Club Corner
American Whiskey Club Quarter 3: A Fond Farewell
This is my final selection for the American Whiskey Club. It is a bittersweet moment, but all good things must come to an end. By the time you read this, I will no longer be at PlumpJack. Over the last several years, I’ve had the opportunity to select barrels from some of my favorite distilleries, and it has been a privilege to share them with all of you, my fellow whiskey devotees. And I’m leaving on a high note (if I do say so myself) with this nearly eight-year-old Kentucky Bourbon bottled by Rare Character. Dare I say, it might have everything I want from my Bourbon: sweet, spice, and a finish that lasts for hours. Cheers! Sam Crocker Spirits Buyer Rare Character VER-110 Single Barrel Bourbon Selected by PlumpJack Wine & Spirits Location: Kentucky About Rare Character: Rare Character Whiskey was founded by Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky in 2021. Over the years, Pablo and Pete have developed a strong relationship based on their shared love of fine distilled spirits. When catastrophe hit the restaurant and hospitality industries in 2020, the idea for Rare Character Whiskey was born. With Pablo’s renowned palate and passion for the artistry behind whiskey, as well as Pete’s experience in carefully building spirits brands such as Avuá Cachaça and Drifter Spirits, Rare Character is led by a passionate team with the goal of shaking up the American whiskey game. Their mission is to provide each customer with “the perfect American whiskey” - whatever they as an individual may see that as. They do this by utilizing their great levels of access to rare and unique whiskeys, an extreme emphasis on customization, and an overarching ambition to challenge norms and explore the wide range of American whiskeys yet to be discovered by the general public. Price: $115.99 Proof/ABV: 117.68/58.84% Tasting Notes: Nose: Brandied cherry, apricot, orange blossom Palate: Warming backing spices (clove), maple candy, salted caramel Finish: Super long and lingering with sweetness and subtle spice Mashbill: 75% corn/21% rye/4% malted barley
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American Whiskey Club Quarter 4 2024: Four Roses Private Selection Single Barrel OBSV
This past June, I sat down with a few of my fellow whisk(e)y lovers to select a single barrel from Four Roses Distillery. We had 4 samples from which to make our selection. We tasted blind so that our initial impressions would not be influenced by stats like proof, recipe, etc. After some discussion and debate, we selected a 10-year-old OBSV which we feature as this quarter’s club selection. Longtime club member (and recently awarded Master of Bourbon) Kevin Malta was among those who selected the barrel with me, and he was kind enough to provide his tasting notes as well as some history of Four Roses. Here’s wishing you a wonderful holiday season. See you in 2025! Cheers! Sam Crocker Spirits Buyer Four Roses Private Selection Single Barrel OBSV (Aged 10 years 1 month) Location: Lawrenceburg, KY Four Roses, an iconic Kentucky Bourbon started in the late 1880s, has a storied history marked by resilience and innovation. After surviving Prohibition as one of six distilleries with a medicinal license, the brand thrived through the 1930s and 1940s before being acquired by Seagrams. Under Seagrams’ ownership, Four Roses became an export-only product, and began to prioritize bottom-shelf blends, tarnishing its domestic reputation. However, the passion and dedication of industry legends like Jim Rutledge and Al Young brought Four Roses back to the US in the early 2000s, and restored Four Roses’ legacy. Today, Four Roses is iconic for its 10 recipes derived from two mashbills and five yeast strains—a nod to Seagrams’ five historic bourbon-producing sites. Their whiskey is aged in single-story “flathouses,” which minimize temperature fluctuations between the barrels, ensuring a consistent maturation process. These flathouses allow their yeast-derived flavors to shine. This month's club pick is a Tier 3 OBSV Four Roses Single Barrel pick, aged 10 years and 1 month, and bottled at 58.4% ABV. While we initially hesitated to choose the OBSV, because it mirrors the recipe of the 50% ABV core expression, we had no choice after trying this flavor bomb! As a big Four Roses fan, I can confidently say this is one of the best OBSVs I've had the pleasure of trying—I hope you enjoy it too. Cheers! -Kevin Malta, Master of Bourbon (https://www.whiskeymasters.org/master-of-bourbon) Price: $114.99 Proof/ABV: 116.8/58.4% Tasting Notes: The nose welcomes you with notes of vanilla, spearmint, tart raspberry, and fresh flower stems. Deeper undertones of leather, sweet oak, caramel, and a hint of nougat add richness and depth. The palate opens boldly with a burst of spicy black pepper, polished leather, cooling mint, juicy pear, dark cherries, and vanilla. As it develops, layers of caramel, ripe apricot, raspberry, and creamy nougat sweetness unfold, culminating in a long, lingering finish. (Sampled after resting 30 minutes in the glass. I recommend letting this whiskey breathe before sampling.)
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American Whiskey Club Quarter 1 2024: Subtle Spirits Private Barrel Rye
This quarter we are pleased to feature a private barrel selection from former PlumpJack whiskey guru Joshua Thinnes’ brand Subtle Spirits. Joshua has been busy these last few years cultivating an independent bottling brand that focuses not just on the curation of spirits, but also on collaborating with artists to commission original artwork to adorn each label. When Joshua called us at the end of 2023 to say he had some pretty special older rye casks that were about to become available, we jumped at the opportunity to taste them. We tasted three different mash bills and ages and ultimately settled on an 11.5 year straight rye cask distilled at MGP. This reminds us of what the older generation ryes used to taste like. Think back to the Smooth Ambler Old Scout line of single barrel ryes, or some of the older Willett Family Estate (wax-dipped) ryes that were sourced from MGP. This clocks in at a devilish 66.6% abv! While it may have the markings of the beast, this whiskey drinks more angelic than you’d expect. The cask yielded only 132 bottles and is sold exclusively to American Whiskey Club members. We certainly hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Cheers! Sam Crocker Spirits Buyer Subtle Spirits Private Barrel Vol. 2, Single Barrel #57 Straight Rye Whiskey Location: San Francisco, CA Much like the alchemists that predated modern chemistry, independent bottlers preceded the rise of large distilling operations. Using their relationships with both distilleries and consumers, they bottled sourced whiskey under their own label. Subtle Spirits continues this tradition today with their crafted blends and single-cask selections, all produced in infinitesimally small quantities. Subtle Spirits has two different lines of products: the Original line which features both small batch blends and single casks selected and blended by founder Joshua Thinnes, and their Private Barrels which consumers or retailers can select. Both product lines feature commissioned original artwork to adorn each label. The private barrels are released in volumes. The number of barrels and types of mashbills in each volume varies. The cask we selected is the first to come out of Volume 2, which is comprised of a variety of different Rye casks. The original artwork for Volume 2 features Louisville artist Jason Lois. It is composed on 3 feet by 4 feet canvas and contains a variety of mediums: acrylic paint, drip pen, and oil pastel. Before the final text was layered on the work, it was photographed to create the base image for the label. Jason created the text digitally first before painting it on the canvas so that Subtle would have the digital layer to create the high-build varnish embellishment on the final label that you can touch and feel. Subtle Spirits is co-founded by Joshua’s partner and wife Kristen Conley who specializes in graphic and package design. All of their design is done in-house. Price: $124.99 ABV/proof: 66.6%/133.2 Mashbill: 95% Rye/5% Malted Barley Tasting Notes: Big, bold and boisterous. Shows high-toned notes of dark dried fruit in the nose. That paves the way for darker flavors of savory oak, cooked berries, and a hint of mint (Branca Menta?). The palate shows baking spices, savory oak, and amaro-like notes. Chewy and rich, it drinks way below its actual proof.
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American Whiskey Club Q2 2023: A Visit to Frey Ranch Farmers + Distillers
Last year, I was lucky enough to visit Frey Ranch Farm and Distillery in Fallon, Nevada. Longtime club members might recall that we first featured a single barrel from Frey back in 2021. Their reputation for producing outstanding grain-to-glass whiskey has only grown since then, and we were thrilled when they invited us to select another single barrel. If you find yourself in Reno, I highly recommend traveling to the Ranch (about an hour due east) and seeing their amazing operation yourself. Cheers! Sam Crocker, Spirits Buyer Frey Ranch PlumpJack Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey #1108 Location: Fallon, NV Husband and wife team Colby and Ashley Frey run a truly grain-to-glass operation at Frey Ranch Farmers + Distillers. Every step of the whiskey-making process is done on site, from growing and harvesting grain to distilling and hand-bottling. The farm has been in Colby's family for five generations, dating all the way back to 1854. Growing up on the farm, Colby learned to be a steward of the land. His mantra of "be good to the land and the land will be good to you" is inscribed on every bottle of Frey Ranch whiskey. It was Colby's idea to begin distilling the corn, rye, wheat and barley they grow, knowing that quality grain is the first step in making quality whiskey. Frey Ranch first released gin, vodka and absinthe to bring in income while their whiskey was aging. But making whiskey was always the end game. Their four grain bourbon comprises 66.6% non-GMO corn, 10% soft white winter wheat, 11.4% winter rye, and 12% two-row barley (malted on site). They also produce a Bottled in Bond Straight Rye from 100% rye grain. On a limited basis they have produced single-grain oat and wheat whiskies (both of which I was fortunate enough to sample during my visit). Upon my arrival at the ranch, I was greeted warmly by Colby himself, who showed me around the Ranch, from the fields to the fermentation tanks, the stills, and the hand-bottling line. Soon after I met Ashley, as well as Russell, the head distiller. The four of us sat down to taste six single barrel samples of their four grain straight bourbon. It was a tough choice; there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. After some discussion and a few more sips, I decided barrel #1108 was the winner. I hope you enjoy drinking it just as much as I enjoyed selecting it. Price: $95/btl ABV/proof: 68.45%/136.9 Tasting Notes: Appearance Mahogany Nose Maple syrup Vanilla custard Hint of char Palate Chocolate-covered cherries Caramel corn Finish Notes of pipe tobacco Lingering spice
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