Origin bourbon

[ThomasH]

Does anyone know who makes Origin bourbon? I picked up a bottle while vacationing this summer in Florida and was wondering who produces it.

Thomas

[cowdery]

It appears to be an Albertson's house brand, so it's bulk bourbon. Impossible to determine who actually made it, although Heaven Hill is the primary distillery in the bulk bourbon business.

You might want to run a search as I know we've talked about it before. They have a whole line (vodka, gin, scotch, etc.) under that brand name.

How is it?

[jbutler]

Origine Thread

[FlashPuppy]

Well shit. This stuff is NOT good. Went and pissed away that 22 bucks. I am not a happy camper right now. My own fault, but I still feel bad.

[cowdery]

Since you've already gone and done it, how bad is it? I noticed a bottle in Jewel the other day. Not curious enough to try it, but I'd be glad to read your tasting notes.

[FlashPuppy]

chuck-

I will sit down tonight and write some notes. Expect to see them Saturday.

-Jeremy

[FlashPuppy]

Rudimentary Tasting Notes:

Name: ORIGINE

Distillery: Heaven Hill (I believe, can't get the link which need to open now.) Bottle states: Distilled in Kentucky, Bottled by Origine Distilleries, San Jose, CA

Proof: 80

Age: 8 years

Bottle: Knob Creek Style, ever so slight tapered towards bottom of bottle. Capped with cork and plastic, this is where I had my first problem. The cap is very hard for me to remove, like the cork is to big for the neck of the bottle. This is normally not an issue, however the plastic cap is so thin that I have very little to grasp.

Appearance: Thin. Light caramel color. This bourbon has quite lengthy legs.

Nose: This stuff punches you right in the face. You have to start the inhalation from farther away than I normally would any other 80 proofer. I can pick out the particular woodiness in this pour. I also can pick up walnut. After some breathing time, I get some burnt-caramel. The smell is not bad if you can get past the burn.

Taste: I am having an extremely hard time picking out flavors in this glass. The one overwhelming taste, which I am having a hard time getting around, is rubbing alcohol. There are sublte tones of honey in the middle of the tongue after a considerable amount of swishing. I would try to pick out more, but I just can't stomach drinking much more than these three ounces.

Finish: Hot. Very hot. There is just WAY too much burn in this bourbon. I am having a really hard time grasping the fact that this is an 80 proofer.

Overall: I think that this bottle will remain on my shelf for many years. I can't see anyone drinking a whole bottle of this in a single lifetime. If anybody wants this, just PM me...

-Jeremy

P.S. These are my firsst tasting notes, so please take it easy on me.

[cowdery]

You did fine on the notes, congratulations.

You confirmed everything I suspected and saved me (and everyone else) from having to drink it ourselves.

The message is that there is bad bourbon out there, even at 8 years of age. If you go into the bulk whiskey market, specify that you want Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 8 years old, because that is what you want the label to say, but otherwise you will take whatever is cheapest, this is what you, and your customers will get.

This is why, as a rule, give me a whiskey from a distillery I can identify or, at least, a broker/bottler with a real name and address, someone who might actually need to care about his reputation. The lesson to newbies is that if you see something you've never heard of, the chances of it being a marvelous find are very small and the chances of it being garbage are similarly large.

As for you, Jeremy, that's $22 bucks you won't get back, but at least you've done some good here. You've performed a valuable service for the community.

[barturtle]

I brought a bottle of this to the Gazebo last year. Though mostly ignored it was not tossed. I wasn't expecting great things and was not disappointed or surprised. I thought it was a solid bottom shelfer, but no where near worth the price of admission.

[5cents]

I bought two bottles a few months ago. It's in a round bottle now. The label claims ten years. I thought Cleveland bourbon was bad. Wow, this is bad!!!

[jvd99]

This is why, as a rule, give me a whiskey from a distillery I can identify or, at least, a broker/bottler with a real name and address, someone who might actually need to care about his reputation. The lesson to newbies is that if you see something you've never heard of, the chances of it being a marvelous find are very small and the chances of it being garbage are similarly large.