My wife and I recently took a trip down to Columbus, OH to watch our niece play basketball in a exhibition game to try out some of the new rules that might be coming to HS women's basketball.
Anytime I travel out of state, I like to visit some of the local liquor stores to see if they have anything special in terms of whiskey. Sometimes you never know if the little mom and pop store on the corner is going to have that rare bottle of something and they don't even realize it.
Sure, the price of liquor is regulated in most if not all the states, but sometimes places put special prices on something just to move it if it has been sitting there a while. Likewise, many places have started to put massive prices on mundane whiskey's simply because they are hard to find or perceived to be rare.
I just happened to run across this bottle of George Remus on this most recent trip. While I don't think it is particularly rare, I have never seen it before, so I thought I would give it a try. I think it was around $40 USD, so that isn't too bad as far as whiskey/bourbon goes. That's honestly kind of my sweet spot in price for a decent bottle. The Michter's Rye and Straight Bourbon go for around $40 so I kind of hold those as my golden standard in that price range.
I apologize for having to post the back of the bottle in two pictures. I hope it isn't too difficult to read. Given the curvature of the bottle, it was difficult to get it all in one shot.
Although I had never heard of this brand before, it does appear as though Remus had a storied and influential past during the era of prohibition. I really love the fact that whiskey and bourbon have such a strong connection to that time period (for obvious reasons). I kind of look at it in the same way that mead recently became a bit popular.
To think you are drinking a beverage similar to what they drank in medieval times is kind of cool. Likewise the connection whiskey has to the early 1900's is just another trip back in time. I really dig it. I think that is part of the reason I love the classic "old fashioned" drink so much.
All of that being said, there was something about this bourbon that I just wasn't quite sure I cared for. Similar to how Elijah Craig isn't my favorite bourbon, this had some tones that kind of reminded me of EC.
It's not that it was horrible, I will definitely finish the bottle, but it isn't going to be my favorite pour, that is for sure.
At 94 proof (47% alcohol), I expected this to be a lot smoother. It wasn't though, there was something a big harsh about it. I have barrel proof bottles that clock in at 123 proof that are smoother than this which I think says a lot.
I took a shot of the top because I really like the emblems they put on the tops of the corks. Those stickers that seal the bottles are all very unique and I think they are one of the most underrated aesthetics of whiskey bottles.
My first dram of George Remus I drank neat in my Glencairn glass. I was immediately hit with a heavy caramel or butterscotch note on the front of my sip. It was followed by a strong wood flavor on the back end. The label indicates there is some vanilla in there, but I wasn't getting that at all.
I did catch the notes of rye now that I think back. There was a definite spiciness to the bourbon that I didn't quite place at the time. As I said before, it was certainly a bit more harsh than I had expected. Despite what I paid for it, I would honestly put this down with some of my $20 dollar bottles of bourbon. In fact, at right around $30 Wild Turkey Longbranch is a much better pour in my opinion.
Perhaps this would be better as a mixer in some kind of cocktail. Unfortunately, I am all out of bitters so I didn't have the chance to try it in an old fashioned.
I had one more glass of this on the rocks with a large 2.5 inch square cube that my wife bought the trays for me a while ago. After that, I immediately switched to something else for the rest of the night.
I tried to get a clear picture from the top, but it appears my phone was more interested in the counter and the bottle to the left than it was the glass.
I wouldn't call this a horrible bourbon, but I doubt I will buy it again. If you are in a store and you see a bottle of it, I would skip it. Unless you love Elijah Craig. Then you might actually like this one.
Personally, if I am going to spend the money, I would rather get Michter's or Longbranch. Everyone's pallet is different though.
I hope you enjoyed this review and if you are drinking anything really interesting in the whiskey/scotch/bourbon family, be sure to post a review in the community!
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All pictures taken by myself or 