Eagle Rare 17 Year 2024

 

The 2024 BTAC (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection) has just been released and whiskey enthusiasts are scrambling to make back alley deals and beg with their buddies at the liquor store to find these bottles for them.  Without a doubt, the BTAC bottles are some of the most difficult to capture (especially at MSRP) and there is always a frenzy around the release dates every year.

This is the Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon, offered at 101 proof and highly allocated.  Compared to the standard 10 year Eagle Rare at 90 proof, this one packs a little more punch and depth, due largely in part to the additional 7 years in the barrel.  The age statement on this is actually 17 years and 4 months for the 2024 release.  We tasted this from a 100 mL sample bottle neat in Glencairn glasses... multiple times.  It's amazing how quickly that sample bottle will run out!

On the nose we didn't get the herbal tea that we often experience from Eagle Rare 10 Year.  That's more prevalent on single barrel selections we have tasted.  Sometimes with bourbon that is aged in the 15-plus timeframe, you get an overly oaky char bomb, but we were pleasantly surprised that while the whiskey showed its age in oak notes, it wasn't over the top and it added to the complexity of the flavors.  Biscuit, chewy roasted marshmallow, graham cracker, stewed plum, toasty oats and cinnamon on the nose.  On the palate is more of the same but adding in cherry pie filling and cherry cola at mid palate.  This has the viscosity of apricot juice and it is absolutely mouth-coating.  The finish is memorable and warm. 

We generally don't review bourbons that are so allocated, but we are thrilled to have this opportunity.  Even if you can't find this bottle to add to your whiskey library, we highly encourage you to find a bar that has it and get yourself a 2 ounce pour.  It's an incredible experience!

Check out our YouTube video review!

ABV:  50.5% (101 proof)

Distillery:  Buffalo Trace Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $149.99

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye Whiskey

 

This is one of those bottles that we have had "in que" for sometime and for whatever reason, we kept pushing it further to the back of the line.  Shame on us!  Mutt had never tasted O.H. Ingram and Jeff thought the previous Ingram bottle was fantastic.  Today we have the O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Rye Whiskey and my God.......... what a treat!

It's not very often that we are at a loss for words.  This whiskey took us by complete surprise and threw us for a loop - in a good way.  Tasted neat from Glencairn glasses initially, and then once the camera stopped rolling (see video below) we dug into this even more.  And then we tasted it again the next day.  It goes without saying that we cannot wait to share this bottle with some folks in the local bourbon clubs.

Medium honey color and a nose like nothing we have ever experienced.  Jeff said that in a blind tasting, he may not be able to pick this out as a rye whiskey.  On the nose is orange marmelande, fruit basket, barn wood, mixed fruit Certs and Mentos.  There is so much going on here and this bottle flooded Jeff with childhood memories, causing him to tell everyone that this is "Christmas in a glass".  

On the palate is floral bouquet, dusty leather, vanilla cream and hard sugary candy.  This drinks more like a 110 - 115 proof whiskey but is not peppery at all.  It has an incredibly soft and fruity finish and this is a bottle you and a few friends could get lost in easily.  If we ever hear of anyone using this as a mixer we will disown you!  Best served neat or over one small ice cube.  O.H. Ingram has once again proved that "river aging" whiskey is not a gimmick.  It's the real deal and this is a label you want in your home bar.  Fantastic!

ABV:  49.0% (98 proof)

Distillery:  O.H. Ingram

Suggested retail price:  $69.99

Drink The Bottles score:  96/100

Spirit Hound Distillers Colorado Bourbon Whiskey

 

Due north of Boulder, Colorado sits a small town of about 2200 residents and an unsuspecting distillery, born out of the reamins of and old motorcycle repair shop.  Head distiller and co-founder CraigEngelhorn (aka Hair of the Dog) had a dream to take his home-brewed beer hobby to the next level.  With the help of some like-minded friends, Spirit Hound Distillers was born.

Today we're tasting two expressions from Spirit Hound.  The first up is the Barrel Project Bourbon, a single barrel bourbon finished in Amercan single malt whiskey barrels.  We should first start by pointing out that every time SHD (Spirit Hound Distillers) refers to WHISKEY, the use the alternative, sans "e".  We don't.  We are "E" people through and through.  But we all have the same love for the stuff in the bottle.

This is a really nice lower entry proof bourbon that is as laid back as a Coloradan on a holiday weekend.  Light to medium brown, full of buttery maple syrup and vanilla bean on the nose.  It's very inviting!  Cherries, strawberry, eucalyptus and baked sweet potatoes play nice with each other mid palate, leading to a mild peppery finish that you won't soon forget.  This isn't just a win for SHD or Colorado, but for the whiskey community as a whole.  

ABV:  43.0% (86 proof)

Distillery:  Spirit Hound Distillers

Suggested retail price:  $67.99

Drink The Bottles score:  91/100

Now this is the epitome of Colorado, at least to us.  This limited-release is a straight malt whiskey finished in Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) barrels from Founders Brewing of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Despite its lighter color, this whiskey shows off some deep aromas of country road, chocolate and vanilla.  On the palate is quite the pleasant surprise with vanilla, mocha bits, very milk oak, charred mixed nuts and cardimom.  The finish throws some heat your way to make sure you're paying attention.  Don't let the proof fool you.  This bottle is one to take note of and one that probably won't last long at your home bar!

ABV:  45.0% (90 proof)

Distillery:  Spirit Hound Distillers

Suggested retail price:  $71.99

Drink The Bottles score:  89/100

Lux Row Small Batch Rye PX Sherry Cask Finish

 

Our friends at Lux Row Distillers have another hit on their hands!  This new, limited-release bottle is their Small Batch Rye finished in PX Sherry Casks.  For finished whiskey lovers, this is one you'll want to seek out.  For straight rye fans, this one will appeal to you as well.  So many distilleries are finishing whiskey in about every type of previously-used spirits container you can think of, and Lux Row has this talent fine-tuned.

Tasted from sample, this is brown sugar in color.  On the nose is a sweeter fruity note, fig pudding, hints of flower bouquet and grape.  We dug right into this one and found that the palate was not as sweet as we had anticipated or that was hinted from the nose.  Mutt got spice up front while Jeff took note of the espresso bean taste.  The spice tapered off quickly and suggested cinnamon stick, fig and roasted nuts (specifically cashews) on the back end.  This was literally mouth-watering.

While this is a limited release, it is available at the distillery and will be released in select markets in January 2025.   Check out our YouTube video review below.

ABV:  56.0% (112 proof)

Distillery:  Lux Row Distillers

Suggested retail price:  $59.99

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

Remus Repeal Reserve Bourbon Series VIII

 

The newest batch of Remus Repeal Reserve is hitting shelves now and there's a lot to be excited about with this Series VIII release.  Master Distiller Ian Stirsman made some changes by blind tasting this and ultimately deciding on 101 proof and by also using a higher proportion of high rye recipe bourbon than in previous releases.  While some Remus Repeal Reserve releases have had more components in the final blend, the ten-to-seventeen year old aged bourbons really fire on all cylinders and have created a fantastic pour.

Series VIII is comprised of 9% 2007 bourbon (21% rye), 24% 2014 bourbon (21% rye) and 67% 2014 bourbon (36% rye).  The older bourbon definitely shows it hand in this expression, displaying aromas of cherry syrup, fine bound book leather, roasted nuts, vanilla and overly ripe plums.  It is mouth-watering and immediately eye-opening and it is reminiscent of your dad's bourbon that he purchased twenty years ago and occasionally sipped on when mom was away.

The initial taste offered elements of cherry cordial, light mocha beans, dried fruits, baking spice and light pepper.  Very silky on the palate and easy to approach for another sip..... and another.  It's sweet but stays in check by the pepper and oaky balance that rounds out the finish.  This is an fine example of the art of blending, tasting, testing and presenting the best effort of that work.  The Remus Repeal Reserve series has been increasingly popular over the years and this is a testament to why you need to try to find this for your home bar!

ABV:  50.5% (101 proof)

Distillery:  Ross & Squibb 

Suggested retail price:  $99.99

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye Whiskey

 

One thing you know about us is that we love unique.  And since Jeff has been heavily involved in wine for so many years, this whiskey caught his attention.  To our knowlege, this is the first whiskey aged in the "sur lie" method, or at least the only one currently on the market.  This method of aging wine (and now spirits for this example) was introduced by the French to incorporate more complex flavors and aromas to the product.  Let's take a look at this bottle and see how this process faired for the Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye Whiskey.

The first thing we noticed is how Redemption knocked it out of the park with the label and packaging.  While some may find the label too busy, we really like how the label explains the entire process from mashing to enjoying a glass of this straight rye whiskey.  Education is a big part of this bottle as it is isolated from everything else on the market.  The 95% rye and 5% mash bill, non-chill filtered three year whiskey drinks more like a 5-6 year due to the "sur lie" method and periodic rolling of the barrels.  

Hazy golden color, similar of a sultry summer sunset right before it disappears over the horizon.  We weren't expecting a heavily roasted marshmallow aroma, but it was instantly mouth-watering.  Dry straw, evergreen needles, and caramel chews also made an appearance.  This is incredibly viscous and if that's your thing, you're going to savor this whiskey!  Light brown sugar, orange marmalade, sweet grain and hints of star anise on the palate led to a really nice push of rye with medium heat on the finish.  The mouthfeel is what really stood out to us as far as uniqueness of this bottle.  The "on the lees" method of aging created the viscosity but time and subsequent batches of this whiskey will tell whether or not sur lie aging added enough flavor for the distillery to abandon the practice.  Either way, we really enjoyed this one and hope you do too!

ABV:  47.0% (94 proof)

Distillery:  MGP for Redemption

Suggested retail price:  $60.00

Drink The Bottles score:  90/100

Still Austin Whiskey Company - Cask Strength Bourbon and Rye Whiskeys

 

If you've been following the whiskey world for any period of time, you no doubt have heard the phrases "grain to glass" and "craft distillery".  For whiskey enthusiasts, these phrases have a cult-like following as many view the grain to glass designation as the best and only way to truly make whiskey and appreciate the craft involved, beginning to end.  While we know that not every distillery has the ability to make this their practice, we certainly appreciate keeping everything in-house when possible.  To us, it often improves the quality and overall production of the spirits.

Still Austin Whiskey Company was the brain child of recent retiree Cleveland Seals and he sought the help of his son Chris to explore the reality of whether or not to open a distillery.  The pair drew closer, spent a ton of time together, drank a lot of whiskey, had deep conversations and eventually arrived to the decision that the Texas hill country needed a distillery.. But not just any distillery.  They wanted to craft a product that was completely representative of the area, with local sourced grains and the ability to oversee what goes into every bottle from start to finish.  

We had the opportunity to explore two of Still Austin's cask strength offerings - their bourbon and their rye whiskey.  The bourbon has a minimum of a 2 year age statement while the rye isn't disclosed just yet.  For you whiskey snobs, you've probably already clicked off of this article after reading the previous sentence.  But if you were patient and openminded enough to stick around, let us just say this:  color.   Look at the color.  Do these bottles look like they've been sitting in char #3 barrels for only 2 years?  Nope.  That's the beauty of the hill country weather.  The fluctuations, going from one extreme to another, really give the barrels a work out and many people argue that the whiskey tends to age in half the time as many other parts of the country.  Let's take a look!

The Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey is an enchanting, pecan-colored whiskey featuring an eye-catching label of "The Musician", created by Austin artist Marc Burkhardt.  Burkhardt creates all of the original label which adds to the appeal.  The mash bill contains Texas grains consisting of white corn (70%), rye (25%) and malted barley (5%).  First aromas feel like we are in grandma's kitchen as she whips up some homemade biscuits with fresh blackberry jam.  There's a lovely minty and sweetness that arrives after some time out of the bottle and in the glass.  On the palate we noticed reduced brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ripe stone fruits and mint.  The finish was very warm and the mint really came through.  Thoroughly impressed with this.  Still Austin's first bottle release of any spirit was in 2020 during the height of Covid.  We really hope they are keeping some barrels in storage as we would love to see what a 6, 8 or 10 year Still Austin would taste like (assuming the Angel's Share wouldn't grab all of the liquid!).

ABV:  59.0% (118 proof)

Distillery:  Still Austin Whiskey

Suggested retail price:  $60.00

Drink The Bottles score:  94/100

The Still Austin Cask Strength Rye Whiskey is an inviting hickory-colored and aromatic whiskey that is mouth-watering and beautiful.  Made from 100% Texas rye, this is a blend of the best-of-the-best rye barrels from Master Blender Nancy Fraley.  If you know the name, you know her work and there were not shortcuts here.  This is beautiful.  Berry pie, cinnamon and tropical fruits on the nose.  Mint, pencil shavings, lemon meringue, whip creeme and almond cookies with plenty of spice on the tongue.  There is a hint of mint and apricots on the very long and satisfying finish.  Rye fans, you'll want to get your hands on this!

ABV:  58.0% (116 proof)

Distillery:  Still Austin Whiskey

Suggested retail price:  $65.00

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

Iowa Legendary Rye Gold Label Whiskey

 

In the midwest sits a small town of under 11,000 people, producing their self-proclaimed #1 Rye Whiskey in the World.  Carroll, Iowa is home to Iowa Legendary Rye Distillery, where they create pre-Prohibition rye whiskey using a bootlegger's recipe and cooking up trouble in 26-gallon pot stills.  They age their craft in small, 15 gallon casks, always using all-natural ingredients and doing things the old fashioned way, or in their opinion....... the right way.

This is the gold label is a fine example of a family owned secret that was finally and reluctantly passed down from Grandma Lorine Sextro.  Now that recipe lives in Iowa Legendary Rye and boy, were we in for a treat!  This small batch rye is a hand picked tri-barrel blend.  The team strives for excellence by using new barrels, barrels with experience and double distilled double barrels to create a spirit that is not only unique, but memorable.  And that's exactly what you're getting here.

Medium clover honey in color, this initially opens up with baked cinnamon apples, baking spices and just the right amount of heat from white pepper.  You know you're in good hands with experience rye distillers when their product doesn't punch you in the nose, but rather "introduces you" to what comes next.  The aromas switch to a spring meadow with fresh wild grasses and we were extremely intrigued.  On the palate was mild pepper up front with stone fruits, nutmeg and cinnamon.  The peppery notes were mild but stayed with us until the satisfying finish that made us want to pour another glass.  

Who would have thought that Iowa would be producing absolutely incredible rye whiskey?  This one is different.  This one hits just right.  This is one you need to seek and taste for yourself!

Check out our YouTube video on this bottle!

ABV:  51.5% (103 proof)

Distillery:  Iowa Legendary Rye

Suggested retail price:  $100.00

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

2024 Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

 

Hold on to your hats for this one, folks!   This is the 2024 Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.  This creation is a blend of seven and seventeen year Kentucky bourbons from Master Distiller Stephen Beam and it is tracking to become one of our favorite limited-edition releases of the year!  

We visited this bottle on three separate occasions - a "pop and pour" (see video below), a more formal tasting the next day, and a re-visit about 10 days later - all neat and all from a Glencairn.  As we describe in the video link below, we know that most folks buy a bottle and then go home and immediately taste it right away.  We knew there was something very special about this bottle which is why we tasted it multiple times and the results were so varied and incredible.

Our first impression (remember, pop-and pour) was an inviting, dusty funkness that was reminiscent of a box of old baseball cards and a sweet cigar wrapper.  There was a sweetness to the aromas that carried over to the taste from begining to end.  Subsequents tastes brought stone fruits, rhubarb, cherry cola, brown sugar, maple candy, saddle leather and honey.   There is so much going on here.  We would love to gather a group of 10 folks to taste this and we honestly think those ten people would come up with over 100 taste descriptors for this bottle.  Presented with a reddish-amber color, this 101 proof stunner is dialed in, allowing for a mouth-coating and satisfying finish.  We used adjectives like "fantastic" and "phenomenal" for this bottle.  It's incredibly special!

Our initial thoughts via our YouTube channel

ABV:  50.5% ABV (101 proof)

Distillery:  Limestone Branch Distillery for Yellowstone Bourbon

Suggested retail price:  $99.99

Drink The Bottles score:  96/100

Wise Men Distillery Bottled In Bond Bourbon

 

Three friends - Tom, Jason and Zack - had a dream like so many spirit enthusiasts do.  They wanted to create a product that they could not only call their own, but own it from beginning to end.  A 100 gallon still helped them realize this dream, allowing them to create a line of flavored moonshines, gin, vodka, award-winning rum and now whiskey and bourbon in small batches.

This is the Wise Men Distillery Bottled in Bond Bourbon out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Most of you know the requirements for a bourbon to be labeled "bottled in bond", but if you're new here, we're going to share that with you.  For a whiksey to be labeled Bottled in Bond (or better known as the acronym BiB), it must meet the following:

• The whiskey must be produced during a single distilling season (January - June) or (July - December) and it must be made from a single distiller at a single distillery.
• The whiskey must be aged for a minimum of 4 years in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision.
• The whiskey must be bottled at exactly 100 proof, or 50% ABV.
• The bottle label must clearly identify the distillery where the whiskey was distilled and, if different, where it was bottled.  The label must also include the Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) number.

So, if making distilled spirits didn't require a ton of laws and red tape to begin with, it always impresses us when any distillery of this size puts for the effort to create a BiB selection.  It's an "easy" undertaking for the behemoth distilleries, but more of a challenge for the craft distillers.

This bottle has a medium chestnut color and isn't your typical 4 year bourbon offering.  Great fall forest aromas with inviting butterscotch and dried fig candies.   In the mouth is a satisfying and surpirising basket of dried spices, toasted mixed nuts, orange liqueur and caramel syrup, all creating a very palatable finish.  Well done!

ABV:  50.0% (100 proof)

Distillery:  Wise Men Distillery

Suggested retail price:  $64.99

Drink The Bottles score:  91/100

Bells Up Winery: Fine Oregon Wines and Amazing People

 

If you've visited our website before, you already know that we are big fans of Bells Up Winery of Newberg, Oregon.  Our "wino" crew recently sat down virtually with owner and winemaker Dave Specter to taste through six of his micro-boutique, unique and delicious wines.  The other half of the winery and Dave's boss (and wife) Sara Specter made the arrangements and we were off to a beautiful evening!

Like every winery, there is a good story behind this one.  We guess "good" may not be the best way to describe how the winery came to fruition, but it does have a happy ending.  Dave and Sara began making wine in their basement in 2006.  Dave was a corporate tax attorney who was not enjoying (to put it lightly) his profession and wanted to pursue a passion of not only becoming a winemaker but eventually owning and operating his own winery with Sara.  While visiting the Willamette Valley in 2008 on vacation, they both fell in love with the area and there was, as they say, no looking back.

One really interesting connection we had during our virual tasting was the musical relationship between our tasting crew and Dave.  Dave was a French Horn player in high school and college and has been virtuoso of sorts for 20 years.  The name "Bells Up" refers to a maestro's instruction for French Horn players to lift their bells in order to project maximum sound.  And that's what Bells Up is for Dave and Sara.  Two members of our tasting crew, composer Richard Saucedo and Scott McCormick, former CEO of Bands of America, enjoyed going down memory lane and comparing notes/names of the music world almost as much as they did the wines.

Our lineup for the night consisted of:

• 2023 Rhapsody (100% Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley AVA)
• 2022 Prelude (Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains AVA)
• 2021 Titan (Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley AVA)
• 2021 Jupiter (Estate Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains AVA)
• 2021 Maestro (Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains AVA)
• 2021 Candide (Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains AVA)

Dave started off by telling us the background of the dream, how it became a reality and how things are going.  When asked about their employees, Dave told us about the grower, winemaker, barrel filler, tour guide, tractor driver, taster, marketing director, social media/public relations lead, cashier, banker and welcoming committee they have.  And it is ALL done with two people - Sara and Dave.  You have to understand that with 600 cases produced annually on 7 planted of their 10 acres, they are considered a micro-boutique winery and the fact that they do all of this and produce such a high quality of wines is really mind blowing.  Normally when you have such a small operation, something is going to suffer.  99% of the time it is the website that will suffer and be out-of-date, the tour/tasting will be unmemorable or (God forbid) the wine will be sub par.  Not here.  Not by a long shot!

Named for George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, this wine actually renews our hope in white wines.  We tend to view many (most?) white wines as esophageal demons that produce heartburn and a bad aftertaste.  In fact, most of the wines that our tasting crew gravitate to are medium to full bodied reds.  Everyone (E V E R Y O N E) of us were very pleased how this wine tasted from start to finish.  The lack of oak was suprising, but the 6 months of lees stirring helped create a full bodied white wine with citrus fruits, spring rain, wet rock minerality and spice.  It was surprisingly mouth coating and left a very crisp but not overbearing finish.

ABV:  12.7%

Willamette Valley AVA

47 cases produced

Suggested retail price:  $38.00

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

The 2022 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir was another pleasing stunner.  Luckily for us Rosé of Pinot Noir usually hits on all cylinders with us and this one was extremely inviting!  Baking spice, fruit basket and sweet cherries on the nose and palate.  This one is very fruit forward and a wine that loves the company of salty cheeses.  Presents a lighter finish with acidity that is in check.

ABV:  12.8%

Chehalem Mountains AVA

108 cases produced

Suggested retail price:  $30.00

Drink The Bottles score:  91/100

Dave started our first of four Pinot Noir selections with the 2021 Titan.  We feel like we jumped in with both feet first with this bold and smoky Pinot, presenting scorched earth and asphalt on the nose, dark fruits, cherry, and spice cabinet on the palate.  Our group actually noted about eleven different flavor profiles and agreed that this felt more pronounced than expected for a Pinot Noir.  You would almost swear there was a bit of Petite Syrah in here.

ABV:  13.8%

Willamette Valley AVA

111 cases produced

Suggested retail price:  $46.00

Drink The Bottles score:  93/100

The 2021 Jupter Estate Pinot Noir was yin and yang to the Titan.  This one had more fresh red fruits, strawberry preserves, floral notes and less smoke than our first Pinot Noir.  It starts off softer and then really becomes more powerful and full of black cherry and spice cake flavors that trail off to a very satisfying and lightly spicy finish.  This one is drinking beautifully!

ABV:  13.5%

Chehalem Mountains AVA

154 cases produced

Suggested retail price:  $50.00

 

Drink The Bottles score:  94/100

When we asked Dave about picking his favorite Bells Up wine, he wouldn't do it.  We compared that akin to picking your favorite child.  But for our team collectively, the 2021 Maestro Estate Reserve Pinot Noir was the northern light for us during this tasting.  Beautiful, haunting, deep dark red color with soul-reaching aromas of black cherry, hibiscus, dried flower pedals, and country gravel road in the spring.  The flavors of elegant red fruits, nutmeg, cherry tobacco and cocoa powder challenged each other for dominance, all while dancing on the tongue.  This wine did not jump out at you, but rather pulled you in slowly and methodically, similar to the Jurassic Park theme song by John Williams.  This wine is named in honor of Williams and to us, it is an exquisite fit.  This is one of those wines that instinctively makes you throw your hands to the side of your face and simply exclaim, "Wow!".  Drink this now or cellar it for 5+ years.

ABV:  13.3%

77 cases produced

Chehalem Mountains AVA

Suggested retail price:  $56.00

Drink The Bottles score:  97/100

Our final wine of the evening (insert crying emoji here) was the 2021 Candide Estate Reserve Pinot Noir.  It was the highest alcohol content of the selections we enjoyed, but still well within a respectable check of only 13.6%.  This wine had more of that mouth-watering smokiness that you generally expect from Oregon Pinot, alson with dried rose petals, plum and damp earth.  It was also the "spicy" wine of the evening presenting a full complement of backing spices, book leather and baked berry pie.  The finish was similar to the 2021 Maestro, lingering for moments after the last sip and drawing you back for more.  It's quite amazing!

ABV:  13.6%

Chehalem Mountains AVA

64 cases produced

Suggested retail price:  $56.00

Drink The Bottles score:  94/100

We could have spent all night listening to Dave talk about his passion, his story and what lies ahead for Bells Up Winery.  It's abundantly clear that Dave and Sara strive to make a connection with every customer.  With over 1,000 wineries in Oregon, Team Specter knows that creating memorable wines and intimate experiences will result in lifelong fans and ultimately friends.  One of the biggest compliments Bells Up Winery can receive, according to Dave, is when someone simply says, "Wow, that's nice" or "Yummy".  As an UN-domaine winery, you receive a very personal experience from Dave and Sara, making you feel as if you are the only people on the planet.  And, at that moment, you are to them.

Bells Up Winery checks off all of the boxes for us:  delectable and memorable wines, incredibly friendly and down-to-earth people, affordable, low production, and a place we will visit in person one day.