Last year, during Bourbon Heritage Month, I decided to two publish two tastings on Wednesday to honor the occasion. I am continuing that tradition this year. This blog presents the Heaven Hill seven year old Bottled-in-Bond and the Medley Brothers Bourbons.
Heaven Hill at one time had a six year old Bottled-in-Bond that was only available in Kentucky. This was an inexpensive Bourbon that tasted like a very expensive Bourbon. It was underpriced for what it was. As the Bourbon boom continued, Heaven Hill discontinued that Bourbon and came out with a more expensive seven year old version of the brand that was not available in Kentucky. I can understand the hike in price because as I said before, the six year old was underpriced, but not why it was not available in Kentucky. I found a bottle and Matt and I have tasted it. It is still a very good Bourbon and priced as it should be.
The other Bourbon we are tasting is Medley Brothers. Charles Medley and his son Sam revived this old Medley brand to be a companion brand to their Wathens Single Barrel Bourbon. This is a lower price point brand than the Wathens, but still of the high quality I would expect from Charles and Sam. The brand refers to the five Medley Brothers that started distilling together after the repeal of Prohibition. The label has the traditional look of the original brand.
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond
Proof: 100
Age: Seven Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel and milk chocolate with ripe apples and baking spices and a hint of sweet oak.
- Matt: Corn, vanilla and brown sugar with a hint of sweet oak.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel apples, pepper and nutmeg spice with some oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the caramel and spice notes dominate the flavor. Tasted with a pecan and there is more caramel and the milk chocolate comes out strongly.
- Matt: Buttery corn and brown sugar with a little oak wood. The cranberry made the taste strong in vanilla and cherries. The pecan brought out brown sugar and cinnamon.
Finish:
- Mike: Long and dry with oak and pepper spice. The dried cranberry made the finish longer and spicier. The pecan made the finish drier with lots of oak.
- Matt: A strong finish with lots of oak. The dried cranberry added a note of vanilla lingering with the oak. The pecan added a note of chocolate to the finish.
Medley Brothers Bourbon
Proof: 102
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel with a touch of honeysuckle flowers, apples and pears and sweet oak.
- Matt: Caramel and tart apples with some cinnamon and oak.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, white pepper spice with a little tart apple and sweet oak. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the flavor is washed out leaving only a little vanilla. Tasted with a pecan and buttery caramel and tart apples come out in full force.
- Matt: Caramel with tart apples and cinnamon and a little oak. The dried cranberry toned down the flavors leaving only a little caramel and vanilla. The pecan brought out notes of applewood smoke and caramel.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with white pepper and oak. The dried cranberry made the finish very short with a little spice and oak. The pecan added a note of lingering caramel with the oak and pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and cinnamon spice. The dried cranberry made the finish very short with only a hint of oak. The pecan gave the finish a smoky flavor like salted bacon with caramel and oak.
I would pair either of these Bourbons with a flavorful cigar with lots of vanilla in the smoke. I would reach for a Jaime Garcia Reserve cigar with those vanilla and cocoa notes in the smoke.
