Tastes

Yellowstone Select *NOSE: Worn Leather, Wood Shavings, Orange Oil, Rye Spice. Simple, but Solid. *NEAT: Grainy & Leathery with Light Oak Spice at first sample. Additional tastes reveal Dry Caked Cornbread, Burnt Marshmallow, Pencil Shavings, and Orange Peel. Mild KYHug with Oak and Citrus coating the Palate. *SPLASH: A little water brings some sweetness into the mix with a Hint of Pink Bubblegum. *VERDICT: If you're not in the mood for sweet, you could definitely do worse than this. I think it's overpriced at $40 (I'd take Knob Creek, Longbranch, Eagle Rare, EW or 4R Single Barrel, etc at this price every time) but not a bad bottle at all. My understanding is that this is Heaven Hill blended with some of their own distillate. An entirely different experience from their Hand Picked Selection Bottles which are sourced from Barton, but more on that later...

Chattanooga 111 Tennessee High Malt Straight Bourbon Whiskey *APPEARANCE: Love the bottle and labelling. The liquid it contains is a rich Mahogany color. *NOSE: A lot of Heat, but let it sit for a few minutes and come back. You are then met with Corn Dust, Barn Wood, the Leathery Note I get from most Malt Heavy Whiskey, Orange Peel, and Brown Sugar. The longer it sits, the better it gets. *NEAT: Non-Chill filtering results in a Thick and Coating Mouthfeel. Starts off Dark with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, Dark Chocolate Toffee, and Malted Milk Balls. These are joined by Freshly Made Sweet Tea, a Hint of Orange Peel, Honeysuckle, Black Pepper, and slightly bitter Oak Tannins. A nice building heat in the chest reminds you that it's 111 Proof. The Espresso Bean is the dominant flavor on the coating aftertaste. *SPLASH: Amps up the Brown Sugar on the nose. Sweetens the Palate as well with some more traditional notes of Caramel or Vanilla. Helps tame the Tannins a bit as well. *VERDICT: If a Malt Forward Bourbon like Woodford fathered a child with Westland Single Malt the result would probably be something like this. Those Dark, Leathery, Burnt Coffee/Cocoa notes paired with some Corn Sweetness is a sum that is really greater than its parts. I had to venture across state lines into SC to procure this and wish now I'd picked up their regular 91 Proof offering as well. I love seeing these "Mid-Major" (to use a College Basketball analogy) Distilleries like Chattanooga, Westland, Great Wagon Road, Etc. find their footing and thrive. I hope they are able to branch out into NC soon, as I'm looking forward to trying more of their line.

Lonerider Snake Oil Whiskey (The back of the bottle states "Aged a Minimum of 1 Day") The first non-bourbon release that I know of from this company (other than a chocolate liqueur). They normally source from MGP and then give it a secondary barrel finish (Sherry, Stout Ale, Tequila). This release states produced and bottled in NC on the back, but only Bottled by Lonerider on the front of the label leading me to believe that this is also sourced, but from another NC Distillery. I messaged the company to see if I could get any more information, but they responded by quoting verbatim the tasting notes from the hangtag on the bottle, "It's our 'Shooting Whiskey'. Aromas of sweet corn, rye spice, buckwheat honey, and clove. Almonds, pear, spiced apple and hay in the body. Lightly toasted oak, spun sugar, leather, tobacco in the finish". Seems pretty complex for just a "Shooting Whiskey"...let's see: *APPEARANCE: Light Straw. A Whiskey with no "Straight" Designation, so if I'm not mistaken, I suppose it could contain a small amount of coloring/flavoring agent? *NOSE: Young Corn, Sugar, Oak. *NEAT: Thin. Sweet Corn, Oak, Leather, and Hay. Absolutely zero burn on the finish (what makes it a good shooter?) with light Oak, Leather and Smoke coating the palate. *SPLASH: A Large Ice Cube or a little water basically turns this into whisky flavored water. Sip it neat or shoot it. VERDICT: Perfect as a "Sidecar" to their Lonerider Beer as claimed? Perhaps, but I'm just not a "Shooting Whiskey" kind of guy. That being said, it was definitely not a bad experience. Something like this would probably run you $12 from one of the Big Boys, but I don't mind spending a little extra with a NC company. Not something I'll buy by the case, but I might keep a bottle on hand for friends and family who do shots. If nothing else, its unique label and NC connection make for an interesting conversation starter. If you really want to try something from Lonerider, I'd recommend starting with their Deadwood or Tequila Cask Finished Bourbons.

Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 YR *I would like to start my review with a disclaimer. My pecking order of Islay Whisky so far goes Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Talisker, and Bruichladdich (in any order you want) followed by Ardbeg in a distant 5th. That seems to be at odds with a lot of Distiller Users' opinions, so take the following review with that in mind. *NOSE: Upfront? Pleasantly Peaty with Sea Air, and Old Campfire Ash. Background? Tangy Fruits. Lemon, Apple, Pear, and Peach with a hint of florality. *NEAT: The first pour I had of this was more Sweet with S'mores, Werther's Originals, and hints of fruit (Raisins, Apple, Pear, Peach) meshing very well with the Foundation of Peat and Campfire Ash. Unexpected and unlike most Ardbeg I've tried. The Finish brought notes of Dark Chocolate, Tingling Pepper Spice, and Eucalyptus. A Clingy Medicinal Coating of Novocain (the taste the numbing needle leaves in your mouth) and Ash. Subsequent pours have been more "Ardbegish" in nature with Zingy Lemon Peel taking the lead and pushing the sweeter Chocolates, Caramels, and Fruits to the back. *SPLASH: The Nose and Palate both pick up a Crushed Pineapple note. *VERDICT: I need to go back and try the Ardbeg 10 for reference, but if memory serves, I may enjoy this just a little more. I was expecting super aggressive Peat Harshness, but instead found it complex enough and a decent value for $45. I even enjoyed a pour of this over a large cube of (gasp) ice. Something I don't do with other, pricier Peated Scotches. This actually may be my favorite of the Ardbeg line given its Price and Versatility (I won't think twice about experimenting with this in cocktails). I'm definitely not saying it's the best Ardbeg, just the best one for me (if that makes sense).

Kirkland 7yr TN Straight Bourbon Whiskey *NOSE: My first pour was in a standard Rocks Glass and the Cascade Hollow notes jump right out of the glass. For this review I'm using a Glencairn and it revealed a lot more going on here. Corn Dust, Maple, Burnt Sugars, Citrus Spice, and Cinnamon. *NEAT: Great Coating Mouthfeel reveals Cinnamon, Molasses, Maple, Oaky Barnyard Funk, all delivered with a Clingy Tingling Heat. It tastes it's 102 Proof, and then some. Nice Growing TNHug blooming in the chest with Oak Funk and Cinnamon coating the palate. *SPLASH: A little water gives the Palate that typical Fruit Cocktail note I get from older Dickel Whiskies. The Oak loses some of the Funk and gains a little Tannic Bitterness. ICE brings out the Vitamin Note that Dickel is famous (infamous) for. *VERDICT: Let there be no doubt that this is sourced from Dickel. It practically jumps from the glass and screams "CASCADE HOLLOW". BUT, something is different here. Neat this one was Oakier/Funkier and had more Cinnamon than typical GD. Is it the higher proof? Has it not received the LCP? Is it barrel placement/selection? This almost tastes like a mixture of Dickel (Fruit and Maple), 1792 (Cinnamon Heat), and Wild Turkey (Barnyard Funk). I know everyone is searching out the Kirkland Barton sourced releases, but don't forget about this one. A tasty 7 Year Old 102 proof all-purpose workhorse at $30 for a Full Liter. A steal in my book.

Ezra Brooks Cask Strength: Barrel #7699934 (05/15/17) A group representing 2 local Restaurants (Oliver's on the Cape Fear & Moore St Oyster Bar) recently selected a barrel of Rebel and a barrel of Ezra Brooks. Barreled in May of '17 this clocks in just at probably just over 4 years. *NOSE: Salted Peanut Shell, Brown Sugar, Caramel, Stick Butter, Hint of Orange Peel, with a little Barrel Spice. *NEAT: A little more Oak Forward than the nose would suggest. Spicy Orange Peel, Black Pepper, Tannic Oak Spice, Eucalyptus. A slightly warming finish with a mild KY Hug. Orange Peel and Oak coat and Linger on the palate. There is an Overly Bitter Note in the background which drags the whole experience down a good bit. *SPLASH: Moves a lot of the Spice from the Palate to the Finish. Gives it a Vanilla and Peanut Note that wasn't present before. Tames the bitterness some, but not enough. *VERDICT: Of the 2 Picks, this lags WAY behind the Rebel. I had forgotten that I also had one of these EB Picks from a VA ABC (but it was only $35) and wasn't real fond of it then either (although that one I found too peanutty, while this one had too much bitter oak). Maybe some time open will help, although it hasn't done anything for the VA ABC version. Oh well, wish I had tried it at the restaurant first, but as much as I love their oysters, I would've spent way more than the price of the bottle. Just ekes out 3 stars.

Rebel Cask Strength: Barrel #7533024 (11/2/16) "Friends of Oliver" A group representing 2 local Restaurants (Oliver's on the Cape Fear and Moore St Oyster Bar) recently selected a barrel of Rebel and a barrel of Ezra Brooks. Barreled in November of '16 this clocks in somewhere between 4-5 years old. *NOSE: Brown Sugar, Maple, Cocoa, and Oak. After a bit the Vegetal Note that I get from Heaven Hill's wheated mashbill starts to dominate. It reminds me of Sweet Potato, which luckily pairs well with the Brown Sugar and Maple notes. There is a bit of heat, but not as much as expected for the proof. *NEAT: Mouthfeel is Thick and Coating. Sweet Potato with Cinnamon Butter and Brown Sugar. There are also notes of Tea and Cherry Syrup on the Finish. Fairly Hot with a Big KY Hug growing in the chest. Slightly Dry Oak and Cherry coat and linger on the entire palate. Definitely one of the clingiest whiskies I've had in a while. *SPLASH: Nose and Palate both get a bit of Orange Peel and Mulling Spice. There is a hint of Melted Salted Butter and some Herbal Black Licorice. The Cherry becomes less sweet and more Medicinal in quality. *VERDICT: I really like this. The mouthfeel was incredible. Two hours later and I was still tasting it on my cheeks and gums. I don't know what Luxco does to HH's Larceny, but whatever it is improves it a great deal. I find Larceny drinks hotter than its proof, is overly tannic, and the vegetal note too dominant. Of course, this being a Single Barrel, your mileage may vary, but this is so much better than the bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof that I have. In fact, to verify I poured a dram to compare and the Larceny was an astringent, overly tannic, bitter mess. I like that Luxco is offering these picks and I will definitely take a flier on another if I see one.

BH TOAST *NOSE: Wheat Toast w/ Tangly Apple Preserves, Orange & Lemon Peel, Peach, Spice Rack, Dried Oak, with a Boozy Heat in the background. Very good! Hold on to your Glencairn when you're finished, wait an hour or so, and be rewarded with a nose of Apples, Cinnamon, and Brown Sugar. *NEAT: This is an odd one. Just a General Sweetness up Front at first, but after a few sips I get notes of Apple Butter, Cinnamon Sugar, Honey, and some Orange. The Oak shows up Mid to Back of Palate, but not in the strength I was expecting from something that was essentially barreled twice. A Little Heat on the Finish with a coating of Cinnamon Toast Crunch lingering and layering on the palate. After some time, I get a taste reminiscent of Sticky, Slightly Burnt Rice. That's the first indicator that there is Rice in the Mashbill, and I'm wondering if it's there or just the power of suggestion? Not a traditional Bourbon Profile, but I like it. *SPLASH: Just a little water and both Nose and Palate get more of the Orange Note and there's maybe just a touch more Cinnamon on the finish. The Splash also makes you wonder how much better this would be with a few more proof points on the label. *VERDICT: This is good. There's a lot going on for an 80 Proofer. It is different. One of the few (if not only) Beam Product that I recall not having at least some type of Peanut Funk, and the only time I can recall using Apple Butter as a tasting note. I do feel it's a bit overpriced in the $50's, but such is life in today's Whiskey World. *As a side note, if this and the latest release of BH Dark Rye are indicators, we may be seeing the last of the "Basil Hayden Bib". I'll count that as a positive development.