Young Gay Boy 10yo Mpgl
Waltruda Monie
I came across this no-batch Rare Breed in a hypermarket whilst on holiday in Poland. It sat there (two of them to be precise) on a sad little shelf made of metal wire, between some marked down totally anonymous cheap wines lit by cold light. So I just had to take these two golden orphans with me. These were also marked down considerably, so essentially a no brainer. I reviewed a Rare Breed before, one with batch number WT-03RB, and that was certainly not bad, since it scored 82 points, and I may have been a bit on the conservative side. I ended that review with the remark that Wild Turkey is axing the batch numbering and making it younger an lighter in the process. I read somewhere that Rare Breed was a blend of 12yo, 10yo and 8yo Whiskies, but more recent batches are said to be 12yo, 8yo and 6yo Whiskies, by word of WT themselves. Well, and finally here it is, one of those no-batch younger and lighter Rare Breeds.
This is a whisky made with a high corn mashbill, however it is also a wood driven Whiskey. It has quite a stiff backbone and enough alcohol to carry it well. Sometimes a bit simple, but nevertheless quite enjoyable.
For a nice evening with some Bourbons this is the starter. Well priced, and interesting, but I prefer other, (higher strength) Bourbons more. Compared to the earlier review, this 2000 example is softer (weaker is maybe a better word this time around) and less spicy, and also is lacking the licorice and cherry notes of the 2003. The 2003 is definitely a step up from the 2000. So yes, the date makes a difference. So choose your single cask vintage Evan Williams wisely!
If I had to pick only a few bottles made by Jim Beam it would be this one and Old Grand Dad 114, these two sum it up for me. This the best they can do, and these two, if you can handle the high ABV. makes all the others a tiny bit obsolete. With these two yeast strains you get all Jim Beam has to offer.
Probably made for a hip market, and not to scare to many people off, it has been reduced to 43.3% ABV, At this strength the Bourbon is also dangerously drinkable, which in my case would mean the bottle would be finished sooner than later. As I am based in Europe, prices here are much steeper than across the big pond. I understand the US pricing of this, but over here for such a drinkable Bourbon I find it too expensive. Pricing aside, this may look as a designer Bourbon, and it probably is, but it still carries a lot of quality and good taste from the makers. There is also a (Plantation) Rum finish, Rye with a Rum finish, as well as a cask strength edition, also finished in Port barrels. Depending on availability, these seem to be extremely expensive.
During prohibition, the distillery still made some Whiskey, for medicinal purposes, and was sold by Austin, Nichols a wholesale grocer specializing in tea, coffee and Spirits, but concentrated solely on Wines and Spirits by 1939. By the way, even in 1939, there was no Wild Turkey in sight. Not the brand anyway, but there seemed to be a bird, yes, a wild turkey.
Taste: Sweet on entry, but also with quite a white pepper attack. Lots of wood is noticeable now. With the wood the sweetness is almost gone, drying out the whole. Lots of rye florality with powdery and silky smooth vanilla with some tannins. Thin corn sweetness, definitely made with a high rye mashbill. The more this breathes, the more pronounced the rye gets. In fact, one can say the rye takes over. Especially the finish is dominated by the rye florality. The finish is multi layered because even when dominated by the rye, (for a while the rye even gets a bit soapy), the longer you wait the more the wood gets to play a role, although never the lead.
Again a very good reminder that many Whiskies, whichever kind, need time and air to breathe and compose themselves. A lot is said about using water with Whisky, but air is just as important as water. I prefer giving Whisky some time. Maybe I should be starting to decant my Whiskies some more?
Taste: Quite light. Floral. Honey again. After a short delay that warm honey runs down my throat, quickly turning into slightly burnt sugar and oak. Very friendly and not the big hitter the label seems to promise. Definitely family of the White label, with more of everything, just maintaining the friendliness of it all. Extremely easily drinkable. Creamy vanilla and honey again. Quite sweet and lovely, with nice woody characteristics. Oak stays behind after you swallow. Not very complex, but very well-balanced. Especially when given some air and time. Mellow stuff.
Nose: Lots of cream and toffee, very appetizing. Honey, vanilla and wood, nutty and dusty. Again toffee and warm runny caramel. Nice spicy wood in the distance even reminiscent of a dry (salty) meaty aroma, beef jerky or polish kabanosy. Sappy charred oak. Savvy and supple. Sawdust, perfumed caramel and chocolate bonbons. A hint of sweet corn and charred cask, and dare I say it, minute amounts of smoke and ashes, probably from the toasted cask. This smells like it owns it. Very well made, interesting and nice. Love how this smells.
Without exception, they drive either on the accelerator, or on the brake. There's been no gradual slowing, or easing off on the approach to a bend. It's on the accelerator, then on the brake as they get close, then straight onto the accelerator out of the bend - even if another slow bend is 50 yards ahead, and they'll be braking in 2 or 3 seconds again.
I'd say it's more likely to be the eagerness - impetuous ness perhaps - of youth: I'm sure I drive more smoothly than I did when I first started driving 50 years ago, although like you I still like to use my car's performance.
With age and experience we (most of us) realise that we can make progress just as effectively without putting our foot to the floor every time we accelerate - so that there isn't then the need for correspondingly violent braking.
That is a very interesting observation, I have a male relative that is your age and he has many terrible driving habits. One of which is this continuous digital sequence of throttle, throttle, brake. Regardless of the road conditions he does it, even on a free flowing motorway! Apparently (in his own opinion) he is a fantastic driver! but, it might well account for why his children were always car sick when he drove and I most certainly wasn't keen on being a passenger with him.
I rarely use the brakes, which is probably why I still have the original 15+ years old brake light bulbs in the car and I've only changed the pads once (with plenty still left on them) as the disks had got corroded.
What I have noticed is that if I am being tailgated in town, it is very often done by young females. Impatient and wanting to get from A to B as fast as possible, not realising that a bit of planning and anticipation would save stress and fuel!
That is a very interesting observation, I have a male relative that is your age and he has many terrible driving habits. One of which is this continuous digital sequence of throttle, throttle, brake.
Not unlike my Father's style though he constantly moved the accelerator back and forth - giving a surge/slow effect without hammering the brakes. Certainly partly responsible for my childhood travel sickness.
It's yer age - in my early 20s, we all drove like that - and then it got worse as I got older! But eventually, we all reach a point when we calm down ourselves but despise the younger generations - in my case mid-50s.
Occasional visitor to FB Towers has a Fiat 500 - it is either foot down on accelerator or brake - no half ways. 15K per year around a max 10 mile radius of her home - she does not know where anywhere lies outwith a few well trodden paths.
Brakes pads on front lasted some 10,000 miles and she has a standing order in for wing mirrors (both sides). She used to lose hub caps left, right & centre - that has stopped since she got the newer car - it is now scores & the latest, a cracked alloy.
23 & had a licence for nearly 5 years - she had 5 driving tests b4 passing but had some 8 theory tests before that - she has 4 years NCB as yet despite driving the car as a weapon of mass destruction she has not hit a 3rd party, as yet!
At one time there was a theory that using the throttle to reach 30 mph and releasing it to reach 25 mph improved the economy of driving. I once was given a lift home, 18 miles, by a friend who drove that way and it really made me car sick.
New drivers are taught the mantra,"Brakes to stop, throttle to go". Perhaps that is the reason for binary driving. When I was first driving the practice was to coast up to red traffic lights or standing traffic and to engage low gear when going down hills.
I was driving up a hill in the centre of Wilmslow once and the traffic lights went onto amber so I eased off and stopped as they went onto red. Behind me there was a power dressed young woman driver who disagreed very strongly and showed it.
For many people in their 20s and 30s, driving is the only thing they do which requires any fine motor skills in their arms or legs. They most likely work in some office job where the limit of physical skill required is operating the coffee machine. Because of this, and a general fashion for not taking any interest in driving (and hence being bothered about doing it well), this poor standard of car control has become commonplace.
There are young people who do have a better degree of car control, and in my experience they almost always work in a semi-manual job or have a hobby which has allowed them to develop better hand-eye coordination.
I've an acquaintance who not only uses their feet like this, but also their hands. There's a continual swerve from left to right as they've never learned to just apply a little pressure to the steering wheel to correct their path. Very vomit inspiring!
They've also never grasped the concept of heating/ventilation controls. Will put full heat and fan speed onto face level vents (frying the eyeballs) and then turn both off, rather than regulate them. They once owned a car with aircon for eighteen months, without realising it was fitted until I visited them!
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