Tastes

Enjoyed a generous pour last night at District Commons ($14, I believe), sipped before, during, and after a meal. I wasn't taking notes (it would have been antisocial of me to focus solely on the drink at dinner), but it's worth mentioning what I still cannot forget about the experience: first, this one needs a couple drops of cool water after a couple sips neat. Greatly unpacks flavors hidden under the generic Woodford taste. Second, the finish carries a delightful, distinctive candy flavor encapsulated in the delicate taste of confectioner's sugar al la Turkish delight, underneath which is a gentle yet robust berry taste such as one finds in a Cavendish and Harvey tin...imagine my surprise when I later discovered the second cask *isn't* a sherry-cask!

A solid daily drinker rye. As many note, it is herbal and even grassy. I call it the camomile tea of whiskey. No strong flavors, but there's no lack of flavor. A gentle alcohol astrigency on the nose, gentle because it is tempered by aloe, after which I pick up a light layer of sweet raw almond and spice. The palate doesn't drag its feet---it gives you what its got in quick order, a lovely herbal bouquet. That compact taste profile gives it a reliable simplicity that's hard to dislike. Light radish and bay leaf with a sprinkle of pepper hovers above the soft spice finish, which infuses itself into a sugar cookie as it fades. You set your head back, and realize you're quite pleased.

This has been my daily drinker bourbon (bought in bulk 1.75L size at Costco for $51.00). Lovely dark gold amber color. Slightly astringent nose, with robust vanilla that gives way to honey, finishing with a distant whisp of...ripe, golden apple! (I think of being in Europe, where that light, fresh-but-deep aroma surrounds the table after a golden apple has been peeled). Delicious spice finish, but it's the warmth that lingers most long after the spice wanes into light brown sugar (that's the joy of 100 proof!). Now you may be wondering why I skipped the palate...the truth is, this one doesn't like to show its cards during what many of us consider the central part of the whiskey experience (not me; I'm here for the finish). The palate needs half an ice cube to unleash the char. Once you add half a cube, man does the rye kick delightfully! It's almost magic; this whiskey goes from generic-but-solid quintessential bourbon flavor to spicy. Doesn't get funky (if that's what you want, go with a Wild Turkey distillery product), but a measured light rye taste coated in a delicious, sticky char. Without the cube, it tastes thin until you get used to it (I actually stopped adding ice to this a long time ago). Over time you realize, you cannot regret buying this bottle; eventually it defines the way you think of the word "bourbon." I've heard it said that if Rock'n Roll music had a different name, it'd be "Chuck Berry." Well, if 100 proof bourbon had a different name, I'd say it's "Knob Creek."

The nose on this high-proof dancer is incredible. Deep, dark-colored fruit practically coats the mouth before even taking a sip. This is not going to be your normal toffee-heavy bourbon; it's more of a pit fruit kind of bourbon (some describe it as apricot-y, but it'd have to be a mighty dark apricot. This is more like a ripe plumb). Immediately from the dark depths of smooth, spicy fruit springs a complex layer of toasted coconut---but this is not the light coconut one tastes in Tullamore D.E.W., but a golden brown, *toasted* coconut with a gentle marshmallowy sugariness beckoning beneath it. All of this comes to pass as promised upon taking a sip. This one's finish doesn't rush to smack your palate into submission like spicier high-ryes, but make no mistake: from the moment you sip, the finish is surging...calmly. Somehow. Yes, this finish is with you from the beginning, taking you through a musical progression, in which each of the above flavors takes a turn, at first hesitantly overlapping with the others before they fully converge at the crescendo. Welcome now to the long plum spice lullaby to close you out. At this point you realize: at no point throughout all this have you had to endure astringency or staleness. Its spice is inseparable from the sweet, the sugary fruit always accompanied by the fresh bite from when it's freshly picked. She's a graceful lady, this one. Treat her with respect---at 114.3 proof, she's got the legs to knock you down, but she'll be gracious to anyone who is a gentleman. //1oz pour at Jack Rose Dining Saloon in DC, $8 // Something my novice taste doesn't know how to describe or place after just a single pour is the leather. Just trust me: it works.

This whiskey is very sensitive to water. Adding a "splash" instead of just two-three drops transforms it into another bourbon, altogether. I wish the nose weren't as astringent/alcohol heavy; even water doesn't take the edge off much. Neat: I do love the oak and smoke, as well as the sweet, but deep, vanilla finish with a light brown sugar dust. But the spice carries a bit too much of a sucker-punch; maybe two more years in the barrel would make it just right. Water: The spice makes a hasty retreat, but the vanilla-brown sugar dust duo is still going strong. The oak stops tasting as good, though, turning into sawdust. My recommendation: start neat, but don't stick your nose too far into the glass. A quick whiff from the top of the rim, followed by a tiny sip coating the whole tongue on the way down will tell you what this one's all about. Add one drop, smell/taste the difference, then do it two more times before settling in, and enjoy the ride. ///Update: This may be true of all bourbon, but the swallow speed makes a difference. Give this one enough time to coat the tongue, like I said before, but swallow fast if you want a sweeter finish. Swallow slow if you want a spicy, syrupy one. [$29.99 at Costco in DC]