Welcome to the American Whiskey Magazine tasting pages. We guide you through a plethora of whiskeys so you are equipped to make your next purchase, whether something new or an old favorite. Whiskeys are tasted blind, with only proof and style information given to the experts. In this edition, Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler give their palates a workout.
Peggy Noe Stevens
Peggy Noe Stevens became the world’s first female master Bourbon taster and can trace her lineage back to some of the great Bourbon making families in Kentucky. In 2011, she created the Bourbon Women Association.
Susan Reigler
Susan Reigler is the author of several Bourbon books, including Kentucky Bourbon Country: The Essential Travel Guide, and is a former restaurant critic and beverage columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal. She is the immediate past president of the Bourbon Women Association.
THE PROCESS
• All samples are blind tasted, with proof and style the only information disclosed.
• Samples are tasted individually over a two week period.
• Tasters are provided tasting and scoring guidelines for consistency.
• The top scorer is awarded Editor’s Choice.
• Scores of 17.5+ qualify for the recommended whiskey award.
Barrell
Bourbon 034
BARREL CRAFT SPIRITS
Proof: 114.62
ABV: 57.31%
Style: Bourbon
State: KY
Price: $$$
Peggy
Nose: Gorgeous smoked caramel with a dark fudge center. Char smoke and roast marshmallow. Baking spices married with toffee bites. Big blood orange.
Palate: Chewy texture that makes the caramel sing. Mature spices rest while the smoke is airy and delicate. Nod to a cigar box. Orange and pecan shell.
Finish: Pecan and smoke dance around the spice and the caramel just keeps ladling out the flavor.
9.1 Comments: Handsome fella and there is plenty to like with this complex beauty.
Susan
Nose: Dark brown sugar, milk chocolate, and faint peaches. Little spice, balanced by mild nuttiness.
Palate: Many shades of caramel and brown sugar from rich and dark to sweet and light, which unfold across the tongue. A little apple and cinnamon sugar combine with cashews.
Finish: Apples turn to pears at the beginning and then fade into some oak and pepper.
8.8 Comments: Opens up and reveals more layers as it sits. Add some water to unveil some more fruit.
Bernheim
Barrel Proof A223
HEAVEN HILL BRANDS
Proof: 118.8
ABV: 59.4%
Style: Wheat
State: KY
Price: $$$
Peggy
Nose: Sliced bananas and corn husk. White pepper spice only followed by an attractive blend of amaretto and vanilla cookie.
Palate: Bright vanilla and caramel with orchard fruits. The sweetness of a stroopwafel and maple. Rise of sliced ginger.
Finish: Ginger is not a bit shy on the
