Tastes

THIS Colonel actually makes something that is "finger lickin' good"! Hard to find but definitely worth the hunt and the $40 price tag. Great deep bronze color with a nose of toffee, toasted marshmallow and oak. On the palate it's a perfect balance of thick and oily, sweet and spicy. Great notes of vanilla, cinnamon and dried peaches on entry, transitioning to rye spice with leather and oak. Nice warming, tingling finish. If you're in the mood for a little less spice, add a splash to tame the rye and bring out a rich dark chocolate note. This one was made to enjoy while contemplating the mysteries of life by the fireplace or campfire. And with the great looking bottle and cardboard tube, this is a bourbon you can gift or share on a holiday or special occasion without breaking the bank.

Wow. Just, wow. I had heard the hype on this one, so I jumped at the chance when my local store emailed to let me know they had gotten their yearly allotment of 12 bottles. First come, first served, limit of 1. I figured for 30 bucks, what did I have to lose. Great sweet nose. Vanilla, maple and oak with a grassy undertone. On the palate, it begins with a Praline Pecan sweetness (Pecans, brown sugar, cream, and vanilla). Mid-palate the 12 year age starts to make itself known with the sweet transitioning to an oak heavy drying finish that lasts and lasts. It is a tad thin, but with a silky, clingy, slightly oily texture that makes up for it. This is the kind of pour that makes you want another, and then another, and then...you get the picture. You will find few bourbons this good at $30 or less. The Old Weller Antique is a little more readily available and does makes a good substitute if you can find it (though it's missing the oak) .

*Batch 117-Bottled by James on 3/12/15-Aged 7yrs* This had been on my "to try" list for a while and after I received an email from Smooth Ambler saying this and the 10 year were being discontinued due to procurement issues I decided to pick up one of the last two bottles my store had. This one is a light amber moving toward rust. Appropriate for 7 yrs and 99 proof. On the nose, give it a few minutes to open up for a touch of confectionary sweetness (think a custard filled donut) with a hefty dose of rye spice and faint oak. Similar to Wild Turkey. Oddly a splash of water brings a big dose of ethanol to the nose. Tried neat, this one starts off with a promising pink bubblegum sweetness, but that is quickly shoved out of the way by aggressive hot rye spice and bitter oak. Goes down with a short hot finish with tingling astringency left on the palate. A splash does tame the aggressiveness of this somewhat, but not nearly enough. Ice just makes it a muddled mess. Did not mix well either. I am usually a fan of high rye bourbons, but this one has no balance.

This is good. Best Beam I've tried to date (and when I say that, I mean something that actually says BEAM on the bottle). Light caramel in color with a great nose of barrel oak with honey, vanilla, varnish and a hint of leather. A splash or cube of ice brings dried fruit and pipe tobacco to the mix. Neat you get big oak backed by caramel corn, vanilla and brown sugar. All the traditional bourbon notes take a backseat to the barrel. A tad thin, but not overly so. It finishes with a drying oak astringency. A slightly sweet vanilla mint lingers on the palate (think an MGP 95 rye). Add a cube of ice and the sweet notes assert themselves a little more strongly on both the palate and the finish. While not a traditional bourbon profile, it was very enjoyable. Gets an extra star for the under $30 price tag.

My bottle clocks in at 132.5 proof and has a rich maple syrup amber color. The nose is dominated by butterscotch, but a splash adds some vanilla, varnished wood and fresh cut hay to the mix. Tried neat, it's thick and oily on the palate with baked cinnamon apples and oak astringency. Has a lingering burn on the finish, but goes down smooth with a cinnamon and astringent aftertaste. A splash bring out notes of dark chocolate. I found this very good, but not as complex as I was expecting and I was a little put off by the astringent note. I may have to try different amounts of dilution to get this one just right, but it is a more than enjoyable sipper neat. It is definitely a 5 star, but it is headed to the back of the cabinet for special occasions. For a more frequent overproofed sipper, I'll stick with the OGD 114 and save $20/bottle.

I've recently gained an appreciation for WT products after initially only caring for the Rare Breed. That WT trademark "funk" kind of grows on you and you can usually find a bottle of WT101 in my cabinet at all times. This one is light amber in the glass and even if this was a blind tasting, I would've identified it immediately as a WT product from the nose. Big bold vanilla custard, followed by nutmeg and baking spices. A splash of water gives it a slight floral note. Neat, it enters sweet with a peppery, dry dusty kick (that's the "funk" I've grown fond of). A little astringent with some oak on the finish. Water reduces the astringency but leaves the "funk" while adding lingering cinnamon to the finish. This, much like the WT101, benefits greatly from a splash of water. This is good, but I was really expecting more depth of flavor from a premium release by the Russells. While better than the WT101, it's not $10-$15 better. I'll enjoy this bottle, but next time I'll stick to the 101 and keep the extra $10 in my pocket, or throw in an extra $5-$10 and get the Rare Breed.