written but still fluff. One third of the description goes on about the water as if that's important. Why is a creek 2000 feet in elevation significant? Stitzel-Weller did alright using an underground well. The first sentence says enough by using the word 'procured' which is another way of saying we didn't make it. A mixture of three they say, well who blended it, the winemaker? Why only 1800 bottles, surely their suppliers have more. That small a run wouldn't be enough to have three distilleries set up to make contract whisky to specs so how do we arrive at 70% corn in the mashbill? An average surely but of what? The major Tennessee distillers use about 80% corn and bulk Kentucky suppliers are not far behind that.

The art of the sale is in creating a desire for the product, whether it be wine, whisky or widgets. To me all this says is artfully packaged to sell at a premium ($50.00) and guile customers into thinking they're getting something special.

It's somewhat sickening actually but, as I've said before, I like to look at the bright side. The more of these attractive, "artfully packaged" products that are out there, the higher the chance is that a fly-by will grab one of these and keep their hands off something like my OGD 114.

[Flyfish]

This seems to be another example why NDPs, as a class, don't get much love on this site. Still, I think SAOS does an outstanding job of selecting barrels. Bulleit and OE 101 are also respectable examples of what sourced bourbon can be.

[kjbeggs]

Recently sampled this, alongside Dave's newest release "Slaughterhouse".

Of those that tried both, we were split near evenly between preference for one over the other.

Neither exactly knocked my socks off, but if I had to choose between a standard Angel's Envy, or one of these, I'd pick Slaughterhouse.

[flahute]

It's somewhat sickening actually but, as I've said before, I like to look at the bright side. The more of these attractive, "artfully packaged" products that are out there, the higher the chance is that a fly-by will grab one of these and keep their hands off something like my OGD 114.

This is actually true. I see this on the facebook groups all the time. Just today, someone asked if they get OGD114 or Blade & Bow and were told very excitedly by the first two responders "Blade & Bow! No contest!".....Last week some guys were defending Kentucky Owl - "some of the finest juice I've tasted!".....sighhhh.......

[meadeweber]

This is actually true. I see this on the facebook groups all the time. Just today, someone asked if they get OGD114 or Blade & Bow and were told very excitedly by the first two responders "Blade & Bow! No contest!".....Last week some guys were defending Kentucky Owl - "some of the finest juice I've tasted!".....sighhhh.......

[squire]

Finest Juice eh? Bet the guy also drinks Bud Light.

[tanstaafl2]

Recently sampled this, alongside Dave's newest release "Slaughterhouse".

Of those that tried both, we were split near evenly between preference for one over the other.

Neither exactly knocked my socks off, but if I had to choose between a standard Angel's Envy, or one of these, I'd pick Slaughterhouse.

I haven't had a chance to try either yet (I did see the Straight Edge on close out for about $20 which was enough to make me consider getting a bottle). But some friends whose palate I respect have tried both and thought the Slaughter House American whiskey, a 9yo whiskey finished in red wine casks, was the better of the two. Interesting that the Slaughter House is labeled as whiskey (not straight at least on the label, and not a bourbon like the Straight Edge). It has a touch more proof but both have too much of the creek in them.

Edited September 3, 2015 by tanstaafl2