Tastes

The nose is actually pretty full on this. Some malt, vanilla, caramel, pear and burnt toast. That might be the most surprising part and clearly what stands out to me. The palate is straight to the point. Nothing flashy here. Its light with caramel and oak. In an old fashioned I noticed grass, probably from the ice watering it down. For a budget bottle its not my favorite. But it still works for what it is.

At first I was going back and forth on this one in some aspects. I know its a good bottle, and I would certainly describe it on sweeter side. But it can be hard to grasp on specifc notes through the sweetness. It may take some time get through it to find some really great notes. But you can find some nuttiness, fig, and cherry. The Port does really add a lot, and its an easy sipper. An incredibly easy sipper. This does not taste like its 100 proof. At all. It has an average mouthfeel. The nose is a bit more interesting than the palate, but I dont want to take anything away from that. Its a delicious pour for what it offers If you want something easy and sweet to drink, I'd suggest this.

Meijer Select Barrel 2023-26 Bottle 207 of 250 Emptied 3/14/23 57.2 proof It has the usual Dragons Milk flavor but turned up with heavy spice notes. Grape, candied apple and berry on the nose along with spice and dark caramel. That unique flavor is that but heavy spice. A really enjoyable pour. Regretting not buying an extra bottle.

Heavy on the oak. Dark caramel on the palate and nose. A good amount of spice. Slight vanilla and cherry. A good pour thats heavy on oak and dark malts with a bit of variety underneath.

The description of the bottle is spot on. Hazelnut. Toffee. Burnt coconut. The coconut appears more on the finish with some graham cracker. Almost has a smores quality. The burnt note is really apparent but delicious. The spice is there, not overpowering to my palate. Begins with heavy dark malts and spice before going into that toffee note. The nose has dark caramel, some chocolate. For a 60 dollar bottle, it's offering a lot. There isn't much comparison at this price point with the really interesting flavors it has. It seems thin at first, but the flavors linger for a good while. This is an easy recommendation if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary while not too out of left field.

Interesting flavors in this bottle. The banana and the spiced apple come together in a unique way. On the palate it begins with mixed fruit before a lot of spice comes through. Oak and dark caramel. Dark malts and oak linger on the finish.

At first the nose was a bit indistinguishable. Started picking up burnt oak, banana, burnt marshmellow and some lemon peel. A good amount of spice here, and i was correct in assuming its high rye bill from what Ive read. It goes on throughout including the finish. Other than that im noticing that banana again as well as the burnt oak. Theres vanilla wafer. It runs hot, not necessarily in a bad way, but it does have some bite. Theres a unique combination of flavors that actually work well. A bit more balanced flavor and it would have had a higher rating.

Really good pour here. It has those standard bourbon notes but turned up to 11. Vanilla and apple on the nose. Some caramel. I would describe it as very sweet. The palate brings in a lot of spice along with the apple. Theres wood as well with dark caramel and ends with more of the spice and a bit of burn on the back of the tongue. Some dark nuttiness lingers but it ends a bit abruptly. Still pretty balanced even for the flavors that down right pack a punch.

Very fruit forward nose with some nice spice. On the palate, red or green apple. Banana. Continued spice and finishes a bit out of left field. Much darker flavors come through. Possibly dark chocolate? Some blueberry. I can see a bit of the dill mentioned on earlier reviews, but not much. Good spice throughout. Uniquely flavored. Nice dark orange color to it. It checks all the boxes and met and expectations and more. The bottle mentions red and blue fruit which is spot on. Has an interesting finish which adds complexity. A really good bottle here.