Tastes

I'm trying to work my way through a backlog of tasting notes, so you may see a few extra from me in the coming days. First up is Blade & Bow. My wife and daughters got me this for my birthday last September. It was a couple days before Hurricane Florence decided to drop 35" of rain on my small town, so even though I had opened it, I only recently sat down to review it. Here goes... NOSE: Leather, Vanilla, Cloves and Cinnamon, Oak, and Hints of Fresh Cut Cedar. There is a little alcohol sting that dissipates with some time in the glass. Excellent. NEAT: Heavy Mouthfeel. Lots of Oak and Leather up front. Slightly Bitter, but notes of Vanilla, Salted Caramel, and Cola also develop. Nice Kentucky Hug on the medium length finish. Leaves a slightly bitter oak and vanilla coating on the palate. SPLASH: A few drops of water added a grassy note to the nose. Reduced the astringent note somewhat and put the Vanilla front and center on the palate. Turned it almost buttery in taste and texture. VERDICT: I always considered this one a little gimmicky and it was just out of my desired price range, so I never picked it up. When my wife went in looking, it was recommended by one of the clerks, and obviously her bourbon budget is a little higher than mine. Lucky me. I really enjoy this one and consider it a solid pour on special occasions.

An amazing early Father's Day gift from my girls and my third Speyside (a small pour of Glenlivet 18, a 50ml of Glenlivet 12, and this one). Pours into my Glencairn a Pale Gold, so I assume no coloring added. Now for the tasting notes. NOSE: Very Nice. I get Crisp Apple and Pear, Honey, Lemon Peel, Buttercream Icing, faint Floral Notes, and Old Oak. There is a "shape shifting" note in the background that I can't quite place, but I really like it. Solid. NEAT: At first, this was a pretty one dimensional Vanilla Bomb, but the longer I sipped the more complex it became adding notes of Apple, Hot Cereal, a hint of Grassiness, and Oak. There are some Sherry Notes present, but their faintness leads me to believe that a majority of this stock is aged in Ex-Bourbon. The backend of the palate is a little astringent with notes of Oak and a good bit of Smokiness. There is no heat on the finish, but it does leave a Peppery, Tingly coating. SPLASH: Not much change in the nose, but it brings the vanilla back as the dominant note on the palate. VERDICT: Underperforms slightly based on the nose, but solid nonetheless. A definite step up from The Glenlivet 12. It's between a 3.75 and a 4 for me, but I'll round up. I will definitely enjoy this bottle.

Perusing the ABC Store aisles in a larger neighboring county, I came across this one on sale for $38. I wondered why I had never given this $40'ish dollar single malt a try (NC sale items are usually only a couple dollars off), so I picked one up. It was only after I got home, sampled and liked it, that I decided to look up the regular price. That's when I realized why I had never given this one a second glance. It's regular price is $70! NC must be closing this one out...Now on to my tasting notes. NOSE: Unique. Leather, Unlit Cigar, Oak, Toffee, Tea, Hay, maybe a hint of Orange Peel, all wrapped in a light floral note. NEAT: Enters slightly Bitter and Hoppy, like a Stout Beer. Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans, Burnt Popcorn, Unsweetened Dark Chocolate, and Unlit Cigar. Finishes with a medium length light tingle. The palate is coated with a touch of sweetness that lingers on the palate along with a smoky/ashy almost peaty flavor. SPLASH: Ups the Floral Note on the nose while adding tea to the palate. Also amplifies the lingering Ashy Note. VERDICT: Different and Delicious. Before I became a seasoned whiskey drinker I knew what Bourbon and Jack and Crown tasted like just from casual drinking. This is what I imagined scotch tasting like. I'm not sure that I'd consider this a great $70 whiskey, but I damn sure consider it a great $40 whiskey. So much so that I went back and blew my next two months liquor budget on 5 more bottles. If you are in NC, seek this one out at the close out price of $38, and thank me later.

Sourced High Rye Bourbon finished in Sherried Casks.(Purchased a 50ml bottle/750ml runs about $40). APPEARANCE: Strawberry Blonde in color. NOSE: Smells young. Youthful heat and Spicy Rye. Young Oak. Prominent Sherry. Floral and Fruity. Almost has a scotch-ish nose. NEAT: Here the youth is confirmed. Thin and hot. Slightly Oaky. Astringent and Spicy. The Sherry dominates, making it difficult to pick up any other notes (if there are any there at all). With time it develops some hints of Apple and Pear. Finishes hot with Sherry, Oak and Tingly Pepper coating. SPLASH: Tames some of the heat on the nose and allows some of the fruit notes to come to the front. Doesn't do much for the palate other than tame some of the heat on the finish. VERDICT: As a fan of their beers (Lonerider is one of the largest craft breweries in NC) and a fellow North Carolinian, I wanted to like this one. I think there is potential here, but the whiskey they are sourcing is apparently very young. It seems if you were going to go to all the trouble to source (which I have absolutely zero issue with) you should at least purchase whiskey with some decent age already on it. I'm hoping that in a couple years I can re-visit this one and have a more positive review.

Until yesterday, I had no idea that this product existed. I assumed that the Highland Park 12 was their entry level offering. While browsing in an ABC in a neighboring County, saw this one on sale for $36 (regularly $40) and decided to give it a try. APPEARANCE: Pale straw color. A quick swirl formed slow moving legs on the inside of my Glencairn. NOSE: Enjoyable. Notes of Citrus and Sherry. Light sugary/doughy sweetness. Like a glazed fruit pastry. It hints at peat, but it's definitely not a strong medicinal note.In fact, if I wasn't already aware that it was there, I may miss it completely. The longer it stays in the glass, the more the Fruit and Sherry notes begin to dominate. There is an unrefined quality here. A little alcohol, which is surprising given its 80 proof. NEAT: Fairly Heavy and Oily. Not overly complex with vanilla, honey, apple and an astringent note that while prominent, doesn't ruin it. The unrefined quality I noticed in the nose transfers to the palate as well. The Peat shows up on the finish. Not overpowering at first, but it does build the more you drink it. A nice jolt of heat at the end with peat, sugary sweetness and a light salty character coating and lingering on the palate. Think salted caramel. SPLASH: Amps up the peat on the nose. Turns the palate toward chocolate covered cherries. The peat on the finish is a little more ash. VERDICT: This was a little rough around the edges for me. Not as smooth and polished as the 12 Year. I really think that this could use a little more higher aged stock in the blend. I had another pour in a small rocks glass with a large cube and it was good that way as well. Something I've never done with a single malt. I plan on enjoying this bottle and if I see it on sale again (@ $36 it was only a couple dollars more than some of the nicer blends) I may pick up another.

This was one of the first brown spirits I purchased, so my first review is fairly primitive (though still accurate). Thought I'd re-review a little more in-depth. APPEARANCE: Pours into the Glencairn a light copper color and develops skinny, fast moving legs after a quick swirl. NOSE: Dry, dry, dry. Dry wheat toast. Dry grass. Dry, dusty oak. There is a sweet sugary note in the background that just eludes description. It borders on floral and reminds me a bit of wildflower honey? The longer it is in the glass, the more prominent it becomes... and the more crazy it drives me that I can't identify it. NEAT: Thin mouthfeel. Comes in sweet with Vanilla and Honey. A hint of Coca-Cola, maybe? A good dose of oak. Slightly hot and finishing with bitter oak notes and mint clinging to the palate. I occasionally get a hint of cocoa. SPLASH: Really ups the sweetness. The Cola note is definitely there now. Still a touch bitter on the finish, but less so. The dark chocolate really is more assertive on the finish as well. VERDICT: An excellent whiskey! Not the most complex, but I really enjoy it. I'm at a loss as to why I haven't had it in so long. Bernheim is delicious in a rocks glass with a large cube. Sweet and Oaky with a definite chocolate note on the finish. This could definitely be a summer time sipper. Kudos to Heaven Hill for this unique age-stated product. I would love to see special releases of this in the future. Single Barrel? 10 Year? Cask Strength? Store Picks? So, Heaven Hill, if you're listening.......

I haven't had a chance to sit down with this one in the Glencairn yet, but thought I'd give my initial thoughts since it is new. On the nose this one is oak heavy. Fall spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove) and a doughy sweetness. The palate is sweeter than the nose would indicate. Think butterscotch with a heavy backing of oak spice which dominates the mid-palate and finish. There is the dried cherry note that I associate with other Brown-Foreman bourbons/ryes lurking in the background, but it is not prominent until you add a splash or a large cube of ice. It then makes its presence known with authority by dominating the entire pour, both nose and palate. I'm not a huge Old Forester/Woodford fan, but this one is very good, and the $25 price tag is a huge plus. Probably my favorite OldFo so far. I'm looking forward to carving out some time to explore this one in more depth, as well as try it in some cocktails.

APPEARANCE: Amber tending toward a reddish hue. A quick swirl formed slow moving thin legs. NOSE: Opening the bottle almost smelled like popping the cork on a bottle of red wine. Nosed in my Glencairn I found notes of Oak, Dark Fruits like Raisin and Prunes, Green Apple, and Red Wine with a Savory Slightly Sour note. NEAT: Oak Heavy and Sweet. Red Wine, Vanilla, Cherry Coke, Raisins and Slightly Bitter Tanins. Only slightly warm on the finish with Sweet Oak and light Black Pepper Spice fading to Sweetish Red Wine. SPLASH: Gives the palate an almost applesauce note. Made the oak a little more sour on the finish. I definitely like this one better neat. VERDICT: I liked my second pour of this much better than the first. I think some air really opens it up. This was my first wine barrel finished bourbon. Reasonably priced, and different enough to make this a repeat buy. 4 STARS.