When you’re traveling to the United States for work, you have to combine the useful with some fun. In this case that meant taking a very long walk from the hotel to Binny’s for some booze. Binny’s was the obvious choice due to their selection, and the South Loop location was the obvious choice due to location and it being across the street from Manny’s and we needed lunch too.

In the end, three bottles were bought because there were enough people in our travel group for this amount. The bottles had to be split across suitcases due to customs limitation, of course.

Calumet is a brand I heard about and is not available in The Netherlands, and since the review from Bourbon Junkies and some other channels were rather stellar, I decided this one was a necessary addition. The other two were a Redwood Empire, and a high octane Stellum bottling. Those will be reviewed at some time in the future.

As far as I know Calumet doesn’t distill themselves but has an external distillery produce bourbon specifically for them. The distillery is Western Spirits Beverage Company in Bowling Green Kentucky.

At 16 years this bourbon is quite old and there’s always a risk that it has gotten too bitter. With review tending towards the positive, I was willing to take the risk. Especially since the risk was split between people in my bottle share group.

Sniff:
It’s very gentle and mature, and based on what I’m smelling it’s not gone bitter with 16 years in oak. The nose brings hints of cigars, but there’s some crispness too. A hint of spices and orange.

Sip:
The palate is slightly dry but not overly so. The 53% comes off as less than that. It’s quite intense but not fiery or harsh. Spices, tobacco, orange and dark bread. Roasted barley, a hint of charcoal.

Swallow:
The finish brings a surprising punch that adds a bit of chili pepper to the flavors. Dry, with oak and a bit of a mulchy sweetness. Very autumnal, very mature.

This is such an awesome dram. It’s complex, with lots of layers, an infinite finish.

It was one of those drams that sat on my shelf for quite a while before I got around to it. But when I did try it, the rest of my half bottle went rather quickly. A truly fabulous dram that you just want to have another one of. And another one.

90/100