Tastes

Heavy malt barley, nose. First sip is a clear grass and honey notes. Easy sipping whiskey with lower proof you could session this.

The nose on this is tight, however I find that there are some light notes of brown sugar and apple blossom (not quite green apple not quite floral). While less than 100 proof on the first sip this comes out hot (which is why it doesn’t get anything above a 4 for me). The flavor curve is quick but mouth feel is wonderful, not to light but not super oily. There are hints of honey, and grass. The finish is DRY… sucks all of the moisture out of your mouth simply asking you to put more juice in. Overall not quite Barrell level but still a decent pour.

Peerless Bourbon Single Barrel “Cinnamon Mocha” rocking cork pop, when you pop this cork you know it’s “gotta be good”. The color is deep brown leather. With a wonderful nose hints of wood, nuts and coffee. The first sip brings the heat as this bad boy sits at 117.4 but the second sip you have notes of toasted oak, chocolate, nutmeg and butter. The finish rolls right down the tannin lane to a clean tobacco like finish. A+

Light nose with aroma of cereal. Looking at this widow she’s clearly a fine shade of amber like a really nice early grey tea. The first sip the mouth feel is impeccable, the grains shine through with flavors of toasted oats, mixed with black pepper and coffee. The finish is slightly nutty turning to toasted oak.

Nose is tight light aroma of oak and honey. The color in this is fantastic brown leather like a well warn bomber jacket. On the second sip this packs some heat not that is high proof but heat from the heavy char and big red gum flavors. Just as the char (not smoke) rolls across your tongue you get spice notes of nutmeg and cinnamon turning to toasted pine nuts with hints of vanilla. This is clearly an oak bomb!

Look not going to lie, this pour was after an evening of going hog wild, with ryes. In the dram the pour is "light in color", "looks like Pee", and even had me thinking “Is this MGD?". However, on the nose the aroma was quite unique of hints of pepper, leather, and almost earthy pitch. After my second sip the taste has notes of wood / oak, baking spice and citrus. The really unique thing here is the citrus notes that come through, really unique IMO. However, as much as the nose and the taste was really enjoyable I rated this lower that I would have because the finish just isn’t complex enough. You get what you get up front and in the back. Might be cause my pallet is tired after 4 other tastes but really looking for a little more out of this pig before having it go all the way home.

In the dram Seagrass looks like a very light blonde colored pour with notes of amber and caramel. On the nose the aroma was sweet and spicy with aromatic flowers and earth. After the second sip the flavor profile comes across as fruity with "Blueberries" and "Black Pepper" dancing in my mouth. The best part of this pour is the finish, which was "VERY LONG" inky in nature and really enjoyable. Really makes me wonder what the Grey Label version of this tastes like.

Castle & Key distillery, the famed historic and quite attractive site of Old Taylor once producing the E.H. Taylor family of bourbons before being abandoned for scrap and rot in 1972. Restored in 2012, it started a semi-annual release of their Restoration Rye, my sample was the 2021 release 1. At first glance the appearance is light in color almost like "Hangover Pee" and "Not Quite as Light as PBR". But in the dram on the nose the aroma to consist of baking spices such as cloves and pepper with a sweet wood. After the first taste the flavor profile opens up to be earthy, with hints of tobacco and coffee. The mouthfeel and finish was oily and long with flavors of pepper, nuts, and black tea to a clean finish. Really enjoyed this one.

Rittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond Rye was a sharp detour especially for this Average Guy as a big fan of Heaven Hill products this spirit simply didn't hit the mark for me. In the dram the appearance to be light in color and the viscosity was clearly thin. On the nose the aroma of alcohol and oak overpowered anything else that might be experienced. After the second sip its easy to find oak, spice, and nuts but with the thin mouth feel and the quick finish this isn’t really a sipper and more of a cocktail rye.

Out of the gate to be honest I’m not a huge rum cask finish person. However as you land on the Caribbean shores of Angel's Envy, you are presented with the appearance of a honey colored gold, almost like an apple juice in the glass spirit. The aroma consists of sweet caramel/candy and maple syrup; this is a candy store in a dram. After the first taste you get hints of sweet spice, butterscotch, cinnamon spice and baked goods. Not the knock off gas station items but something from a high end European bakery. As the Angel's decided to leave the finish was long and satisfying with no-booze and a great mouth feeling coating your mouth similar in style to the maple syrup. Just simply wonderful. It’s easy to hear the sounds of the Angel's singing away with this one.