Orders are available for pick-up at Restaurant Nicholas at 160 Route 35 South Red Bank, NJ 07701 during the following times:
Monday: 9:30-3:30; Tuesday – Friday: 9:15am – 9:00pm; Saturday: 11:00am – 9:00pm; Sunday: Closed
$55.00
If you want to know how I get to pick out these Private Reserve single barrels, I’ll let you in on the process. The master distiller will select his favorite 20 or 30 barrels for all of us “one’s” to select from. Obviously the first “one” to select will get the best of the best. This has been our exact situation the past few times when I selected our Knob Creek single barrel of bourbon with Master Distiller Fred Noe.
I jump at every chance I can to grab one of these barrels for our Bourbon Buyers Club and I love going down to Kentucky to do it. They pull out all the stops, and we taste as many samples there as I do anywhere.
After nearly 30 samples, I stumbled upon this latest barrel and knew I had to bring it back to New Jersey. This juice was insane. This one came from Floor 6 and Rick 73. She was born on January 9th, 2013 and was bottled back in July. I’m thrilled with how this is drinking right out of the gates. I can’t imagine this one will be around very long.
This has a ton of energy and inviting aromas that just flood right out of the bottle. You’re greeted right away to a big burst of toffee, freshly baked banana bread, with toasted wheat, and even a splash of chocolate. There are some secondary really nice spiced notes that really compliment the dried fruit and brown sugar flavors. It’s incredibly smooth with a creamy middle and a finish that gives you that unmistakable warm “Kentucky Hug” that wraps around you nice and tight. But even at 120 Proof, you can barely feel any of the heat.
Only 1 left in stock
This is an absolute beauty from Smooth Ambler that checked in at 118.6 Proof (59.3% alc). It was aged for 6 years and the mashbill and is coming out of the gates ready to go. It’s got an inviting nose of pumpkin spice, tobacco, fresh leather and chocolate with rich flavors of Caramel apple, toasted oak and cream of corn. It also has a great long and delicious finish that leaves you with notes of lingering spice.
Now some of the best Pinot Noir in the world comes from the Yamhill-Carlton District (this small neck of the woods has earned its own AVA) and specifically from Shea Vineyards. Big name wineries clamor for fruit: Antica Terra, Beaux Freres, Bergstrom, Penner-Ash, & Sine Qua Non, to name a few. This Pinot is lights out and even given the pedigree, drinks several echelons higher. Blueberry, Blackberry, Blue Cheese (?!?), chanterelle mushrooms, lavender, mint – I could go on. It’s literally got it all, but I won’t spoil it for you.
I once again found myself with one of the more and limited bottlings from the good people at Michter’s It comes in a round 111 Proof and is a monster from one of the best distilleries out there. This bottling is usually between 107 and 112 Proof but isn’t made every year (only in the good years). It’s oozing with seductive aromas of Cinnamon, rye spice, chocolate and freshly baked gingerbread. Cinnamon, dark chocolate, a hint of Cayenne pepper mixed with charred sugar and oak explode out of the bottle and greet you head on. I wish I had more than six of these beauties to pass out. Such is life.
With their ninth installment, Whistle Pig’s Boss Hog keeps all five of their ‘Boss Hog’ promises and then some. It’s a super unique bottling as always – a Straight Rye Whiskey with two world’s first finishes. It was finished in barrels seasoned with Greek fig nectar and scratch tentura, a Greek style liqueur. It’s a single barrel bottled at proof between 102-107. For another nice touch, The Boss Hog IX features 9 unique designs, in the likeness of the 9 Muses, randomly distributed on bottles across the country.
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