Tastes

BENCHMARK TOP FLOOR *NOSE: Surprisingly light in color with a lot if heat. Lots of Wood (Oak, Cedar, Sawdust) dominates with lighter notes of Vanilla, Brown Sugar, and Orange Peel. *NEAT: A Thin Watery Mouthfeel delivers muted flavors of Vanilla, Cinnamon, Slightly Bitter Tannins, and an almost Peaty Campfire Char. Slightly Bitter Finish of Oak and Mint/Menthol that coats the Palate. *SPLASH: A little water really helps. The Orange Peel becomes dominant on the nose and is joined by Grape Jelly (but still that pesky heat). Those Fruity notes join the palate as well and the overall character becomes Sweeter. It also gains a nice Peppery Spice/Tingle. *VERDICT: This was saved by a little water. This reminded me of Ancient Age (which gave me the camphor/menthol note on the finish), but also EH Taylor (which gives me the jelly notes). Talk about a swing! Definitely an outlier in this series, but at $18 it’s also the least expensive (along with the Small Batch which will get reviewed soon). So far, my least favorite of the bunch.

DRY FLY DISTILLING PEATED WHEAT SINGLE BARREL #560 (8YR BARREL PROOF) 141.6 PROOF *NOSE: Not as much heat as you would expect for 142 proof. Wheat Bread, Straw, Cedar, Black Tea, Barnyard, Light Sweetness, Licorice. If the Peat is there it’s very light. *NEAT: Thick & Clingy. The first note you get before you’re blasted by the 142 Proof is Mild Peat. This is followed bu a general Maple-ish Sweetness with slightly bitter Tannins and a LOOOOONG Warming Finish. Leaves the palate with a thick Medicinal (think Robitussin) Coating. Good, but it needs some Water to bring out some complexity. *SPLASH: Oddly makes the Nose hotter, but thankfully has the opposite effect on the Palate. It still packs a punch, but now I’m able to pull out Butterscotch, Wheat Bread, Hay, Cedar, Cocoa, and Unsweetened Tea. The Medicinal Finish is reduced and joined by the Barnyard from the nose. The Peat influence starts off as very mild (if tasting blind I don’t think I’d even realize that this was Peated), but as you progress through the pour, you get flashes of it and a Menthol/Camphor Note builds on the aftertaste as a dead giveaway. *VERDICT: Unique and I think there are some excellent flavors. I appreciate the Cask Strength (but 142 seems a bit extreme) and the lack of chill filtering that should allow you to find your personal sweet spot and a decent value at $60. This has also piqued my interest in their other offerings.

BENCHMARK FULL PROOF *NOSE: A little Hot (like the others) until it breathes for a few. Then you get notes of Brown Sugar, Barrel Wood, Orange Peel, a Hint of Barnyard, and a dusting of Cornmeal. There is an occasional whiff of Floral Sweetness. Overall Dry and Slightly Savory. *NEAT: The first sip is Very Hot and Overly Tannic, but I discover on the second sip that if I purposely bypass the front of the tongue and direct the liquid to the back of the palate it is MUCH better. I get Chocolate & Caramel, Cornmeal, Orange Peel, and Drying Oak. Great Coating Mouthfeel with a Ling Hot Finish with Caramel and Slightly Bitter Oak layering the Palate. *SPLASH: Water doesn’t change the Nose much, but the Orange and Oak really take over the palate. *VERDICT: My least favorite of the three, but still a solid pour and one that i may grow to like more with some time open and experimentation. Seems like it would do very well with ice or in an over proofed Old Fashioned. DEFINITELY worth the $23 price tag. FINAL RANKING OF THE THREE: 1) Single Barrel 2) Bonded 3) Full Proof

BENCHMARK SINGLE BARREL NOSE: Like the Bonded, this starts out HOT. Let it breathe and there is a rotation of Tart Peach, Lemon Custard, Oak Spice, Pipe Tobacco, Dry Brown Sugar, and some Fall Spice. Very good! NEAT: Vanilla/Maple/Butterscotch Sweetness dominates the front end followed by Orange Peel, Lemon Custard, Oak Spice, Baking Spices, and Black Pepper. Short Slightly Drying Finish with a mild, yet building KYHug. Spicy Tingly Oak Oak & Vanilla coat and layer the palate. The longer you spend with this, the sweeter it gets. SPLASH: Orange Marshmallow Circus Peanuts show up on the Nose and Palate, along with a Waxy Leather note. Ghh be e Finish gets a bit more spice as well. VERDICT: This is another winner. I LOVE when i get that Circus Peanut note on a whiskey. This is more complex and sweeter than the Bonded, but at the cost of some of the clingy mouthfeel. This would be good at $45, but at $25 its great. This is a Single Barrel, so YMMV.

BENCHMARK BONDED NOSE: Opens HOT with Cinnamon & Orange Peel. Let it breathe for a few minutes to get Pencil Shavings, Dusty Oak, Vanilla, Tart Berries, and Fall Spice. NEAT: Very Oak Forward up front followed by Vanilla/Maple Sweetness and Cinnamon. Pretty Simple profile, but Rich Thick and Coating. Medium Length slightly Tannic Finish with nice KYHug. That Oaky Sweetness returns to coat and layer the palate. SPLASH: Add a little water and Brown Sugar shows up on the nose. The palate picks up a bit of the Orange Peel and Fall Spice from the nose. Maybe a hint of Cherry Coke? The Oak picks up a little Tingly Spice as well. I think this will be very good on the rocks. VERDICT: This is not overly complex, but it is VERY Good. Similar in profile to EWBIB, but missing the nuttiness that I’m not always in the mood for. I’d have to side by side them blind, but I believe this is better. I could see this as a solid sub-$20 workhorse (Neat, Rocks, Cocktails) if it’s going to be readily available.

BOOKER’S DONOHOE’S BATCH (2021-01) *NOSE: Thick & Clingy with Lazy Fat Legs. Nose starts off with some Heat, Brown Sugar, Green Peanut, Black Pepper, Dry Oak, Root Beer, Vanilla, and Fresh Play Doh. *NEAT: Dry, Sweet, and Oak Forward. Sawdust, Peanut Butter, White Chocolate, Cinnamon, Clove, Rock Candy, Root Beer, and Sweet Tannins. Clingy, Warming Finish with a building KYHug. Peppery Oak & Vanilla Coat and layer the entire mouth and hang around long after the Glencairn is emptied. *Splash: A little water and Orange Peel shows up on both nose and palate. A large cube and it’s Peanut Brittle in liquid form. Very good. *VERDICT: The two Booker’s releases I’ve had have both been superb. Hurts my heart to remember how I used to completely ignore these as they sat on the shelf for months at $50-$60. These barrels are definitely Beam’s sweet spot

LARCENY BARREL PROOF A123 *NOSE: Clings to the sides of the Glencairn like glue. Dry Brown Sugar, Maple, Baked Sweet Potato, Barrel Spice, Fresh Hay, Fall Spices (Allspice, Cinnamon, Nutmeg), and Orange Peel. *NEAT: Thick, Coating Mouthfeel. Big Sweetness up front with Brown Sugar, Molasses, Sweet Potato, Sweet Oak. Mid-Palate gets a little Tannic Bite, Drying Oak, and Orange Peel. Backend gets Cinnamon and more Bitter Tannins. Long Finish with a Big KYHug but doesn’t drink higher than its proof the way most Larceny does to me. Great Thick Clingy Coating of Cinnamon, Orange Peel, and Oak that layers with each sip. * SPLASH: A few drops of water and the Orange Oil really takes over. A few drops more and you get Root Beer Barrels, Sawdust, and Peanut Shell. *VERDICT: This is definitely better than the B520 that I have. Not the hugest fan of HH’s Wheated Mashbill, but this is worth a pickup at retail. I do wish at the price point it was age stated.

BEAR FIGHT AMERICAN SINGLE MALT (NC Made/Aged in First Fill Bourbon Barrels for minimum 3 years and finished in Peated Scotch & Sherry Casks) *APPEARANCE: Straw Colored with fat clingy droplets forming on the sides of the Glencairn. *NOSE: This doesn’t come across as an American Single Malt. Think a mid-level Lightly Peated Single Malt. There is a Foundation of Peat layered with Tart Apple, Malted Grain, Fresh Butter, Hay, Wood Spice, Light Honey Sweetness, and a Rabbit Punch of Stinging Heat. The empty glass smelled just like my Brother in Law’s “bee room” where he keeps his Apiary supplies and bee smoker. A mixture of beeswax and smoke. *NEAT: Sweet Notes of Vanilla and Honey lead off followed by Barrel Spice, Malted Grain, Dried Fruit, and Raw Almond. The Back of the Palate gets Barrel Spice, Black Pepper, and a Light Bitterness (think Lemon Peel or Green Pineapple). There is a very un-Scotch like heat on the Finish that glows all the way down into the chest… and “where’s the Peat” you ask? It shows up Right at the End and layers the Palate with a Clingy Ashy Aftertaste. *SPLASH: A little water and the Nose gets Lemon Zest. Palate loses some of the Heat from the Finish and gets the Leather and Raw Almond dialed up a bit. *VERDICT: Completely surprised by this one. I had picked this up a few months ago, saw it was produced in NC and assumed it was aged in small barrels, or worse yet, rapid aged with spirals so I set it back down and left with something else. A few days later (tell me Zuckerberg ain’t got satellites trained on us all) an ad for it pops up in my Facebook feed with an endorsement from Seth MacFarlane (and in classic self deprecating MacFarlane fashion). Now, I’m not a sucker for celebrity endorsements, but if one’s going to get me to look into something more, this is it. Finally pulled the trigger the other day and am glad I did. This is quite possibly the most “Scotch-ish” American Whiskey I’ve had and very reasonably priced (proof that MacFarlane wasn’t lying when he said they weren’t paying him enough). Not available everywhere, but if you see it, it’s definitely worth a $40 buy IMHO.

MICHTER’S AMERICAN WHISKEY BATCH 2212937 I love how Brown-Foreman really pushes boundaries with Mashbills, Barreling, and Blending. A trend that has even trickled down to their Flagship Jack Daniels line. This is one of their more interesting ventures and I’ve been looking forward to finding a bottle and sampling. *NOSE: Sawdust, Brown Sugar, Bananas Foster, Hints of Fresh Latex Paint, and Black Pepper. *NEAT: This is REALLY good. Buttery in texture, it’s Delicate but Complex. There are no Spikes or Hard Edges here, the flavors are all Full & Rounded. This is a Monet or Rubens, not a Picasso or Braque. Vanilla, Caramel, Buttercream Icing, Cream Soda, and Light Coconut with some Mild Tannins showing up on the backend. Smooth, Easy Finish with a surprising KYHug that slowly blooms in the chest. There is a pleasant layering coating of No. 2 Pencil and Cherry Vanilla Coke. *SPLASH: A few drops of water brings out Cocoa Powder on the Nose, and Cocoa, Oak, and Black Pepper Spice on the Palate. *VERDICT: I know we’re not supposed to say this word to describe whiskey, but at the risk of losing any whiskey cred I might have gained over the years, here goes… Smooth. And when I say Smooth, I mean Ultra Smooth. Without being boring. That’s an accomplishment. And if that’s not your thing, add a drop or two of water to release some oils and get a little spice. Definitely the class of the Michter’s line for me so far (going to get a backup for this bottle before they are gone) and up there with some of the best Brown-Foreman I’ve had.

CHICKEN COCK *NOSE: Not overpowering, but I wouldn’t classify it as light. Fairly Complex with Leather, Oak Spice, Clover, and Orange Peel. With time it gets sweeter with Dubble Bubble, Vanilla, and Honey. Underneath all this is a base layer of Seasoned Firewood and Light Barnyard Funk. *NEAT: NAS, but tastes like it contains at least some decently aged stock. The Oak really asserts itself on the first sip with Drying Tannins. After the palate becomes accustomed, I get Dubble Bubble, Waxy Leather, Honeycomb, Orange Oil, Char, and Black Pepper. On the Finish, the back of the tongue gets some Bitter Spice and Musty Orange. Decent KYHug with Mint, Oak, and Honeycomb layering and coating. This is very good. *SPLASH: Orange takes over the nose. On the palate, some of those Tannins become more of a Polished Oak. Finish gets a little more Tingly Spice. *VERDICT: I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but I really liked it. It gives me that Leathery Waxy vibe I get from Buffalo Trace/EH Taylor/Blanton’s etc. A little research reveals this is a 70/21/9 mashbill contract custom distilled for them from Bardstown Bourbon Co., which would be (to my knowledge) my first sample of their wares. If so, BRAVO. It tastes older than its rumored 4-5 years and much like my experience with Rabbit Hole, I’m willing to accept more of a premium price for something unique. As a side note, they’ve managed to produce a bottle that looks great, features a quality tight sealing cork (something that’s getting rarer by the day in Bourbon Land), and despite appearances, is not heavy/cumbersome and hard to pour. A nice surprise and a definite repeat buy.