Tastes

No rough edges on this in nose palate or finish. Mellow, and delicate. Standard wheated bourbon flavors, making it well balanced and an easy drinker, but with a subtle je ne sais quois beneath that keeps you interested. And for the price... hard to beat. A staple I would say. N: pear, vanilla T: wheaty, like maraschino cherry. pear, honey, oak, milk chocolate, mandarin orange. F: pepper, vanilla, oak

Re-release to US market. Sherry and overripe borderline rotten apples fallen off the tree nose. Light body but delectable golden raisin and pear wine flavors with classic salt and light woody character. A fine aromatic wood finish. N: mixed peel, raisin, apple, Sherry T: malt, banana, salt, Sherry, wine F: sandalwood, cigar box

Blind tasting sample from Aaron Stark. Nose: pencils and graphite open up to vanilla and new oak. Furniture polish opens up to caramel corn Palate: horseradish at first quickly diffused to light caramel, cream, corn, and then spearmint. Medium silky texture. Not much heat to the mid-palate. Sweet. Finish: Warmth escalates then quickly fades, leaving a bitter and dry burnt sugar sensation atop a light syrup coating. Pink peppercorn.

Blind tasting sample from Aaron Stark. Thank you! Nose: Sherry and tawny port. Overripe plums and figs. Palate: Same overripe stewed fruit. Salt and minerality. Chlorides, calcium, and light sulphur. Oily slick texture but medium-light body. Estery and alcoholic but clean, not fusel, hot, or solventy. Finish: more fermented character. Fruit skins, coriander seed. Vegetable oil. Perfume spice, lavender and mace. Overall, I enjoyed how unique and harmonious the fermented fruit character was even if there wasn't a ton of complexity. The flavors were deep and they worked with the texture and body almost masterfully.

February 2018: ER10 has a very polite way of introducing some of the more "intermediate-advanced" bourbon tasting notes and is very "smooth," while being at a very approachable price point. That being said, certain barrel picks can be a real trip. October 2017: Probably deserves better than 4/5, but the heat up front is just a tad distracting even if it does actually contribute to the balance. Nose is inviting, warm, but lively, like a baking pumpkin pie. Taste is immediately slammed with some alcohol heat that is very persistent and spicy, but it complements the cranberry orange peel notes of the nose that you get in the taste which, are draped over a malty backbone. The richness would be reminiscent of port immediately, but the distracting spiciness confuses that idea before some intense study and a few fingers. With time to open and oxidize, the recurring themes are heat, prunes, maybe dark cherries cloves, allspice, and caramel. It's something that I go back and forth about whether i'd keep it always on the shelf or not, but when it fits the mood, it does a damn good job for its price band. Overall though good value for a $29 bottle! Very malt forward but it's great on a chilly evening by a fire for sure. Would do great to complement a pipe with a Balkan blend or a habano wrapper cigar. N: citrus peel, apricot, brown sugar, baking spices T: Malt, licorice, nutmeg, hazelnut/pecan, vanilla, prunes F: leather, spice, port, oak

3.5/5 A bit lacking in dimension and very hot, almost a bit too solventy if it's a fresh bottle. However, a drop of water does wonders to quench the fire, soften the finish, and bring forward some perfumy aromatic spice flavors. Would like to dose with some water enhanced with CaCl- and CaCO3+. Caramel toffee and fresh wood nose. Taste of pencils and solvents. More honey than corn in the sweetness. Water pulls guajillo chili, fennel seed, coriander seed, and cloves forward quite nicely. Would love this in an old fashioned, manhattan, or hybrid negroni.

SO brown sugar but so well done for the sugar syrup and spice bourbon it is. Usually not my ticket, but I have to appreciate this one for how it executes with full and clean flavor with an enjoyable palate sensation N: syrup T: spicy, brown sugar, vanilla F: spicy brown sugar vanilla syrup