Tastes

Conviction: Barrel Proof 97.16 (Not single barrel, but every batch is made from about 4-5 uncut barrels, so your mileage may vary.) I'm going to review first, and then put some of my thoughts on this product at the end so as not to bore anyone not interested. Pours into the Glencairn a pale orange with fast moving skinny legs. NOSE: Dry Dusty Corn. My grandparents had a farm and kept dried corn to feed the livestock in an old wooden shed. This note took me back 40 years to being a child and playing in and around the "Corn Crib" . There is also Light Floral and Citrus notes with a hint of Unripened Berries. After a few moments a Sour Note (Think vinegary BBQ sauce) emerges. A little surprising, but not off-putting. NEAT: YOUNG! The first note is Varnished Oak. Dried Corn. Light Vanilla. No burn, but a nice delayed light Kentucky Hug. I'm surprised by how much wood you get, but it's like freshly cut lumber. Almost "Piney". You get smoke, but again it's like the smoke you get when burning green wood. An almost grassy flavor mixes with sweet oak to coat and linger. SPLASH: A few drops of water helps to bring out a Malty Chocolate note with some Honey. A nose of the empty glass gives off notes of a seasoned smoked pork shoulder. Weird...but again, I like it! What is more North Carolina than smoked pork with a vinegar based BBQ sauce? VERDICT: Unique. An experience. Not a typical bourbon drinking experience, but an experience nonetheless. I really liked it. Now...on to my thoughts on this product. I like the packaging/labeling. Everything that a whiskey geek needs to know is right there on the bottle. Heavy, textured Industrial style label on square glass. My bottle (#21) came from a mix of barrels #221-#225. It was bottled on 09-25-18 after aging for 11.4 months. The barrels were aged in "Solitary". That's right, Solitary. This distillery is located in a facility that belonged to the NC Dept of Corrections and housed inmates as recently as 2011. I like what this distillery is doing. Aging their own distillate in Full Size 53 gallon barrels, being transparent with age, and trying something different with a mash bill that really has no secondary grain (88% Corn and 12% Barley). I had hesitated to pull the trigger at $44/bottle, even after seeing and reading many positive reviews (including one from a guy with a huge gold medallion and his whiskey mooching friend). My last trip to the ABC I discovered the new 375 sizes so I decided to finally give it a go. Glad I did. I look forward to trying their straight bourbon when it is released in a couple years.

Finally delving into the Michter's Brand with this one and the Single Barrel Rye. Sampled in a Glencairn I noted an orangey caramel color with thin fast moving legs... NOSE: Salted Caramel, Butter, Coconut, Cherry, Vanilla, Crackers or Bread, and Young Oak. I'm unsure of the rye content here, but I pick up something savory or dill-like that I normally associate with rye whiskey. NEAT: Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Covered Cherries, Sawdust, and a little heat. If the latex paint note I get from Brown-Foreman bourbons is here, it is so faint that I'm not picking it up. Finish is mild with astringent, bitter oak tannins and cherry cough drops lingering. SPLASH: A few drops of water had little, if any, effect on the nose. Oddly it made the palate even more spicy and amplifies the sweeter notes. A few more drops seemed to find more of a balance. VERDICT: I waited for a few pours before I reviewed this one. I'm glad I did, as I think my initial review would've been a little harsh (think low 3's). The deeper I get into the bottle, the more I like it. Probably my favorite Brown-Foreman bourbon so far. What this one suffers from is what I call "Longbranch Syndrome". A very respectable whiskey, stuck in the middle of the glut of $35-$45 bourbons. I may buy a pour out at a bar, but there are so many other choices that I doubt that this will be a repeat bottle purchase for me.

Picked up a bottle of this on a whim. My first one in ages. I'm going to try and review it on its own merit and not compare it to it's 101 brother. Sampled in a Glencairn... NOSE: General Sweetness. Toffee, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Slightly Floral with a Hint of Citrus. A touch of the Dry Dusty WT Funk. A hint of Oak. NEAT: Not a lot of complexity which is a little surprising considering all the notes I am getting from the nose. Vanilla sweetness, a touch of Rye Spice, and a little oak. Finishes with minimal heat. Thinnish mouthfeel but coats the palate in lingering oak and pepper spice. SPLASH: A few drops of water brighten the nose, accentuating the Floral Note, but burying everything else. Takes away what little spiciness was on the palate, but does pull out a little more oak. VERDICT: Nice. I find it a little on the light side and missing the heavy oak notes of the 101. Conversely, I find the 101 to be a bit heavy and needing air and dilution to hit my bourbon sweet spot. Maybe that's why I liked the Longbranch so much? It's almost like a blend of the two. However, this is very good and is probably (along with Four Roses) among my favorite 80 proofers.

After discovering Bruichladdich's excellent unpeated single malt, I decided to try the newest member of their core expressions, Port Charlotte 10 Year. This is a heavily peated whiskey aged in first and second fill American Whiskey, and 2nd fill French Wine Casks. Bottle at 100proof with no color and non-chill filtered. Sampled neat in a Glencairn... APPEARANCE: Pours from the great looking dark green embossed glass bottle light straw colored. Thick and oily, it took forever to form small, slow moving legs. NOSE: Intense and complex. Smoky, earthy peat. Only slight chemical notes. You get Smoked Meat, Seabreeze, Honeycomb, lots and lots of Wine. A hint of custard-like sweetness and lemon peel. There is a definite hit of alcohol from the 100 proof. NEAT: Intense flavors. The first sip is Salty and Smoky, like a smoked oyster. It has a slick and oily mouthfeel. Subsequent sips add Lemon Zest, "Wine-y" sweetness (at times almost like it's wine infused), Vanilla Custard, and a minty-like tingle on the tongue. A little on the hot side. Port Charlotte boasts A LOT of peat. How they manage to get the intense peat notes to play a supporting role instead of starring is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, it's peaty, but the peat takes a backseat to the sweeter "wine-y" notes. The finish coats with a slightly chemical/menthol-like soot. There is almost an effervescent quality as the tongue continues to tingle. SPLASH: A Healthy splash tames some of the heat on the nose and accents the Citrus quality. It helps with the heat on the palate as well. Allows the wine-y sweetness to shine even more. VERDICT: This whisky, to my rather primitive palate, is expertly crafted. I think that it may be the most heavily peated scotch I've had, but it doesn't seem that way, if that makes any sense at all. It's very intense peat, but it's hanging out in the back of the class waving it's arms to be noticed. I waited until my 3rd sampling to leave a review, and I have liked it more with each try. An almost perfect balance of salty/savory and sweet/fruity. Price-wise it's $10 more than the Lap10 in my area. I'm not sure I like it more than the Lap10, but it is at the very least it's equal. A beautiful peat experience.

After seeing some chatter on line about how some older bottles (up to 10 years) made their way into the 101 at the end of last year, I decided to revisit this one. Neat in a Glencairn... Appearance: Great golden amber color. Clings to the glass with slow moving thin legs. NOSE: Heavy on the oak. It may be totally subliminal because I think there's older bourbon here, but I definitely think there's more oak than usual. Citrus. Slightly floral. Crème Brûlée. That dusty, dry note that I refer to as Wild Turkey funk. Big hit of alcohol on the nose reminding you that it's 101proof. NEAT: First sip is thick and clingy with lots of oak and spice. Subsequent sips show a little vanilla and caramel. The citrus from the nose makes and appearance as well. Finishes very HOT and slightly astringent with a lot of oak and peppery spice lingering. Big Kentucky Hug. This has always been my problem with WT101. The rough hot finish overwhelms all the good notes on the palate. SPLASH: Tames the alcohol on the nose and turns the citrus to Orange Cream. Turns down the spice on the palate just slightly. Helps with the astringency on the finish and allows the oak to take center stage. It does reduce (but not eliminate) the great oaky note that clings to the palate. VERDICT: For me, WT101 is like one of those relationships we've all had that takes a lot of work. You love everything about it, but you have to nurture and pamper it. A little time to breathe. A little dilution. Then a little more. Trying to find that perfect balance. But when you find it, there's nothing better. I love this on the rocks or in cocktails. This is my go to for Old Fashioned, etc and my favorite for bourbon and ginger ale or cola. I LOVE it with Cheerwine. That oaky note just punches through whatever you mix it with. I always keep a bottle on hand.

Purchased a 375 size for $30. Sampled in Glencairn: Nose: Green Banana, Oak, Vanilla, Caramel, Tropical Fruits (Pineapple/Mango). A slight mustiness and some oak. After some time in the glass it picks up an odd vegetal note. Canned green beans?? Neat: So sweet. Marshmallow, Banana, Coconut, Juicy Fruit Gum. Very Desert like. Finishes with a little jolt of heat. Coats the palate with slight spice, lingering oak char, and banana pudding. Verdict: So much better than standard Jack, but at just over twice the cost it should be.

Finally decided to try this one. I began taking my notes as I do for every new spirit I try and realized no one wanted my in depth review of this (unless they are interested in reading the word "corn" 50 times in a two paragraph review). Now don't get me wrong, I am grateful to Hipsters for contributing several things to society; that great smelling organic handmade soap I use, avocados are delicious, I've always been a coffee snob, and I don't mind a PBR on occasion. One thing I am not grateful for is this stuff. In a word, rotgut. What I imagine whiskey flavored vodka would taste like if they picked said vodka from the bottomest of bottom shelves. Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to try googling "Mellow Corn cocktails". Maybe I can find something to make it palatable.

Sampled in Glencairn (single barrel, your results may vary)... Appearance: Copper Caramel Color NOSE: Hay, Rye Spice, Herbal notes, it hints at sweetness with light aromas of Vanilla Coke and Cherry. The longer it stays in the glass, the more "Rye-like" it becomes with the appearance of some dill and mint. NEAT: Enters sweeter than the nose would suggest with dried cherries and vanilla. A little prickly heat in the middle. The rye shows up at the end with mint, dill and astringent oak tannins. The rye spice coats and lingers on the palate. SPLASH: A few drops of water brings a note very similar to saltine crackers or fresh bread to the nose. On the palate it tames the spice and gets rid of the mid-palate tingle. Turns the sweet up just a touch. VERDICT: I like this more than the bourbon (review of that one coming soon). I think it's very good. However, at $44 I don't see this being something that I seek out very often.

I've been on a rye kick lately. Old Overholt was one of my first ryes and when I saw the Bottled in Bond version in stock I had to give it a try. Tasted neat in a Glencairn... Appearance: Pale gold with skinny fast moving legs Nose: Lots of alcohol on the first try. Let it settle for a few minutes and notes of wood, straw, fresh cut wildflowers, and rye spice emerge. However, the alcohol is still fairly aggressive. A little more time in the glass yields a hint of creamed corn. Neat: It enters the palate spicy and aggressive. A peppery tingle followed by notes of cream soda, caramel, and butterscotch are there, but despite the extra age this one still seems a little unrefined and harsh. Middle palate to the finish feature astringent oak and spice with a lasting coating of tingly cinnamon. Absolutely zero dill like I find in some of the higher percent ryes. Splash: Doesn't change much on the nose, but smooths out the palate considerably. A nice vanilla/cherry coke note with a reduced tingle. It also helps with the astringency. Verdict: Strictly a mixer for me, which is OK. I think that it is what this was intended for and it will probably shine in that role. However, I really don't know if the extra age and slightly higher proof is worth the $5 price difference over the standard issue Old O. I'll let you know what I think after an Old Fashioned or two.