BOTM, 5/06: 1792 Ridgemont Reserve

[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.

[ProofPositive]

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.

Give it another try in a day or so. You might get a better feeling the second time around. I was a little surprised on the first pour....it was a bit better than expected. The second time around was even a little better. I would not rate it in the top 10-20% - but I would give it a 7 out of 10 IMHO.

[BourbonJoe]

Give it another try in a day or so. You might get a better feeling the second time around. I was a little surprised on the first pour....it was a bit better than expected. The second time around was even a little better. I would not rate it in the top 10-20% - but I would give it a 7 out of 10 IMHO.

If you ever tasted it "straight out of the barrel", as I did on a recent tour of Barton, You'd probably give it an 11. It was, IMHO, one of the finest whiskies I have ever tasted (and that would be a lot!!).

Joe :usflag:

[ProofPositive]

If you ever tasted it "straight out of the barrel", as I did on a recent tour of Barton, You'd probably give it an 11. It was, IMHO, one of the finest whiskies I have ever tasted (and that would be a lot!!).

Joe :usflag:

I'll take your word for it. You certainly qualify as much more of an expert than me! Is it common to get a taste straight out of the barrel at Barton....and, for that matter, any other distilleries? Just wondering. That may qualify as a semi-dumb question - but, I have never toured a distillery. I hope to do a few in the near future though.

[bfurbush]

Turns out previous to reading this thread I bought this because it looked decent and was on sale for $19.99...turns out it was a great choice - really enjoying this bourbon. Similar to Jack Daniels only in my opinion a bit smoother. Excellent sipping bourbon, good on the rocks or with your choice of beverage if you so please.

Enjoy everyone.

Brian

[Hedmans Brorsa]

Interesting that at least two people make comparisons to JD. I have to try my RiRe together with JD single barrel next time I pick it out from the cupboard.

Again, I wonder about the handwritten tasting notes on the back label. On my bottle it says "Rich flavor, velvety".

Does any one else have something different written on theirs?

[TimmyBoston]

I haven't had any of the 1792, does anyone have any tasting notes or comments they'd like to share?

[Nebraska]

The 2nd page of this thread has tasting notes.

[TimmyBoston]

Thanks, it sounds great

[bluesbassdad]

I've sipped at this bourbon a couple of times earlier in the month. Tonight I put on my taster's cap, such as it is, and went to work.

Bottom line: I do not enjoy this bourbon. I will not buy another bottle when this one is finally gone. With all the other enjoyable bourbons at hand, I can't imagine when I will reach for this one again.

The nose is actually quite pleasant for the most part, even though meager. Mostly I get pale, sweet aromas, akin to cotton candy or vanilla. A touch of something very harsh, acetone would hardly be an overstatement, came and went.

It's all downhill from there. The palate is thin and harsh. It took a while to recall what it reminds me of. It's Jefferson's Reserve, the one I once likened to shavings from a No. 2 pencil -- wood, paint and all.

The finish quickly turns dry, acrid and bitter.

Perhaps that cork was trying to warn me away.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[Big Chipper]

First post here! I recently finished a bottle of 1972 and have the following notes:

• The bottle was fantastic...nice weight
  
• The nose had strong wet leather and oaky smell...almost musty
  
• Fairly smooth with complex overtones of candied spice, toffee, and faint vanilla - rye is definately present
  
• Purchased for $24.99 at the local ABC

Overall, I'd give it a 7 out of 10.

[bluesbassdad]

B.C.,

Welcome aboard. You will find lots of friendly, knowledgeable folks here. The forums can become addictive, as my experience proves. If I had to give up either bourbon or StraightBourbon.com, I'm not sure which one I would choose.

Yours truly,

Dave Morefield

[tgriff]

I'm new to bourbon tasting and have only been visiting the forums for a month or so. I decided to try the BOTM and, after several pours, I have not been disappointed. Since my prior experience is limited to sporadic tastings, I cannot offer comparisons. However, I have been enjoying the nose and the taste very much. Interestingly, during the first pour and after several sips, I did notice a slightly unpleasant after taste -not sure how to describe it. Perhaps related to the meal I had eaten that night, but I have not really noticed it since.

I can't wait to try future BOTMs and expand my experience with good bourbon. My wife is not so sure about this new hobby.....

[Nebraska]

I've revisited this a half dozen times over a months period and still like what I taste. As I originally said, I'm glad it was the BOTM, other wise it would have been quite a while before I ever got around to it.

As far as your wife goes, you can tell her, "I really enjoy activities that keep me at home with you".

Now after she hits you in the head and asks you where you got that lame line, you can use the excuse of taking a pour of bourbon for medicinal purposes.

[tgriff]

I should really try to get her into the bourbon as well...

As for tasting...one of the things I have picked up on in these forums is that one really needs to have several pours before forming an opinion about the bottle. I don't think that is a negative...after all, that seems a good excuse for more drinking. I am looking forward to a head-to-head tasting with the June BOTM, Pappy Van Winkle 15 yo.

So many bourbons, so little time....

[hollywood]

Hello everyone! It has been a long time since I have visited. I won't bore you with the details, but I'm back...I hope the old-timers are fairing well, and welcome to the newcomers whatever your (bourbon) experience level is! I look forward to catching up with you all...maybe we can get back into the groove of sharing experiences, and trading out some good pours again...you guys know who I'm talking about. Anyways, I have moved to Kansas City, MO and am enjoying a Ridgemont Reserve on the rocks, and smoking a Partagas Spanish Rosado....tough, but somebody has to do it...Y'all give me a holler. See ya, Hollywood

[straightwhiskeyruffneck]

If that's the same barrel we tasted from in September, you're right it's fantastic. It's my understanding that 1792 is a mingling of that "1792" mashbill and the VOB mashbill, so I guess they can't do a true 1792 single barrel.

re-barrel them toghether, then you got the only twice barreled single barrel! seems very possibe to me.

[BourbonJoe]

I don't see why they could not produce a 1792 "single barrel" from the striaght 1792 mash bill. It would not have to be the same as the regular 1792 because it is a single barrel.

Joe :usflag:

[Geo]

I did not care much for 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, except the pretty bottle.

[Solomon2]

I'm on my second bottle of 1792. Stuff is so smooth, its easy to drink too much of it. Velvety definitely, rich I don't know about. The taste is weaker than WR, but there is very little burn. $17.99 + tax here in Montgomery County, Md., where it used to be a special order item, but is now regularly stocked.

As for the bottle: it's pretty cool. The burlap helps prevent any drips from reaching the table. Of course, drops that escape my glass only occur when I've had too many...

[mozilla]

I know this is a little late. IIRC from the tour....1792 is a small batch of about 40 barrels, all from warehouse z. Z is located to the north and west of the distillery, right next to the creek and the newwer bridge.

All barrels come from z, and are of the same mash bill. Most other Barton labels have batches over 80 barrels. The barrel proof version, I was lucky enough to taste, had flavors of apple and bannana. I noted to Ken Pierce, that there seemed to be less barrel char than other bottles of 1792. He claimed that they adjust that within the batch. I believe that the youngest bourbon in the bottle is 8 years.

Also, Sam Cecils son works on thier bottling line. Lots of other employees have been there for 30-40 years.

Jeff M.