Tastes

My state's ABC System discontinued this one shortly after I got into bourbon. To my surprise, I saw it on the shelf yesterday with a sign proclaiming NEW ITEM. Yay! It's back. I immediately plopped down the $21 to add this one to my list. The nose is very good. Simple and sweet, vanilla pudding with faint notes of straw and wood. Very little ethanol. On the palate it enters with light vanilla and dusty oak. Not complex, but it is good. Even at 80 proof, it has a nice little kick on the finish. A reviewer on another site described it perfectly, "light without being weak". Ice or water doesn't enhance any flavors, it simply mutes them and does away with the kick on the finish. I like this one, but feel for $20 or less I can choose from several Heaven Hill products (EW BIB & Ezra Brooks for example) that offer a little more complexity and a higher proof. Where this one might get my attention is if NC ABC chooses to run it on sale in the $16-$17 range. Then I definitely feel it's worth a purchase.

I don't know what this tastes like, but it doesn't taste like bourbon. It's bourbon-ish. I'm wondering if this year's release is vastly different? If Willett is finally using some of their own distillate instead of strictly sourcing? That being said, I really liked it! My ABC Store emailed that they had received some limited items and this one, at $33 was the most affordable, so I bit. Tried neat in a glenncairn, the nose is unique. Dry and Dusty. Musty orange, backed by dried spices and a light note of apple pipe tobacco. There was a mystery note that I couldn't place until I read another recent review that called it cedar. BINGO. Neat it enters with musty orange followed by very dry astringent oak. There is a light sweetness here, but it's in no way the traditional vanilla, caramel or toffee. A long drying finish with the musty citrus lingering. A tick on the hot side reminding you it's 101 proof. A splash had little effect on the nose and added cinnamon and chocolate to the palate, taming the astringency a great deal. Though my Scotch experience is limited, with a splash it reminded me of a good inexpensive blend, ala Monkey Shoulder. The nose on the empty glass smells of cinnamon bark. This pairs very well with a cigar. There is so much going on here, I've waited until I'm about a 1/3 of the way through the bottle to review, just to be sure. This is not one I'd seek out. but I'll definitely pick it up when I see it. Very different.

Have been wanting to give this one a try, but my local ABC doesn't carry it. Decided to pick up a bottle while travelling the other day. It has been a long time since I've had Bulleit (LDI/MGP's 95% Rye) so I can't compare GD Rye to it, but I can compare it to a more recent purchase, James E.Pepper (Also an LDI/MGP 95% Rye). They are very similar. Both have a Rye heavy nose with a heavy dose of dill and an almost shellac or varnish note. On the palate this one is missing the vanilla sweetness on entry that the JEP has. It's there, just not as pronounced. I don't know if that is a by product of the longer aging, the charcoal filtering, or the lower proof. The dill is there, as well as the peppery spice. A minty aftertaste lingers after a short, sharp finish. While I liked the JEP a little better, this one is around $10 cheaper and worked just as well in my Old Fashioned. Not my favorite rye, but still a solid choice.

**EDIT: It's rumored that this is the export version of Old Ezra 7 Yr. Now that the foreign market is a little more discerning, they're dumping these in many states where the Old Ezra is not available.**A great value in the $13 range. You can definitely taste the Heaven Hill lineage here. Sweet toffee, butterscotch, and peanut brittle upfront. Hot and oaky on the back end, but a splash or a cube brings out some good smoky, chocolaty notes and calms the finish just enough. This is going into my rotation of value pours.

Decided to take a break from the bourbon and try this American Single Malt that was recently named Gun & Garden magazine 2016 "Best Drink in the South". Tried neat in a glencairn the color is as the name would suggest, light red. On the nose the first thing that jumped out was tea. Just made, still warm sweet tea. That is followed by wood, green apple, smoke, and a nice old waxed leather note. It enters honey sweet. A big hit of malty grain with tea (there it is again) and cigar smoke. You can tell this is young, but it is complex and tasty. Nice clingy substantial mouthfeel. Finishes smooth with a light tingling that coats the palate, leaving toasted marshmallow and tea (again) to linger. A splash or a cube of ice adds a malty chocolate note. I really enjoyed this. Almost poetic that a southern whiskey would remind me of sweet iced tea. Sometimes outside the box is just what the Doctor ordered. 4 1/2 stars, but I'll round up. Release 10/Batch 18

$24 for this one in my area. Nose is delicate but rich with apple juice, pear, grain, shellac and a light smokiness. Neat it enters slightly sweet and grain forward. The apple and pear from the nose make a brief appearance. This is followed by a short and slightly hot finish with a light chocolate note lingering on the palate. You can definitely pick up on the fact that this is aged in ex bourbon casks. Verdict? This is good, a light easy uncomplicated sipper. From memory this is definitely worth the extra dollar or two over the White Label

What a nice surprise this one turned out to be! For an everyday price of $13 (and often on sale for less) this is one of the best bargains I've found of late. Finally decided to give it a try after the "rebranding" with upgraded packaging and cork closure. Pleasant nose with sweet vanilla and oak, balanced with a nice leathery note. Sweet upfront on the palate, followed by baking spices before transitioning to oak on the back end. Slightly clingy leaving honey, vanilla and mint with a little char on the palate after a smooth warming finish. This bests EW Black and JB White for a few dollars less. It is even approaching EW BIB territory for me (which is really saying something). This is definitely going to become a staple in my cabinet. A solid 3.5, but I'll round up.

This is a tale of two bourbons. After hearing positive reviews on this one (some even calling it the special release of the year) I decided to pick up a bottle if I was lucky enough to see it. This is a review for Barrel #4744174. Neat in a glencairn glass the harsh nose gave no indication that this was a wheated bourbon. I got straw, butter, and oak. Lots of barrel and alcohol. Very "Wild Turkeyish". On the palate this one is HOT. Lots of oak astringency. Did I mention HOT. The finish is HOT with a lingering musty oak that is very reminiscent of another Heaven Hill Single Barrel 10 year old, Henry McKenna. Much like it's younger blended cousin Larceny, it drinks hotter than its proof. I've had several Barrel Proof pours that weren't this hot. Other than the lingering oak on the finish, I didn't care for this one at all. BUT ADD A SPLASH OF WATER and it's hard to believe that this came out of the same bottle. The alcohol on the nose is replaced by vanilla and pink Bubble Yum bubble gum. The straw and oak are there, but now more in balance. Now it's starting to behave like a wheater. On the palate the vanilla and bubble gum make another appearance along with mint and sweet oak. Very complex. A much smoother finish with mint, vanilla and that nice musty oak lingering. I have never had a whiskey benefit so much from a splash of water. I will definitely enjoy the rest of this bottle and if they will keep the price in the $40's, I'll look for next years release as well.