AVB
Jesus of Cool, I'm bad, I'm nationwide
Old Crow Kentucky Straight Bourbon, 750ml, 3 years old, 80 proof, no other packaging, it was $7.49 on sale here in PA.
I get emails and PMs all the time about, "Oh, I liked your review but could you do something I can actually find" or "Do you do any reviews for people on a budget" Well here you go. It doesn't get much more common or inexpensive then Old Crow.
I was making my Bourbon BBQ sauce and needed a bottle of something inexpensive to cook down so the local store was good enough to have some Old Crow available for $7.49 plus tax. Since there are 3 cups in a 750ml bottle and I needed 3 cups for the sauce I used I cup of Old Overholt Rye so I would have some Old Crow left over to review.
Once one of the top selling bourbons in the country equaling Jim Beam sometimes, Old Crow was one of the founding brands of American Bourbon having been first distilled in 1835. Dr. James Crow is considered by many to have invented the sour mash process which is still used today. When bourbon's popularity went down Old Crow was hit harder then it's competitors. Eventually, Jim Beam bought out National Distillers in 1987 and closed it down.
Old Crow today is even younger then it's cousin Jim Beam White Label. At three years it is at the minimum age it could be and still be called bourbon. White Label is thought to be four years old. Sitting on the bottom shelf is a sad state for one of the classic bourbons of the early part of the last century. Strangely, it is still the 4th largest selling bourbon in the US even out selling Wild Turkey. Not all that many years ago you could find 8 and 10 year old Old Crow (and even an Old Crow Rye) and it was a decent bourbon but with only three years of aging and probably not the best whiskey to start with it is now near the bottom of what is available.
The nose is actually better then I would have thought with no alcohol because of the low proof and a fair amount of what seems like musty peaches. Not the best thing to smell but tolerable. Tasting is as you would expect. A minimal amount of vanilla sweetness due to the short barrel time, the same musty peach only now a flavor instead of a smell and some tanic bite completes the effect. The finish is thankfully short with a short spike of something licorice that fades to nothingness and leaves.......you guessed it. Musty peaches.
This my friends is the Moontrace of bourbons. You know somebody out there is drinking it but damn few admit to it. I do have to say it makes a passable bourbon and coke and will get you toasted for a cheap price if that is what you are looking for.
I get emails and PMs all the time about, "Oh, I liked your review but could you do something I can actually find" or "Do you do any reviews for people on a budget" Well here you go. It doesn't get much more common or inexpensive then Old Crow.
I was making my Bourbon BBQ sauce and needed a bottle of something inexpensive to cook down so the local store was good enough to have some Old Crow available for $7.49 plus tax. Since there are 3 cups in a 750ml bottle and I needed 3 cups for the sauce I used I cup of Old Overholt Rye so I would have some Old Crow left over to review.
Once one of the top selling bourbons in the country equaling Jim Beam sometimes, Old Crow was one of the founding brands of American Bourbon having been first distilled in 1835. Dr. James Crow is considered by many to have invented the sour mash process which is still used today. When bourbon's popularity went down Old Crow was hit harder then it's competitors. Eventually, Jim Beam bought out National Distillers in 1987 and closed it down.
Old Crow today is even younger then it's cousin Jim Beam White Label. At three years it is at the minimum age it could be and still be called bourbon. White Label is thought to be four years old. Sitting on the bottom shelf is a sad state for one of the classic bourbons of the early part of the last century. Strangely, it is still the 4th largest selling bourbon in the US even out selling Wild Turkey. Not all that many years ago you could find 8 and 10 year old Old Crow (and even an Old Crow Rye) and it was a decent bourbon but with only three years of aging and probably not the best whiskey to start with it is now near the bottom of what is available.
The nose is actually better then I would have thought with no alcohol because of the low proof and a fair amount of what seems like musty peaches. Not the best thing to smell but tolerable. Tasting is as you would expect. A minimal amount of vanilla sweetness due to the short barrel time, the same musty peach only now a flavor instead of a smell and some tanic bite completes the effect. The finish is thankfully short with a short spike of something licorice that fades to nothingness and leaves.......you guessed it. Musty peaches.
This my friends is the Moontrace of bourbons. You know somebody out there is drinking it but damn few admit to it. I do have to say it makes a passable bourbon and coke and will get you toasted for a cheap price if that is what you are looking for.
My experience with this is also why I stayed away from bourbons until I came here and started reading Ray's reviews. Thanks again Ray for shinning the light on some great alternatives!! :thumbs:
