Tastes

Knob Creek 12 YR Pours into the glencairn a nice mahogany. The age is definitely evident in the color. Clings nicely to the sides of the glass before forming skinny slow legs. NOSE: Heavy Oak/Barrel Spice. Sticky Burnt Sugar. Fall Spices-Cinnamon, Clove, Cardamom. Dry Roast Peanuts. A little heat. Simple, but definitely Not Subtle. NEAT: WOW. A sledgehammer to the palate. An immediate Burst of Heat. Mouthfeel is Thick and Clingy. Much like the nose, Simple but far from Subtle. Lots of Oak. Heavy Vanilla, Karo Syrup, Tingly Black Pepper, and Cinnamon. A Medicinal Cherry along the sides of the tongue and cheeks. Long, Drying Finish with a deep KY Hug. Heavy Oak coating and layering on the palate. Drinks like a Barrel Proof. SPLASH: A little water adds Floral and Lemony Citrus notes to the nose. The Medicinal Cherry note becomes a little more prominent on the palate and the Heat is turned down a notch or two. The Oak takes on a more "Musty" quality. VERDICT: Is the 3 extra years over the newly released KC 9YR worth an extra $20? My first impression is YES. This is my favorite KC release to date. It straddles the line between oaky and astringent very well. I think I liked it a little more than the standard 9YR Single Barrel, and can understand now the love for some of their older store picks. This is just very good bourbon.

Gentleman Jack NOSE: Artificial Banana, Juicy Fruit Gum, Vanilla, Maple. Pretty simple and straightforward, but ruined by a big wallop of ethanol that doesn't go away even with time in the glass. NEAT: Thin, General Maple Sweetness, lots of Peanut Shell, and Green Banana. There is a surprising burst of Heat (for an 80pf) on the finish. There is a Sour, Bitter, Drying Coating that remains on the palate and ruins the experience. Continuing the banana theme, it's like when you accidentally get some of the inner pith of the banana peel. It develops into a "Plastic-y", synthetic aftertaste. SPLASH: The bitterness actually gets worse. VERDICT: I had this several years ago and remember thinking it was better than Old No. 7, but nothing special. On a whim I picked up a bottle at the ABC recently. I had absolutely zero recollection of the offending sour/bitter note. I thought maybe my palate was off, so I gave it several days and multiple pours. It maybe lessened, or I maybe became accustomed to it? But it never went away. There is so much wrong here. The ethanol on the nose. The sour clingy finish. The synthetic "plastic-y" note. The only thing that saved this from the 1's, is I actually kind of liked it with a large cube of ice. Once this bottle is gone, there will never be another. In the running for "worst mass-produced whiskey I've ever had".

Barrel 13-0094/Rickhouse A/Floor 5/Southport NC ABC Store Pick NOSE: Wild Turkey Funk is front and center. Dry Dusty Barn Wood, Straw, Dry Leather, and Vanilla. After a little time in the Glencairn, Orange Peel and Chocolate show up. There is a bit of heat present as well. NEAT: Relatively Thick and Clingy. Sweet Oak up front, Vanilla, Orange Peel, and Black Pepper Tingle. The Oak becomes very Astringent on the back of the tongue. Big, gradually growing KY HUG with Bitter Oak and Light Vanilla coating the palate. SPLASH: A little water really helps this one. Mouthfeel becomes almost creamy. The palate gets Cinnamon Discs hard candy, Salted Butter, and heightened Vanilla. The Heat and Astringency is dialed way back. The Cinnamon Candy lingers on the finish with Musty Oak. Much better. VERDICT: I waited about a 1/4 of a bottle before reviewing this, and I'm glad I did. The first few pours were not to my liking. Some time open has really helped. This is another solid Wild Turkey bourbon. This barrel was a bit on the bitter side, but benefitted a great deal from a little water. Glad I added it to the collection.

Baker's Single Barrel: Barrel #148840 - Warehouse CL5 Age-7yr 8mo APPEARANCE: Let me say that I really like the new bottle. It toes the line between unique and gimmicky, but doesn't cross it. It does lose points that upon popping the cork, you discover that it's synthetic. Pours into the Glencairn a rich Auburn color and forms slow moving fat droplets. NOSE: Oak, Cinnamon, Corn Dust, Orange Peel, Dry Brown Sugar, Clove, and Rye Spice. A litte Heat from the proof as well. The nose on the empty glass is Dark Chocolate. NEAT: The first sip is Oak Heavy and Slightly Bitter. Subsequent sips are Slightly Astringent and yield Vanilla, Citrus Oil, and Black Pepper Tingle. A nice building KY Hug in the chest while Tingly Bitter Oak and Citrus coat and layer the palate. SPLASH: Smooths out the heat on the nose and really makes the Brown Sugar pop. The Beam Peanut Note makes its first appearance on both nose and palate. The palate gets a nice note of Vanilla Coke. I actually think this one might perform well in a rocks glass with a large cube, though I rarely do that with bourbons in this price point. VERDICT: I was slightly disappointed in this one. It really needed a couple splashes of water to tame the bitterness and bring out the sweetness that I remember from the standard Baker's. This is a Single Barrel, so your results may differ from mine. If it should change with time open I will definitely update my review, but for now it's a disappointing 3 1/2.

VA Distillery Co Chardonnay Cask Finished-Batch 3 NOSE: Leather, Oak, Apple/Pear, Raisin, Light Vanilla, Fresh Cream, Floral, and Lemon Zest. There is a hint of that Dry White Wine sourness right at the end. I really like it. NEAT: The Chardonnay influence is front and center. The first sip almost tastes wine infused. Has an almost carbonated effervescent quality. A good bit of heat/spice blooms on the tongue almost immediately. It's fairly oily and coating. Malty Sweetness, Tart White Muscadine Grapes, Oak, Light Vanilla, Spicy Ginger all come through once the burst of heat recedes. That illusion of carbonation continues on the finish. It's almost like you took a pull out of a bottle of spicy craft ginger ale. That tingly, spicy, slightly sour taste coats the palate and clings like glue. SPLASH: Vanilla immediately becomes prominent on the nose. Delays and reduces the intensity of the initial burst of spice and heat. That effervescent quality is reduced, but still very much in charge. Now more like Mineral Water than Ginger Ale. The Oak is a little sweeter. VERDICT: I'm not sure how I feel about this one? My feelings changed from sip to sip. It's definitely different. The year spent in Chardonnay Casks definitely had more effect on it than I thought it would. The nose is phenomenal. I think where I struggle with this one is I really love whiskey. I really love red wine. White wine? Never been a fan. It is a unique experience and I definitely will enjoy it when I'm in the mood for something different. In my 3 pack sampler, this is definitely in third place well behind the Cider and Port Finished versions.

About halfway through my open bottle and decided to revisit. NOSE: Leather, Old Oak, Orange Peel, Corn Dust, Peanut Shell, Light Vanilla Sweetness, and a good bit of Heat. NEAT: Oily and Sticky. Licorice, Clove, Orange Oil, Slightly Bitter Oak. A building KY Hug grows in the chest after a long-ish finish that leaves Bitter Oak and Citrus coating the palate. SPLASH: Opens it up nicely. Adds some Cinnamon to the nose and Peanut Brittle and Cinnamon to the palate. Tames the astringency and gives the finish a Musty Old Oak character. VERDICT: This one has held up well. Really needs a little water for maximum enjoyment. A solid 4

Old Pulteney 12 (80 proof) NOSE: Sweet & Floral. Apple/Pear, Lemon, Malted Grain, Honey Butter, Sticky Brown Sugar, Oak, and Leather. None of the Salt I'm supposed to be getting. NEAT: Definitely not as sweet as the nose would suggest. A little Tingling Heat. Fairly Coating with and Effervescent quality. Here's the Briny Sea Salt I am supposed to find along with Ginger, Old Leather, and Lemon Peel. Just a hint of vague Malty Sweetness. Slightly Bitter coating finish. SPLASH: Amplified the Lemon on the nose. Brings out some sweetness on the palate. Honey, Fruit, and Lemon Poundcake. VERDICT: I really like this one. I don't have the old 86proof to compare it to, but I found it solid for the price. It's right there with The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich, and about $10 less. So close to a 4, I think I'll round up.

EWSB 2012 VINTAGE* BARREL #: 499 AGE: 8 YEARS & 18 DAYS *Single Barrel Product. Your Mileage May Vary. NOSE: Deep Caramel, Vanilla, Juicy Fruit Gum, Barrel Oak, Peanuts, Dried Corn, & Straw. This is the textbook classic bourbon nose. After some time in my Glencairn, a Vegetal note appears and begins to dominate. NEAT: The mouthfeel is definitely on the lighter side, but I would in no way consider it thin. The palate is Oak Driven. Vanilla, Caramel, & Dubble Bubble Gum. Very Straightforward. Not complex, but what it does, it does well. A little heat on the sides of the tongue and mouth with a light Kentucky Hug. Vanilla and slightly bitter oak coat the palate. Reminds me of a watered down/muted HMcK10. SPLASH: The nose and palate both pick up a Maple note. The Heaven Hill Peanut also appears on the palate along with a little more soft oak. VERDICT: Several years ago, this was the first Single Barrel product I ever purchased. Back then, the age was running around 10 years. It was without a doubt, one of the best sub-$30 bourbons around. Then as demand increased, the age of each subsequent "vintage" became younger and younger (if memory serves, some vintages were in the 6 year range). That was also about the time that NC ABC's decided to start carrying HMcK10. Same classic Heaven Hill mash bill. 14 proof points higher. Single Barrel as well as boasting a full 10year age statement...for less money! It became a no-brainer. Now that the McKenna has crept up to $40 and is hard to find? This is a damn fine substitute, especially now that supply is starting to catch up and the age on EWSB is starting to slowly creep back toward that magic 9-10 year sweet spot. This is once again becoming one of the better sub-$30 options on the shelf.