Whiskey Dreams – Hill Billy Bourbon

One of my sons brought this bottle of Hill Billy Bourbon home as a gift because he knows I like to try new bottles. I now have to question if my son has it out for me. I ended up making a small modification to this bottle, updating the label From “Hilly Billy Bourbon” to “Hell Billy Bourbon”.

Hill Billy Bourbon

Even copious amounts o ice could not save this dram. Did I get a bad bottle? How in the world did this win awards? Because on their website this won several.

The nose had faint hits of vanilla and spice, but was overpowered by alcohol and wood char.

The mouth feel was clean, but for me this Hill Billy Bourbon was all jagged edges and burn on the tongue. Hill Billy Bourbon had a faint but very unpleasant antiseptic aftertaste that overpowered the more pleasant hints of vanilla.

I’m going to give Hill Billy a 9/100 as I can’t really see ever getting another bottle. Yes, the bottle looks like I did some damage to it, but I was using it as a taster for new drinkers to give them an example of what Just Bad tasted like. It is always important to give someone a point of reference. Out of two dozen tastings, I did have one person really like it, which is great. Drink what you like and enjoy it, but for me this isn’t it.

Spend a few bucks more and get a bottle of Buffalo Trace. Those extra five dollars make a world of difference.

Color

A morning pee when your quite dehydrated and may have eaten a few orange crayons the night before.

Proof

50.5% ABV

Pros

  • Cheap.
  • Great bottle if you are trying to show someone the difference between low end and high end Bourbon.

Cons

  • You get what you pay for, and this was cheap after all.
  • Tastes a little bit like someone poured some antiseptic into a glass of cheap bourbon.

Whiskey Dreams – Redemption Bourbon

I grabbed this bottle of Redemption for two reasons. It was the first time I’d seen it, and it was just $30. I am always hopeful when I find a new bottle that it might be a gem. Or at least decent. Even a decent bottle can be used for mixers or to drink with friends who may not be true whiskey aficionados.

As per the distiller, Redemption is “Made in the style of true pre-prohibition rye, Redemption drinks well neat or on the rocks, but it also shines in any classic cocktail such as a Manhattan, Old Fashioned, or Sazerac.”

Redemption Bourbon

The nose on this Redemption is charred oak, vanilla and spice.

Things fell apart for me on the first sip however. There are a lot of positive notes mixed into Redemption, it is just that so few of them fit together. The rye seemed to be at odds with the vanilla and spice.

Redemption starts rough, ends rough, and leaves an unpleasant burn behind. My advice would to spend a few extra dollars and get something you will really enjoy. Redemption earned its disappointing score of 40/100 putting it at the lower end of the “Mixers or On Ice” scale.

Color

Dark copper.

Proof

44.0% ABV

Pros

  • Potentially useful to clean carburetors.
  • Is pleasant on the nose, but lets down the palate.

Cons

  • All rough edges.
  • Burns, and not in a pleasant way.