Tastes

Do not judge this off the neck pour. It's pretty sad. Originally I got hair and nail salon smells. Awards: 2016, 2017 and 2019 Double Gold San Francisco Spirits I had to try it. Tasted in GC. Rested for 15 minutes N(4.25):Creamy sherry. Tiny bit of oak, no tannin. Slight cocoa. A bit of an ethanol bite on the nose. Purple mint leaves. Dried ginger roots. Cinnamon. Cherry and Vanilla if you pull away from the GC. It's unique and complex. I continue to pick up different smells every time I revisit it P(4):sherry right off the bat. Nice coating mouth feel. Some heat, but not aggressive. It can sit your mouth while you hunt for the flavors. burnt caramel. F(4): bitter sherry. Cognac sweetness. Dark dark chocolate like 86%. Clove. Caramel. Grapes. Vanilla come to visit and leaves. No hug. Medium intensity and medium to long finish. Recommendation: Very interesting and complex. It doesn't demand a revisit, instead something to be studied. Won't be my daily drinker, instead something to share with friends who drink whiskey, wine, and/or cognac. Definitely a buy for those looking for variety, but not someone who is starting out.

Fresh bottle crack. Spilled a little on the pour to GC. Mmmm. Vanilla smell tickles my nose. This was a package deal with 1920 from Costco. I’ve seen it recently for $50. What a deal. The usual. 15 min rest in GC N(4.25): cherry vanilla oak all come at once. Get some type of spice. Get chocolate right before a slight ethanol bite. Score would be hire if it was more bold. Bats way higher than its price. P(4): nice tongue coat. Sweet honey berries. Pulled a bunch saliva forward. Hints of banana F(3.75): slight hug. Vanilla sweet cream then then honey oak comes in. Not long or bold but pleasant. Banana oak comes on a couple of sips in. Overall: $20 is what I’ve seen it for. One of the best bottom shelf in my opinion. I will have to blind it, but I actually prefer this over Eh Taylor. Definitely buy and stock

This is the standard single barrel OBSV. One of 10 recipes. According to Four roses site, this recipe's flavor profile should be delicate fruit, spicy and creamy. Tasting in GC. Breathing for 15+ minutes. My studying drink for the night. N(4.5): Dark caramel. Bit of barrel spice on the deeper sniffs. You can safely dive into this without getting punched with ethanol. As the dark caramels fade, I pick up cherries and ....grassy fields. Which is odd, I've only been able to get this from rye and islay. Some creamy nut shows up as well. Unique and complex. Not bold though. P(3.5):mouth watering. Silky around the tongue. Gentle sweetness. A tiny bit of spice bite. The flavors are mild on the pallet, but how it feels is pretty nice. F(4): Oak through out that evolves. Vanilla oak. gentle hug. Brown sugar sweetness comes in. Creamy oak lingers the longest with a sprinkle of white sugar. Overall: I enjoy it, not as much as the Small Batch Select. That is in my daily rotation. At $40 it is totally worth it to buy a bottle. I will replace it when it's gone.

This baby is dangerous. So easy to drink and the flavors were so delightful, I have to put this away or else I'll go broke. Before this, I've only had Jameson and Redbreast 12 year cask strength. Loved RB so I decided to try this Irish goodness. I like when tasting notes are include. Unfortunately, I only hit <25% of them. Tasted in GC about 1.5 ounce pour 15 min rest before tasting. N(4.5): Sweet crisp asian pear. This was consistent throughout. Definitely got some of the sherry influence. The flavors were bright and inviting. Great for spring and summer. Imagine coming in from a warm day and thirst. Picking up something fresh, cold, sweet and vibrant. You just want to chug it. P(4.75): Not bold and strong flavors. Instead well balanced and complex. Little surprises around the corner sip after sip. Honey sweetness and coating. Crisp asian pear. Vanilla cookies. F(4): delightful. Pears and roses. Not like perfume roses, but a rose tea. Flavors lasted long but the intensity dropped off pretty fast. Which makes you want to drink more but I hope from something more intense.

I was really excited about this one. Heard some great reviews like It's Bourbon Night, try before your die whiskeys. Lucky I was able to get a sample of it, with an MSRP of $120. I was able to find it in my area for this price and almost purchased it. Might of been my pallet after trying the William Heavenhill, th ediction 12 year. That baby was 134.4 proof! 1 ounce sample in a GC. Allowed it to breathe for 15 minutes N(3): Got a funky musk. The aroma was there but nothing really jumped out. Got a little bit of fruit sweetness. I had a couple of big sniffs after the first tasting, still no real change. I've had more come out of Buffalo Trace or Wild Turkey 101. P(3.25): Not complex or bold. It's good. Got some cherries and a bit of mint. Adding another quarter point because the mint was delightful and not overwhelming. F(3.75): Wow...this baby was hot. Punched my throat. I'm pretty good at handling high proof, JDBP, ECBP, Stagg Jr. After the second sip, it gave me heart burn. But the flavors were good. Vanilla and sweet oak with a drop of citrus. Like a young orange.

Graciously received a sample bottle and able to share it with 2 buddies. This bottle is glorious and almost got a perfect score. I can't comment how far it was down the bottle. Poured in a GC and let it breathe for at least 15 minutes. High proof goodness needs time to get ready. N(4.5): Right when I poured it into the glass, I got a burst of creamy vanilla but on the initial sniff, it was a bit muted. Even diving my nose deep, I couldn't pull out much. I got small hints of sweetness, but that's about it. After a sip, the nose really came out. I guess my senses needed to wake up. Heavy cherry came out first then an amazing balance of vanilla and oakiness. P(5): Woo wee. First sip, fireworks of bold flavors of cherry, brown sugar, all velvety around the tongue. Second sip, I swooshed around and same boldness but my tongue definitely felt the proof. The vanilla train came in. Vanilla oak. Vanilla cherries. Vanilla whip cream. Vanilla bean. The amazing thing is with all the vanilla, you didn't lose any of the other flavors. F(5): This goes on and on. Hug comes in on the second sip and gets gentler. Just the right amount of hug that tells you it loves you. I love when oak is on the finish but it doesn't turn bitter. Vanilla of course. Got dark chocolate on the back top of my tongue that transitioned into milk chocolate. Like milk with a bit of nesquick mixed in. Overall: Bold amazing flavors throughout. Needed to break in my senses at first. The proooof does not bring the burn you would think. I think Knob Creek single barrel at 120 proof brings more heat to the party. It's not complex, but with the balance and boldness of flavors, its not required to categorize it as unique. $249 is hard for me to chew on. If I got a bonus or did a distillery tour I would probably pick it up. If it dropped to $200 I would buy. Just outside of my comfort price zone.

Recommendation: very similar to small batch. I intend to drink the small batch instead because the price. I would but it again, for collection purposes but not recommend as a stock item. Based on the juice, too similar to the small batch. Tiny bit better, but I don’t think I can tell the difference blind. Last night I reviewed the 2019 small batch, so I thought it will be fun to do the 2019 single barrel. The bottle has been open a couple months. Just above the should. Tasted in a GC. Sitting out for at least 30 minutes. N(4): I did nose it right off the pour. It’s so much more amazing after breathing. Very similar nose to the small batch. Instead of caramel, I get brown sugar. Cherry mint. A little more mint bite. Heavy cherries later on. Some bread notes. Some other sweet fruit comes out. The strength of the aromas are on par with the small batch P(4): sweet cherries on the front to the mid. Spice comes in right after. Good mouth feel. Not amazing but decent. Black pepper. It’s a bit more vanilla, creaminess, and honey than the small batch. F(4): nice hug coating the back of the throat with creamy vanilla. Scraping the tongue to the roof, I pick up slight oakiness and cacao. Medium length and intensity. Get a little bit of pepper bitterness. I would say it’s on par with small batch.

Recommendation: nice to have for my collection but don’t stock up. Would be my daily drinker but worth the price. When I initially tried this, I was not impressed. The bottle, packaging, name and hype got pretty excited. At the same time, I didn’t really do it justice. I drank a bunch of other whiskies bourbons and ryes of all proof, so my pallet might have been crazy. I also didn’t let it breathe very long. Bottle has been on my shelf for 3 months. Past the shoulders. About 25% gone. Poured a 1 ounce same and allowed it to breathe for 15 mins N(4): easy to nose. Carmel sweetness. Like sugar that just started to caramelize. Picking up some minty berries. The more sniff, the more addictive that berry mint becomes. A get a type of nut. It’s too subtle to id the type. Very pleasant and flavorful. Strength of the aromas is medium. P(3.75): starts sweet, a bit drying then you feel a light coat. Vanilla and plum comes out after a couple of sips. Pallet gets better. I wish I poured a littler more. The spice comes in with strawberries sitting on top. No wow factor but enjoyable. F(4): sweet chocolate that transform into a nice oaky taste. A good hug. Length and intensity is medium. Oaky chocolate hangs around despite the drying effect on the first half of the pallet.

Bottle past the shoulder opened for 4 months. Drinking in GC. N(3.25): smells muted. Get a salty apple that transforms into a sherry like scent. Spending more time I do pickup the cherry and brown sugars. P(2): surprisingly, get a nice light coat around the tongue. Flavors a bit dull and bland. Tiny bit of honey sweetness but that’s it. F(3.5): not a powerful finish but pleasant. Favors come in the finish. Sweet honey, a bit of oak bitterness. Dark berries and cocoa bitterness in the back. More unique than the standard bourbon but not as punchy and flavorful. I would like to try the rye and cask strength. But I would not rebuy this bottle when it’s gone.

Tried the 110 and 112 proof today. This review is for the 110, but I will be making some comparisons to the other. The 112 might have outside influence. Had Michters rye and OF 1920 right before. Knocking it down just a notch because cinnamon is not my think. This is amazing. Can’t believe it’s 4 years N(4.5): cinnamon bomb just like the 112. Starts as big red chewing gum then evolves to a red berry cinnamon. Feels creamy and I get a hint of vanilla. A bit of floral and outdoor grassy notes which are light, interesting and delightful. Cupping my hands around the glass and nosing, I get plump juicy bright cherries with a dash of caramel on top. P(4.75): sweet red cinnamon. Reminiscent of the nose. Luscious mouth feel F(4.75): nice creamy hug. Light oakiness that turns into oolong tea. Reminds me of milk tea boba. Same with the 112 earlier on today. Sooooo delicious. I’ve never gotten it from another whiskey. The tea is fresh and vibrant layered with creamy milky vanilla on top.