Tastes

Castle & Key Small Batch 2023 (Batch 4) 101 Proof 73% Corn/10% Rye/17% Barley Purchased at Total Wine & More Indianapolis IN *NOSE: Dark & Fairly Complex. Dark Fruits, Custard, Barrel Wood, Varnish, Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Leather. Maybe just a hint of graininess at the back. *NEAT: Solid. Orange Peel, Oak Tannins, Vanilla, Cinnamon Stick, and Mint. A bit of Black Pepper Spice. Decent KYHug with Oak and Mint coating and layering. *SPLASH: The Vanilla and Mint take Center Stage, but it picks up a Raw Grain Note that I don’t care for. *VERDICT: I’m happy with the purchase. There are definitely some good bones to work with here and I see this only getting better with future releases.

ELMER T LEE NOSE: Dry and Oaky. Cinnamon Stick, Brown Sugar, Hazelnut, Weathered Leather, and Black Pepper. NEAT: Up front is Drying Oak Tannins, Cinnamon, Peanut Brittle, Black Pepper, Rye Spice, and a Hint of Barnyard. Not overly complex, but Solid. However, the backend and Finish downgrades the overall experience with an overly Bitter note. SPLASH: Helps with the Bitterness at the end, transforming it more towards Baking Spice. VERDICT: After years of hype, I’m a little disappointed in this. It is solid (and perhaps I’m being a little hard on it after last night’s excellent 4 Roses pour), but this barrel at least, is definitely not secondary price worthy.

4 ROSES SiB WHSE: M E BARREL: 79-1 H NOSE: This barrel is very fruit forward. Peach, Cherry, Fresh Berry, Oak Spice, Cocoa, Vanilla, and a hint of floral. NEAT: Thick and clingy. Rye Heavy with some Herbal Spice and Licorice. Heavy Vanilla/Maple, Cocoa, Cherry, and Oak. Herbal Spice, Vanilla, and Oak coat and layer the palate. SPLASH: A few drops of water and the nose gets some Peanut Brittle. The palate gets some of the fruit from the initial nose. VERDICT: Solid as always. The Rye really shines on this Barrel. 4.25

TRAVELLER WHISKEY We'll get to the review after the following rant... I'm a fan of Buffalo Trace. Most of their whiskies (when you can find them) are great and (since I'm in a control state) fairly priced. I also think, for the most part, that they are pretty upfront about what is in the bottle and avoid the hype and fanciful storytelling that some distilleries indulge in. That is, until Traveller "Blend No. 40". I've been a fan of Stapleton since his days with the Steeldrivers so I was definitely looking forward to this one, especially since it was blended by Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley at Buffalo Trace. We knew it was blended with no neutral grain spirits, so I'm imagining Wheatley tinkering like a mad scientist with BT's three bourbon and one rye mashbills crafting a blend that is both affordable and unique. Imagine my disappointment to find that it's Barton distillate (which is no where close to being as good as BT) and one of Sazerac's Canadian Ryes shipped in steel tankers to Frankfort, KY and blended there. Despite the constant references to Wheatley and the distillery in Frankfort, there's no Buffalo Trace Whiskey in here at all. None. Zilch. Zero. It just seems lazy and a little disingenuous to me. Rant over, now how is "Blend 40"? *NOSE: There's a slight Mustiness, Oak, Rye Spice, Light Vanilla, Orange Peel, Clove, Cinnamon, and Straw. With some time in the Glencairn, the Vanilla becomes more prominent. Very pleasant and better than expected. *NEAT: A bit of a letdown after the nose. Decent mouthfeel delivers a general One-Note Vanilla Sweetness with a Hint of Oak and Cinnamon. Smooth Finish with the Vanilla and Cinnamon coating the palate. There's a light heat blooming in the chest. *SPLASH: A little water gives the palate a Butterscotch/Maple vibe. *VERDICT: About what I expected, and better than 90% of the Barton products I've consumed. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, salvaging some subpar Barton by mixing it with some Canadian Rye. I'm betting the whole is greater than the sum of the parts here and "No 'Future Pappy' was harmed in the making of this product". I can see this being an easy sipper over ice or mixed into any number of cocktails at a weekend tailgate or Backyard BBQ. I think they were going for the casual weekend drinker and not the enthusiast and they've done it fairly well. This is probably not going to be a re-purchase for me as George Dickel No.8 already fills that role for me better and at less than 1/2 the price. After all, nothing's as "Smooth as Tennessee Whiskey".

YELLOWSTONE TOASTED OAK STAVES NOSE: Unimpressed. Young Corn, Raw Oak, a Hint of Brown Sugar, Char, a Slight Savory Note, and a little Stinging Heat. Does get better with time as some Crisp Apple, Rye Spice, and Fennel Seed appear. NEAT: Slightly better than the nose, but the overall vibe is the same. Youthful and Tannic with Mild Toasted Marshmallow and Charred Oak. Burnt Oak Finish with Wood Spice Coating and Lingering. SPLASH: Helps with the tannins, but it takes on a weird medicinal taste (kids' antibiotic?) VERDICT: I have liked most Yellowstone offerings, but have really only been wowed by the Hand Picked Select Cask Strength (which is Barton sourced). This one I didn't care for at all. It's almost as if the youth was amplified by the Toasted Oak staves. Maker's 46 does this MUCH better, and for $15 less.

OLD OVERHOLT 10YR CASK STRENGTH (121) APPEARANCE: Great looking throwback of a bottle with classic labeling and a chunky, engraved wooden topped cork. Pours into the glencairn a lovely shade somewhere between 1.7/1.8 (Burnt Umber/Old Oak). NOSE: Bold & Upfront is Dusty Old Barn (Weathered Oak, Hay Bales, Old Oil and Tires). Lurking in the background is Tart Fruit, Pipe Tobacco, and Cinnamon. The whole thing is then liberally dusted with a coating of finely ground Black Pepper. As it sits a while, a faint note of soft Pink Bubblegum develops. NEAT: Thick &b Clingy, this is one you'll taste for a while. Cooked apples, Cinnamon, Fall Baking Spice, and Heavy (almost too heavy) Oak Tannins. There is a Long Tart Apple/Cherry Finish with Oak, Black Pepper, and Tart Fruit coating and lingering on the Palate. There is a BIG KYHug to remind you of its 121 proof. SPLASH: On the Nose, it brings that Pink Bubblegum out a bit more along with a light Floral Note. On the Palate, the Oak loses some of its Tannic character and becomes more Musty. It also brings some of the Herbal character out that is a Rye Hallmark. VERDICT: I normally treat myself to a special bottle with some of my Holiday Bonus, and this year it was this one. I really liked this, but I did ding it a little for the $99 price tag. Had this not been Holiday Bonus time, I most definitely would've passed. I really see this as being more of a $60-$70 bottle. I'm going to enjoy it, but will probably pass on future years releases, especially if something else shiny catches my eye during the holidays.

I'm rating both the Signature and the Wheated Bourbon together, as neither is good enough to warrant their own review. *NOSE: Young and Crafty. Dried Corn, Sawdust, Barnyard, Black Pepper. The Wheated does add some Brown Sugar to the mix. Not a pleasant combo. *NEAT: Very Sweet at the tip of the tongue, but unfortunately, it still has to pass the rest of your tongue for you to drink it. Again, lots of Youth with Dried Corn, Creamed Corn, Sawdust Bitter Oak and an an overall unpleasant Off Note of Sweet Tea that you find in the back of the refrigerator tat has started to go bad or ferment strained through a piece of Wet Cardboard. That is the aftertaste that remains. As with the Nose, the Wheated does add some brown sugar sweetness, but not near enough to offset that back of the palate aftertaste. *SPLASH: Doesn't change anything. Neither version is salvageable. *VERDICT: Picked up a 50ml of each when visiting a VA ABC while traveling. Dumped the majority of both 50mls pours down the drain and apologized to the sink for subjecting it to almost 100mls of this stuff.

I'm rating both the Signature and the Wheated Bourbon together, as neither is good enough to warrant their own review. *NOSE: Young and Crafty. Dried Corn, Sawdust, Barnyard, Black Pepper. The Wheated does add some Brown Sugar to the mix. Not a pleasant combo. *NEAT: Very Sweet at the tip of the tongue, but unfortunately, it still has to pass the rest of your tongue for you to drink it. Again, lots of Youth with Dried Corn, Creamed Corn, Sawdust Bitter Oak and an an overall unpleasant Off Note of Sweet Tea that you find in the back of the refrigerator that has started to go bad or ferment strained through a piece of Wet Cardboard. That is the aftertaste that remains. As with the Nose, the Wheated does add some brown sugar sweetness, but not near enough to offset that back of the palate aftertaste. *SPLASH: Doesn't change anything. Neither version is salvageable. VERDICT: Picked up a 50ml of each when visiting a VA ABC while traveling. Dumped the majority of both 50mls pours down the drain and apologized to the sink for subjecting it to almost 100mls of this stuff.

BIG HOUSE First time ever seeing this $19 Straight Bourbon from Sazerac. After some research, this apparently began as sourced 6 year age stated MGP, but has been purchased by Sazerac who dropped the age statement and presumably now use Barton distillate. *NOSE: Lots of Black Pepper, Banana, Light Vanilla, Crisp Red Apple, Cornmeal, and Cedar. *NEAT: Again, lots of Black Pepper, Banana, Vanilla, Orange Zest, Cedar, and Infused Tobacco. Overall it gives the impression of being thin, but still leaves a nice peppery coating on the tongue and cheeks. Longish Finish with the Black Pepper and Banana lingering and layering on the palate. *SPLASH: Lemon Pudding shows up on the nose in a big way. A little More Vanilla and now Maple on the palate. There is less Pepper but still has that great long finish. A large cube of ice and it gets Herbal Rye Notes. *Verdict: What a great value. Not the hugest fan of Barton, but there are tons of other bourbon in this price range that aren't as good as this. I'd still take the similarly priced EW 1783 over this, but it's definitely a decent pour for the money.

JD BONDED RYE *NOSE: Brown Sugar, Banana, Dry Oak, Juicy Fruit Gum, Dill, Leather, and a Slightly Earthy note. *NEAT: Down the center of the tongue are the Banana and Juicy Fruit. Herbal Notes (Dill, Clove, Star-Anise) on the Sides and Back of the tongue. There is a hint of plastic/chemical on the Finish with a decent TNHug. Medium to Heavy Mouthfeel results in an Oaky and Herbal Coating that layers the palate. *SPLASH: The Sweetness now dominates the palate with even more Banana. It also brings out a Black Pepper tingle. *VERDICT: Definitely the third ranked in the JD Bonded Series. It's been a while since I've had standard issue JD Rye, but if memory serves, I liked it a little better than this. It's definitely a better buy, even with the lower proof thanks to this being in the smaller 700ml bottle. I'll save the $10-$15 and buy it instead