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1792 Ridgewood Reserve | Rating 80

Brought to you by the Barton distilling company in Kentucky, 1792 Ridgewood Reserve is one whiskey that state should be proud of. There are two reasons people drink whiskey: 1) They love the taste and enjoy the explosion of flavor on their tongue with every sip. 2) They just want to get drunk so they think they are a whole lot cooler than they are when they are sober. If you don’t like the taste of whiskey and you just want to get bombed, buy a bottle of whiskey that comes in a plastic bottle with a screw top lid (See my fellow bourbon boy, Marc’s, reviews). However, if you do enjoy the taste of a good whiskey, try 1792 out. As I am more of a purist when it comes to whiskey, I always give the distilled liquid a chance by itself on the rocks. I was not disappointed as I poured a healthy portion of this whiskey on top of 3 chunks of ice and started sipping. This Kentucky whiskey is so velvety if it were socially acceptable I would drape myself in it. A seriously smooth flavor, you’ll be surprised as you are starting to pour your third glass and tell yourself, “Self, watch it or you are going to finish off the liter tonight.”

I did try a splash of water with a glass, but I would not recommend it. Sometimes a splash of water can bring out flavor, but I felt like it just diluted the taste of this one. If anything, just letting your ice melt a bit should soften it up enough for you. It comes in a pretty basic bottle with a neat tag on the back that tells you how long it was aged (this whiskey is aged 8 years) and who inspected it before it was put in the bottle. Not that it really matter if someone actually inspected it, but its nice to think there is a little bit of a personal touch that goes into each bottle. I guess that “personal touch” as well as the wonderful flavor make this whiskey a little pricey. It runs about $60 per liter.
I would normally encourage people to indulge in as much good whiskey as they want, such as polishing off a bottle in an evening. However, we are the boys of bourbon not the men of fancy whiskey who wipe their butts with Benjamin Franklins. Therefore, at $60 a bottle, I recommend sipping on a few glasses nice and slow and enjoy the flavor. After a few glasses, you can switch over to the “rotgut” brands and you probably won’t be able to tell the difference. By that time you’ll be telling girls that you are a producer and if they let you touch them on the thigh, you’ll make them a star. Point is, enjoy 1792 down to the last drop.

On a scale from one to ten, I will give it an 8. It gets points for its smoothness and general good taste, but it damn sure better be good for that much money. Bottoms up!

Proof: 93.7

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Mini Bourbon Blog
  • From the now for something completely different realm, Beam Global (they make Jim Beam and a number of the smaller batch bourbons we have reviewed) has launched an entirely different ad campaign called “The Stuff Inside.” The premise, while simple, is actually pretty deep and has nothing to do with bourbon. They are spotlighting people (all kinds of people) who bring passion to what they do and who they are. Check it out and submit your own thoughts. Pretty cool.

    The stuff inside

  • Thanks to Uncrate for the heads up on Wild Turkey’s new “super premium” bourbon. This must be the next logical step in the small batch bizarro arms race. Who knows if this stuff is any good (and full disclosure I am not a big Wild Turkey fan) but the bottle is definitely cool. Wild Turkey American Spirit

  • Just a heads up to check out Mark Gillespie’s podcast. He does a 15-20 minute podcast that is very informative for anyone interested in either bourbon or whiskey. You can check it out at www.whiskycast.com.

  • We have converted over to a new comment system. Intense Debate has a great set of features. It will do a better job of filtering out spam, and tracking comments. It also keeps track of frequent commenters if you sign in to the service. So start commenting and get on the front page of the Boys of Bourbon!

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