Tastes

Vanilla, oak and tangy sweetness on the nose. Spicy on the tongue with some cherry, honey, bbq char and herbal notes. Kind of a honey mustard southern bbq vibe. Hides the proof well. Short mildly hot finish. Belle Meade Reserve and Nelson Bros Reserve are better at this proof point. For the price i’d opt for Old F 1920 or Knob C 120 proof, but it is something a little different.

Honey, hay, black pepper nose. A mildly spicy spun gold palate. Delicious. Unpopular take: not sure i’d use something this non-pumchy in a cocktail.

Woodsy, vanilla, sweet, solid. Light body with hints of honey and melon. I used this for mixing when it was widely available. Came in fourth in a blind test with Wild Turkey 101, Old Grandad 100 and Early Times 100. Also came in last versus Knob Creek 100 and Weller Special Reserve. If you can’t find this bottle, there are plenty of comparable and better ones available.

Has that young bourbon profile, floral, vanilla, fruit, with a tangy spicy stickiness that holds it together. Beat out Buffalo Trace and Early Times in a blind test. Tied with Blue Note and 1792. Lost to Wheel Horse in the battle of affordable 90-100 proof bourbons.

Oak and smoke, with barnyard and fruit in the background.

Hard to beat at the $36 price point. Bright, nuanced, delightful.