The other day, Rosemary and I were visited by Noelle Hale from the Ben Holladay Distillery. She was in town attending a Bourbon Women event and came by for a visit on the porch. She brought with her two bottles of Ben Holladay Rickhouse Bourbons for us to try. We had tasted a single barrel version of the traditional Bourbon the last time we were at the distillery, but I have not reviewed it because it was only available at the distillery and was most likely sold out before we got home. These whiskeys are available on the open market, so I am going to review them now. Matt and I sat down to taste them the other day and here are our tasting notes.
Ben Holladay Rickhouse Proof Soft Red Wheat Bourbon
Proof: 120.4
Age: Six Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Rich French vanilla, apples, pepper and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, apples, Baking spices and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: French vanilla, apples, floral white pepper, oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the pepper becomes a black pepper and lots of it. Tasted with a pecan and caramel and cinnamon come forward.
- Matt: Caramel, apples, citrus, a hint of anise, oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out strawberries and lemon zest. The pecan brought out flavors of brown sugar and tobacco.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak and white pepper. The dried cranberry made the finish long and spicy with oak and black pepper. The pecan made the finish long and spicy with oak, cinnamon and floral white pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and citrus. The dried cranberry added lingering caramel. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and tobacco.
Ben Holladay Rickhouse Proof Bourbon
Proof: 122.7
Age: Six Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel corn, dried fruit, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, raisins, black pepper and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, lemon zest, apricots, cinnamon and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the fruit flavors at the cost of the caramel. The pecan brought flavors of caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, black pepper and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, honey, raisins, black pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the raisins and black pepper. The pecan brought out maple syrup.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, cinnamon and lingering lemon zest. The dried cranberry made the finish longer with lots of lemon zest. The pecan made the finish long and dry with oak wood and black pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and black pepper. The dried cranberry made the finish longer. The pecan made the finish very long with oak and maple syrup.
I would pair these fine Bourbons with a Padron 1964 Anniversary Series cigar. The rich vanilla and tobacco in the smoke would pair well with caramel and spices in the Bourbons.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller
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