Tastes

Nose... Maple candied walnuts, cinnamon, cherry, apricots and a hint of vanilla. Appearance... A nice light mahogany. Taste... Rich and buttery it's corn dominant. Fruits like plum and orange come forward, followed by a nice pepper seasoning. Overall... I'm happy they ran the sale on this bottle, because I normally shy away from Beam. I have felt consistently that certain Bourbons or Whisky's would find themselves that much more enjoyable had they been bottled at the right age and proofed at the worthy alcohol percentage. Sometimes though, Beam and others seem to run on a tight margin and apparently the masses love brown water as opposed to brown liquor which keeps their profits in the black. This Beam though scoffs at that premise, as it's good to go...

Nose... Wheat, wheat, and more wheat. Haven't had the slightest sip, but wow. Following is butterscotch, dried apples, raisins and vanilla. Appearance... Faint for sure. Dark gold to light amber... Taste... Abundant wheat, followed by apricot, faint grass, butterscotch, nuts, and finally vanilla to complete the sundae.. Overall... This is one heck of a sipper that's for sure. I was about to pick up this 1.75L for $23.00 and I cannot be more pleased about the value. Easy drinking, simply smooth and if tested or tasted blindly against other more expensive wheaters, I wouldn't be surprised if this sipper took home gold.

Nose... Apples, marshmallows, and raisins lead the way with just a subtle hint of alcohol on the back end... Appearance... Falls between a light to medium amber... Taste... Significantly sweet butterscotch and vanilla come through at first. Followed by pepper, tobacco and a slight pear hint which is faint yet welcoming... Overall... If this were sold at a higher proof it would definitely be a gigantic steal. The bottle could easily find it's way into my cheaper rotation when the price is as low as I found this one to be... 1.75 L bottle

Nose... Candied caramel, raisins, apricots, and a strong scent of freshly baked rye bread bordering on french toast... Color... A light to medium copper... Taste... Marshmallow, apricot, butter, almond, mint, and a floral yet herbal quality. The taste is ever evolving with this bottle. Overall... It's quite a nice value for the complexity it offers. So many bold and nuanced flavors. This bottle has legs for days plus a smooth and buttery mouth feel. Very solid indeed....

Nose....Toffee, chocolate, pepper, and a very noticeable buttery scent.... Color....a truly rich mahogany.... Taste....A complex heap of pepper, anise, cinnamon and tobacco come roaring in initially. That is soon followed by a wonderfully sweet taste of dark fruits, butterscotch and vanilla... Overall....I couldn't be more pleased with this purchase. The fact that it's bottled at 122 proof is truly remarkable. Once it has time to open up it really shines. Suddenly herbal and grassy notes come to fruition. It's quite a bourbon, offering such distinctive yet diverse flavors pour after pour.. Well worth the cost....

Nose.... Nuts, chocolate, pepper, cherries and pears all rush to the top of the glass... Color... Medium to an almost dark copper.... Taste...Rye forward for sure, slowly balancing itself as it opens up. Post rye, comes seasoned wood, pepper, leather, and finally mellowing itself into hints of toffee and vanilla.... Overall... It's just easy drinking, especially since it's bottled at a slight 90 proof. I generally prefer a higher proof, so this served neat is my only choice. It has nice legs on the glass and a rich viscous feel overall... Priced quite fairly as well...

Nose... Bananas, nuts, leather, and brown sugar.... Appearance...Dark amber to light copper... Taste... Buttery, smooth, creamy and salty. Followed by a slight hint of ethanol, then pears and oats... Overall... For the proof it's undeniably smooth and easy drinking. I always drink neat and this was very much like dessert in a glass. It's gentle wheat helps make this whisky a nice opener to those getting introduced into the wheaters....

Nose... Salted butter, pecans, vanilla, marshmallows, freshly cut springtime grass, warmed caramel and the list could go on... Color... Medium to dark copper... Taste.... Rich notes of butterscotch, coffee, cinnamon and pepper are melded with salted toffee, cherry and plum. Overall... Let's start with the most obvious negative. This is some tough to find Bourbon in my market, so much so that I normally just order it at my local hole where it's kept in bunches. That being said, I hardly ever get a chance to grab a bottle, until recently. This bottle is a BINNY'S SELECT SMALL BATCH, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. While it's a SELECT bottle I surely didn't notice a difference from my bar version. At just $24.99 it's as good as it gets. Hope I'm lucky enough to come across another bottle in the near future... Damn good stuff.

Nose... Vanilla, green apples, butterscotch, and an herbal touch. Color... A light to medium copper. Taste... Seasoned wood, pepper, grass, cherry, slight ethanol, and dessert notes filter through... Overall... Two nights in with this one and I'm just not sold. It's age statement led me to believe I'd find some real depth of flavors after nine years in the barrel. That just want the case. It's definitely good, and it has some complexity, just not what I was assuming I'd find...

Nose.... Cherries, oats, vanilla, rye, mint and whatever else you might pick up... Color... A light to medium copper... Taste... Lightly bodied, subtly flavored. Faint notes of banana and rye came to the forefront. Followed by soft leather, cocoa, cinnamon and light grass... Overall... When you take the initial pull you will find yourself underwhelmed, at least I was. I was definitely able to differentiate between the blends which is somewhat off putting, especially considering the other blends on the market. Maybe it was the two year's young they blended, which is more black stallion than whiskey. The nine year blend added the nuance that was leaving and truly picked this whiskey up. After the initial pull, I was about to find rich flavors and a real enjoyment. If they ever blend this with a four year and the nine, they'll have a great product. Solid at the $38.00 I paid but I don't think it has staying power at that price, more like a $28.00 and under range...