Old Medley - 12 Year Old - Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
$55
Old Medley- 12 Year Old
Proof: 86.8
Age: 12 Year
Distillery: Unknown – Bottled by Charles Medley Distillery
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Mash: Sour Mash – Unknown
Website: N/A
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Clove, All Spice, Honey Graham Cracker, Mild Oak, Vanilla Cream, Pear.
Taste/Palate: Soft Creamy Mouthfeel. The spices on the nose take a backseat to sweeter flavors on the palate – Honey, Light Fruits – Apple and Pear, Mild Oak, Sweet Tobacco.
Finish: The Clove and All Spice return on the finish but it’s mild. The sweet flavors step up a bit and it’s even sweeter on the finish. You do get a little Fresh Leather as well while Apple, Pear, and Butterscotch and Honey.
Verdict: It’s a nice smooth sipper. To be honest it doesn’t show it’s 12 year old age. It does show age, but I feel it doesn’t show 10+ years. This could be because it’s been proofed down to below 90. 10 Years ago I would have said this wasn’t worth the $50 price tag. Today it seems to be right in line. There’s enough going on here and a decent balance that with bourbon-inflation it’s a solid addition behind the bar. I put this up against Weller 12 and it held it’s own, but Weller 12 delivered much more in showing age, deeper characteristics, and better balance. Old Medley 12 might not knock your socks off, but it could be the in year to come a hunted bourbon. I would recommend this if you have an extensive selection. There are other bourbons that I feel would be a better value if you’re just starting out. Eagle Rare, Russell’s 10, Knob Creek 9, Elijah Craig 12 year all clock in at a lower price that I would grab before this from a value/taste perspective.
The Story: When I first saw this 5+ years ago on the shelf it was $50. 5+ years ago there wasn’t as much of a bourbon craze and there was plenty of other bottles out there that were less than $50 and I was more apt to grab them first. For example 5+ ears ago EH Taylor sat on the shelf and I was able to reload whenever I pleased. I used to give single barrel EH Taylor for birthday gifts. Nobody heard of it before. Now it’s like crack. Why is this relevant? Fast forward to today and Old Medley is still in the same price point while other sourced bourbons like Widow Jane 10 are $60+ and getting harder to find. It prompted me to pull the trigger on this finally.
Its also important to note that “Sour Mash” is listed on this bottle. That is the process of using the grains from a prior batch and mixed into the new batch. This is many times done 2-6 generations over. This is done partially for taste, but also to help regulate the PH in the current mash. Prior mashed grains or “backset” is used by many distilleries and many that use this process don’t list “Sour Mash” on the bottle. Don’t pay too much attention to “Sour Mash” when it’s listed on the bottle as it’s probably a process that’s used even if it isn’t listed. Pay more attention if a distillery claims to use “sweet mash” – All fresh ingredients. I won’t claim one process is better than the other, but wanted to point out the sweet vs sour mash process isn’t always listed so I don’t pay too much attention to it.
The Distillery’s Story: Steeped in a long history the Medley family distilled prior to prohibition. They picked it back up after prohibition and distilled under the new name Old Medley. The brand stuck around until a few decades ago when it shut down. The brand was dusted off and brought back like many others. To my knowledge it is sourced and bottled under the name that was used in 1933. Was it sourced under the prior distillation specs? I don’t know, but what I can gather it’s produced under contract. There isn’t a whole lot of information and I couldn’t even find a branded website. Just third party news articles.
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Solid. It hit all of what’s expected.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Reviewer: David S
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