Tastes

Since I’ve only seen one review anywhere on this and it wasn’t very good I wanted to provide another perspective in case any is looking at purchasing. This is one of the most unusual bourbons I’ve ever had and I see how this is a love it or hate it thing. In fact, I could give this anywhere from a 2.5 to 4.5 rating depending on the day, so I settled on 4. I would guess if you don’t like old sherry you won’t like this. The 100 year botas has a huge influence. From the woody, almost musty, sweet nose to the earthy, sherry-laden finish. But in-between is a sweet, cinnamon, wonderfully complex but subtle palate that reminds me a bit of Angel’s Envy Cellar Collection Tawny Port. A little less time in the botas would probably have made this a great bourbon. I like the palate so much it redeems the over earthiness of the nose and finish.

Myself and a friend both picked up a bottle of this on my last day trip to Bardstown. Last night he had my wife and I over for a blind tasting of 6 bourbons (I haven’t opened my bottle yet). This was a strong second to the PH 2010 Cask Strength Wheated Bourbon. Which says a lot, because I love high proof, aged wheaters. It’s also significant that I rated it higher than Blanton’s Gold. This is a sweet, complex, rich bourbon that I would expect when I put down $200 for a bottle. I don’t typically rate bourbons on a single pour and I will revisit this review when I open mine, but this is clearly an excellent bourbon. It’s worth noting that my friend had the same perception.

This is the third wheated Ocean Voyage bottle I’ve tried, and the best. It really isn’t in my wheelhouse, being lower proof and underwhelming on the palate. In fact, I couldn’t put my finger on any significant flavor on the tongue. That being said, it is extremely pleasant and has nothing offending to put me off. Contrary to the very good but nondescript palate, the finish pounds your tastebuds with charred oak and salt. Considering how difficult it is to find a good bourbon off the shelf nowadays, this is certainly worth it’s $85 price. Note: The one I have is a barrel select from Total Wine, but I assume not much different from others.

I’ve been nursing this bottle for several years. Like several others, I just can’t bring myself to finish it knowing I’ll never have it again. So I periodically have a small pour to remind myself how good it is. This is not a big, bold bourbon like many of the legendary pours (I’m looking at you Stagg, WLR, Willett Family Estate), but it is a great bourbon in its own right. On this pour, nothing is really standing out on the palate, it’s just sweet, balanced, and extremely pleasant. The finish of slight tobacco and cinnamon is excellent, but shorter than I’d like. This deserves its excellent reputation and will be sorely missed when it’s gone.

I’ve had this many times and think this is an underrated bourbon considering the price. As I sip it after a couple of other decent pours it really holds its own. It really doesn’t stand out on the palate, but there isn’t anything off-putting at all. I do really enjoy the leathery cinnamon finish.

Terrible! I bought this about two years ago to take to my nephew’s wedding and every once in a while I’ll take a sip to see if I was wrong. I wasn’t, it was bad then and is bad now. Luckily my wife will use it in a Manhattan, so it’s not completely wasted.

Sweet with a little heat up front. Dark chocolate cherry cordial finish, which I wanted to last longer. Not a great pour, but very good for the price and certainly something I’d buy again.

Pedestrian, but not bad. That’s all I got.

This is a bit more of a nostalgic take on Noah’s Mill than a tasting note. Back when this carried a 15 year age statement, it was arguably one of the best bourbons you could buy for the money. A five star bourbon, whose deep dark chocolate finish I long for today. Although still a good bourbon, when the age statement was removed and Willett distilled juice made it into the other sourced bourbons it changed for the worse. I’m still hoping in several years as Willett distilled juice ages, they can recapture the magic Even Kulsveen created many years ago.

As the tag states, this voyage saw extra rough seas that drove the bourbon into the barrel, absorbing the sweet oak flavors. That couldn’t be more obvious when the first sip hits the frontal tastebuds. This is one of those bourbons that just explodes with flavor and really hits my sweet spot (pardon the pun). I moved it around on my tongue, searching for the salt, but could only find a hint. A little more and I would have given this 4.75 stars. As another taster said it finishes with hot cinnamon, which is a great complement to the initial sweetness. After two tastes and comparison with Joseph A Magnus, I went back to Total Wine and picked up another bottle for $85. This is as good as you can get off the shelf nowadays.