The other day, Steve Fante dropped off three bottles of Limestone Branch whiskeys at my front porch. I missed seeing him, but I really liked these whiskeys. Steve Beam has excellent taste and produces very good whiskeys. The first bottle is a Yellowstone Small Batch Bourbon. The next bottle is a Yellowstone Bourbon Finished in Cognac and Brandy Casks. The last bottle is a Minor Case Rye Single Barrel. The Minor Case is a straight Rye that has not been finished in a port barrel and we were really looking forward to this whiskey. You can only get this rye in their gift shop. Matt and I sat down and tasted them and here are our tasting notes.
Yellowstone Small Batch Bourbon
Proof: 107
Age: Six Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, apricots, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, vanilla, ginger and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, apricots, cinnamon and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the apricot fruit is enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a rich caramel.
- Matt: Caramel, vanilla, ginger, black pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry added a note of cola. The pecan enhanced the black pepper and oak wood.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood and cinnamon spice. The dried cranberry added some lingering apricot. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and caramel.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and black pepper. The dried cranberry added lingering cola notes to the finish. The pecan made it long and spicy with oak wood, black pepper and a hint of cola.
Yellowstone Bourbon Finished in Cognac and Brandy Casks
Proof: 101
Age: Seven Years Old with some Seventeen Year Old Bourbons
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, caramel, wild berries and cherries, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Cotton candy, caramel, honey, blackberries and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, wild berries, cinnamon and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out cherries and cardamom spice. The pecan made the taste of vanilla, caramel, white pepper and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, honey, blackberries, tart rhubarb and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the blackberry notes. The pecan made the vanilla a rich caramel.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, cinnamon and lingering wild berry fruit. The dried cranberry made it long with oak wood and cardamom spice. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and white pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and tart rhubarb. The dried cranberry made the finish long with oak wood, vanilla and lingering blackberry. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and caramel.
Minor Case Single Barrel Rye
Proof: 115
Age: Six Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: French vanilla, rye grass, anise spice, apple fruit and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, wild berries, cinnamon, cardamom and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, apples, anise spice and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the rye grass and made the spice a white pepper. The pecan made the taste vanilla with apple fruit, white pepper and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, cardamom, red pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out a lemon cheese cake flavor. The pecan brought out caramel and back pepper spice.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, vanilla and lingering apple. The dried cranberry made the finish long with oak wood, rye grass and white pepper. The pecan made the finish long and spicy with oak wood and white pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and red pepper. The dried cranberry made the finish long with oak wood and lemon. The pecan made the finish long and spicy with oak wood, black pepper and lingering lemon.
I would pair these fine whiskeys with a cigar that is rich in vanilla and cedar spice. I would reach for a Rocky Patel Decade cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller