Tastes

Very seldom do I taste a whiskey that I have trouble reviewing. This is one of those. I am simply unable to discern any tasting notes other than bitter charred oak after repeated tastings. I will agree with another review that this kind of reminds me of Maker's 46 (one of my favorite everyday pours), but where 46 toes the line between just right and over-oaked and tannic, this one runs by that line like it's not even there. There is a hint of vanilla on the nose. Maybe some coffee and brown sugar? The Palate is all Bitter Drying Oak. Maybe with time I could find something else, but I really don't want to invest anymore time on this. A little water does cut the bitterness some, but it doesn't bring any other notes out. At best his tastes like mediocre craft whiskey. Why would anyone spend $40 on this when Maker's 46 (ugly new bottle and all) is probably less than 5 feet away on a nearby shelf?

SILKIE DARK PEATED IRISH WHISKY (92PROOF/NCF) NOSE: About what you would guess a Peated Irish to smell like. Peat leads off with Rubber & Last Night's Campfire. Followed by Crisp Green Apple, Leather, Mint, Salted Butter, Glazed Lemon Filled Donut, Allspice, and light Florals. I feel like some time spent with this could suss out all manner of notes. The Empty Glass noses like a Cupcake topped with a dollop of Vick's Vaporub. NEAT: Oh, this is good. Silky Smooth Oily Mouthfeel yields Powdered Sugar Dusted Lemon Squares, Vanilla, and Bubblegum accompanied by Sweet Smoke on the front of the Tongue. Leather, Cereal Grains, and Light Oak Tannins show up Mid-Palate. They mesh very well with the sweeter notes up front for a delicious melding of flavors. The Back of the Tongue gets Black Pepper and Rubbery Peat before a Medium Length Finish. Gets Dinged a tad by an Artificial Sweetener type Bitter/Sour Note that hangs around the perimeter*. Not a deal breaker, but something I get from several Irish offerings. The mouth is coated in a lovely aftertaste of Ash, New Rubber Tire, and those Neon Yellow Hunt's Lemon Pudding Cups. There's also a nice layering Black Pepper Tingle on the tongue and cheeks. I know this is one I'll taste long after the dram is done and I love that. *After some time, either the sourness dissipates, or my palate just becomes accustomed to it and it becomes a non-issue. SPLASH: A little water and Lemon Pith becomes prominent on the Nose. The Palate loses some of the rough edges and also becomes more Lemony. Good either way, but preferable Neat. VERDICT: A Peated Irish had been on my bucket list for a while and I happened to stumble on this on at my local, fittingly at the end of March. I found this VERY Good, especially given its $44 price tag. Bonus points for the higher than the normal Irish proof and NCF which allow the Oily/Silky nature of the whisky to shine. Completely different (thank you @DjangoJohnson for helping me lock down that new tire note), but equally enjoyable to the best Irish that I've had. I am definitely going to try the standard lightly peated version as well.

Michter's US*1 Sour Mash Whiskey NOSE: Banana Pudding, Candied Walnut, Brown Sugar, Maple, Vanilla Frosting, Oak Spice, and the Slightest Hint of Savory Dill. The Empty Glass smells of Unlit Cigarette Tobacco. NEAT: A Medium Mouthfeel, and not as sweet as the Nose would suggest. Banana, Maple, Raw Almond, Leather, and Funky Oak Tannins,. Very Little Heat on the Drying Finish with Pencil Shavings, Light Banana, and a Hint of Bitter coating and layering on the Palate. Surprised by the lack of Rye influence, leading me to believe that there is a pretty high percentage of Malt here. SPLASH: A little water really amps up the Maple on the Nose. Palate gains a little Tingly Spice & Creme Soda while the Oak Funk gets a little more prominent. VERDICT: I was disappointed in this one after the first pour. There was a Plastic/Vinyl note (think freshly opened shower curtain) on both nose and palate that really didn't agree with me. A month or so after opening and it is completely fine. Banana/Maple heavy without being cloying and just the right amount of bitterness. If memory serves, this is possibly the best Michter's I've tried to date. I don't see this one often, but I will pick up a bottle whenever I can find one.

MOTHER EARTH SPIRITS AMERICAN SINGLE MALT (Batch 40/Bottle 282-Aged 2 Yrs) NOSE: Leather, Cedar, Orange Peel, Tobacco, Straw, Apple, Dried Floral. Nose on the empty glass resembles inside of a Humidor. NEAT: Grilled Fruit, Smoke, Leather, and Almond up front. Slightly Building Bitterness on the sides and back of the tongue. Mild burn on the finish with Smoke, Black Pepper, and Oak Tannins coating the Palate.There are some youthful notes here, but overall well done. SPLASH: Nose gets a Bubblegum note. Palate becomes even more Fruit Forward with some added Tart Cherry while the Bitterness is reduced. VERDICT: NC has another solid Single Malt to go along with Great Wagon Road's Rúa. Mother Earth is a small Distillery in Kinston, NC started as an offshoot of the popular Mother Earth Brewing. Distillery and Stills are run completely on Solar Energy. Grains used are all locally sourced. They've been around longer than most distilleries in the state and they've obviously figured it out. This is an updated version of their former 80 Proof NAS Whiskey in freshly redesigned packaging. They've also released a 3 Year Rye to go along with their locally popular Gin (which also has fresh new packaging). Definitely worth the $40 gamble.

You can look at my previous review of this if you want tasting notes. Suffice it to say, I really like it. The bourbon inside is a solid 4.25. This new bottle/label, however is a 1. This may even be worse than Kentucky Spirit moving away from the "fantail" bottle. I'm hoping that this is a result of supply chain issues and that we will soon see the old 46 bottle return.

IWH15 NOSE: Rich and Varied. Tobacco, Leather, Glazed Donut, Oak, Streusel, and Grape Jelly. NEAT: Oak Dominated, but Little to No Bitter Tannins. Old Slightly Musty Oak, Leather, Cocoa Powder, Light Tingly Pepper Spice, Mint, Sawdust, and Straw. Smooth Drying Finish with little to no burn. Oak and Faint Cinnamon linger and coat the palate. SPLASH: Brown Sugar now dominates the nose. The Grape Jelly note from the nose moves to the palate and Fruit notes begin to mesh with the oakiness. VERDICT: This is "Library Bourbon". Designed to be sipped in an old leather chair, surrounded by antique wooden bookshelves filled with old first edition hardbacks. Perfectly Balanced. No bitterness and just the right amount of funk and good Tannins. Seems simple (but tasty) on the first pour, but subsequent samples reveal sweeter/fruitier notes underneath. I could nitpick about the lower proof, but I'm not sure that the lower proof doesn't help reduce the flaws I find in some super aged bourbons. I wish I would've taken a chance on this sooner.

LOST MONARCH NOSE: Bright. The 95/5 MGP Rye takes center stage with Varnish, Dill, Clove, Seeded Rye, Black Pepper & Dry Barnwood. The sweeter Bourbon-y Vanilla/Brown Sugar notes hang out backstage and emerge to take a bow on occasion. NEAT: Dry & Dusty. Vanilla Sweet upfront followed by Herbal Dill, Clove, Anise, and Black Pepper, all held up by an underpinning of Dry Light Oak. The finish is Medium to Long-ish with Sweet Oak, Corn Syrup, and Pepper Spice coating and lingering. Mouthfeel is fairly clingy and stays on the palate and layers as you drink, and hangs around long after the pour is done. SPLASH: Not a lot of change other than a reduction in the Peppery Spice. VERDICT: An excellent blend. Definitely dominated by the MGP 95/5 Rye Mashbill in the middle, but accented well by the Bourbon on the front and back. It was close, but I believe I prefer this one slightly over Redwood's Pipe Dream. Again, it's nice to see some sourced whiskey, with decent age, at a fair price. I definitely will continue exploring Redwood's line.

PIPE DREAM NOSE: Starts out all Floral and Sandalwood. After a bit it settles in with Dry Corn Meal, Orange Peel, Rye Spice, Young Oak, and Peppery Spice. Eventually, heavy Vanilla Notes take the forefront. There are some hints of youth here, but they are nicely balanced by some of the older stocks. NEAT: Lots of Citrus right off the bat. Some Vanilla/Maple Sweetness that increases the deeper into the pour you get. Mouthfeel leans to the Medium/Thinnish side, but is substantial enough (it really clings to the glass though, so I was expecting a little more). The Wood notes present more as Fresh Sawdust and Pencil Shavings rather than Oak Char. Nice building heat in the chest after a Medium Length Finish. Black Pepper Spice and Vanilla coat and linger on the palate. SPLASH: Brings the Florality back to the Nose, and sweetens the Palate. Brings out a little Char & Cinnamon. VERDICT: In the margin of my notes, I scribbled "Simple-ish". That is true. Not a lot going on, but what is going on works well. It does lean a little Citrus/Orange heavy which I don't mind on occasion. Overall, a solid pour. I kept passing this one by based on my experiences lately with younger MGP, but at $40 I thought I'd take a shot. Glad I did. I also picked up the Lost Monarch. Review on that one coming soon.

Barrel #00031 NOSE: Rye Spice, Brown Sugar, Marshmallow, Oak, Hay, Light Mustiness. Subsequent Pours also gained a little Orange Peel. NEAT: First Impression is Eggnog & Nutmeg (A note I LOVE). There's also Burnt Sugars, Hay with a Hint of Mustiness, Oak Tannins, Fall Spices (Cinnamon, Anise, Cardamom). Just the Right Amount of Spice, finishing with a Mild Warming in the chest. A Coating Aftertaste that reminds me of Crafty Root Beer or Sarsaparilla. SPLASH: Added Rye Bread to the Nose. Brings out some added Sweetness. but at the expense of some of the complexity it had neat. VERDICT: I pass the distillery often and finally got a minute to stop in. They've been around long enough now that they are releasing their own aged distillate in addition to the MGP they sourced when they first opened. After my experience with recent MGP products (Young, Overly Corny, and Overpriced) I specifically looked for something that was their own. I looked the bottle over and found "Produced and Bottled by Southern Distilling Company", so I thought I was safe. I got it home and looked again and I don't know how I missed it. Right there it was..."Distilled in Indiana". Not what I wanted, but man what a pleasant surprise. They opened in 2013 and the MGP they sourced was still some of the good stuff, and it's now around 7-8 years old to boot. Right in the sweet spot. I highly recommend this if it's available in your area. Just an FYI, I have since learned that they are distinguishing their distillate by placing the word "Paragon" in the names.

WOODFORD RESERVE DOUBLE OAKED BARREL SELECT "LET'S GET LOCO IN SPT" (CHOSEN BY LOCO JO'S RESTAURANT) NOSE: Rich. Chocolate, Caramel, Powdery Brown Sugar, Raw Almond, New & Charred Oak. Just a Hint of that Brown Foreman Latex Paint note and a bit of Alcohol Sting. NEAT: Thick and Clingy. Lots of Bitter Oak Tannins, Dark Chocolate, Caramel, Cherry, Coconut, Peppery Spice and Raw Almond. Long Warming Finish with Oak, Coffee, and Hazelnut lingering on the palate. SPLASH: Nose gets a bit of Leather. On the palate, it Reduces some of the Tannins just a bit, the Cherry gets a Medicinal Quality. The Mouthfeel loses some of its heft. I'll put up with a little of the bitterness to keep that Clingy mouthfeel. Drink it neat, folks. VERDICT: This is my second bottle of DO. Both have been Barrel Selects and this one is much better than my first. The Nose is great, but I could use a little less of the Alcohol Sting. The Palate is Solid, but I could do with a little less Tannic Bitterness. Those little issues keep me from giving it a 4, but it is close. However, if I had to choose a Brown-Foreman to drop $60 on, I'll take the OldFo 1910, which does the Double Oak thing just a bit better.