Tastes

Nose: Pleasant fruity sweet aroma with little trace of alcohol, not strong but what is there is nice. The 86er gives a nice little burst of sweet candy corn and mild pepper spices, with some caramel and honey in a smooth delivery this is a great basic "high corn" bill offering. The low proof makes it abundantly mild and burn free with some cinnamon and dried fruits in the mid, a very pleasant following after taste of the sweet middle is in the finish. This is a good product in the Shively line of the Brown Forman family and very respectable for a "starter" product, it's easy to imagine a few extra years in the barrel adding some extra dimensions to this nice dram, but for what it is and what you pay, there is already a lot here to start with.

Nose: Understated bourbon sweetness and small rye, there is little to note here. Front: dark red fruit, pie spice, nuts, light woods, dank sugars. There is an incredible amount of balance here for an MGP refinished whiskey, and while the high rye is noticeable, it refrains from stepping all over the contributing notes. Finish: smooth and burn free, small traces of spice and sugar. As I've always been skeptical of the outsourced and rebranded process so common in todays practice of over hyped and under performing liquors, I'm completely impressed that an MGP sourced base product can work so well, clearly the "tad" of Stranahans blended in along with the mountain water are a well thought out and perfected formula. The well balanced notes working in unison are a totally pleasant surprise from this bottle that gets perhaps a bit too much attention from flamboyant packaging. While there is a notable lack of any real barrel wood finish there is still plenty here to like, and for a true high rye to handle this well in flavorings and keep the rye spices in check is an actual accomplishment. This tasty 84 proof offering stands up, stands out and makes a nice impression, a worthy addition to any home bar.

Old No. 7 It's the Tennessee version of bourbon, ie the Lincoln County process (that makes it whiskey not bourbon) one of the reliable bottles that make up the truly American distilling art form. Jack Daniels works well in many drinks, straight up neat or rocks and is at home in a back woods cabin as it is in a 7 star resort hotel bar. The pre-aged filtering no doubt leads to some pretty uncharacteristic, yet palatable notes and blends. Just a bit of the sweet maple charcoal on the nose along with the corn sweetness and the dark amber color are all part of the Jack legacy. I get a bit of chocolate cherry along with candy corn and most notably faint smoke most likely a product of the filtering and carry over fermenting. Mild maple sweetness and hints of all spice with a note of the acerbic char filtrate remain. Little to note of any real finish as not much but the ghost of the mild smoke lingers beyond a second or so of pouring this American treat down. A bit unusual sure, unmistakable as well and completely "JACK" in its element, a real bit of living Americana. As kids we all knew that Jack was the very definition of Tennessee whiskey and that mystic lives on to this day where Jack Daniels Old No 7 continues to thrive under the Brown Forman banner. While Jack isn't the most complex, full bodied or interesting of American made drams, it serves as a reminder of just how the New World version of whiskey was perfected! Cheers

Oil bead residues on snifter. Nose: strong vanillas, vanilla/bread pudding, moderate caramel, spice and sugar oak. At the front strong vanillas give way to some small chocolates and dank sweetness of brown sugars. The vanilla and spice hold on the mid palate and follow with a bloom of spice and final notes of oak, pepper corn and dill(thanks to Generously Paul for catching that last one). Finishes of small cinnamon and heat to be expected with the BIB strength. Notable lack of harshness or dusty wood that might find its way into a 1783 Evan and other Heaven Hill labels and somewhat less corn sugars as found in Evan black label. While the White label BIB has been subject to some poor reviews and generally kicked around in the whiskey snob circuit, there is still a great deal to like about this bourbon and with the absence of any off putting notes, the Evan BIB is deserving of some respect. I tend to like the change up of richer vanilla without the typical heavy punch of caramels and oak that tend to follow in many of the competitors including some of the siblings from Bardstown. The Evan BIB offers some uniqueness in balance and continues to deliver the value expected from Heaven Hill. Cheers

Old Ezra 101 aged for 7 years. As Luxco will most likely take over production of the Old Ezra label bourbon when their distillery comes online, and as that may very likely effect quality, I quickly snatched up a bottle of this I found on the sale rack at one of my locals. At an even ten spot this bottle is not just a find but a helluva deal! Right off the top this has the nose of a classic bourbon featuring the oak, vanilla, caramel sweetness that has come to define the genre. At 50.5% abv, it's impossible not to notice the pure strength of this juice, but make no mistake this is no young, green outsourced produce from some corn state, this is THE REAL DEAL from Heaven Hill. The classic bourbon notes are backed with hints of fruits and citrus with some leathers and almonds and nutmeg balanced in the sweet and burnt sugars, this is actually a far more complex offering than most reviews will credit it for, which may be a product of bias from an off sourced brand even if we know that source is a top quality one. I get and odd ginger and nut finish with no burn or notable heat even at the near bib strength, the oak and vanilla linger on to remind you again, this dram hails from the place bourbon was born and perfected. The rye-barley mash percentage works well to supplement just the right amount of spice to the sweet bourbon corn base, to yield a balance of tasty bourbon. Oddly this bourbon seems considerably better in every way than the Heaven Hill 6 year bottle in bond and reminds me of why I like Larceny but still wish it had more age on it, finding more of a Henry McKenna similarity than anything. Figuring I might use this for making sours and manhattans if it wasn't a good stand alone candidate, both uses it would no doubt serve well at, this turns out to be a find and if you see it below 15USD you have found yourself a nice deal to take home smiling. Cheers!

Benchmark Old No 8 @ 80 proof. 12.99 for 1 Liter Bottom of the shelf whiskey is bottom shelf whiskey,,,, yes or no? Well "maybe" is the answer but one thing about these bottles that have been around for many decades, they have staying power for a reason, cheap and dependable if not that great is still delivering value. Benchmark is an 80 proofer that drinks like a 90 proof, the black label belies the content being a mid grade offering yet this bourbons taste has more in common with a black label Beam or Evan than the weaker white and green label brethren. While there is nothing like a complexity of sweetness and woods or other flavors the bare bones of a bourbon whiskey stand up in notes of pepper carmels and oak just enough to pass as a slightly above bottom shelf white label bourbon. The heat and burn are evident in the finish but nothing beyond what the proof would warrant and thus there is little or nothing in the way of negative flavoring to dissuade from follow up drinks. While you wouldn't want to make Benchmark an every day drinker given what it is, at the price it is a real value and thus deserving of recognition.

Figuring a litre bottle of 7 year old bourbon could be a good find at about 30$, I decided to give this one a whorl. What I found was the more you search the less you will actually know about this mystery bourbon. FORGET what you see on the front page, as of this review the BEAM sourced hooch has been replaced, this one is credited as "Tennessee Bourbon" which is nearly an enigma in itself, as we know Tenn is the land of the Lincoln County. Process. Right up front the first thing you notice is a tart and strong divergence of citrus and sweet carmelized sugars, if this had come from say a bottle of Elijah Craig, it would have been expected. The middle is strong and sweet and tapering finish of natural heat with little bitterness. Some cherry chocolate notes, with hints of clove and orange are an afterthought. While the source of the hooch may be questionable, one thing that can't be confused is the age date, if it says 7 years it must be 7 tears and that leaves out a considerable number of "black labels" that we know never reach that age before finding a truck headed for the local bottle shop. While bottled in Columbia Tn, the source is still open to a myriad of possibilities. The rumors of Beam and now Daniels, Dickel and Buffalo Trace are all based on speculation, trusting my taster I would say this is a Heaven Hill product or near knock off most likely from MGP. This is a large corn and barley mash, perhaps some wheat, certainly not a high rye. The bourbon sweetness sets up nicely with the acidic citrus juxtaposition, there is little in the way of barreling or oak to be noticed. For the price you cant fault this bourbon for what it is, and the absence of tell tale "young" bourbon greeness and immaturity is something you won't miss either. Coming from a warehouse shopping establishment, the expectation of a "value" bourbon should be entirely expected and the "Kirkland" 7 year old fills the bill nicely.

Great opening remarks from the folks at Distiller to remind us that when it comes to spirits, the terms "small batch" and "extra aged" are even more meaningless as the guarantee at a used car lot. I would love to see the major players like Heaven Hill cease and desist with this marketing gimmick which is more of an insult than anything to the experienced whiskey connoisseur. Kudos to Distiller for keeping them honest and us informed. One very striking resemblance this bottle has is the similar name to a bourbon that carries some of the same esoteric aged oak notes. Coincidence or not, the bottle w/ 17__ from Barton and particularly the Very Old Barton itself have a lot in common when it comes to musty barn door oak notes. 1783 has a good bit of the standard EW Black characteristics yet adds the distinction of a "more aged barrel" taste, that alone at a price nearly the same as black label should be enough to warrant a try from any of the old school bourboners who enjoy the standard Evan Williams. The nose, while a bit restrained, carries the standard sweet brown sugar with a hint of oak as the familiar EW Black, on the tongue is when you discover the inclusion of aged oak that is mostly non-existent in the standard Black. Finish is standard Evan with a slight spice burn holding on for a moment. At a price barely over already reasonable standard EW Black, this is an enjoyable treat and really affordable enough to be an every day drinker. Drinkable neat, with water or a mixer, the one thing Evan Williams 1783 IS NOT, is a close second to the dated Single Barrel product. In fact it would be closer to the Green Label than the uniquely special Single Barrel striped label from Evan WIlliams. Still this is an offering that every serious bourbon drinker can afford to and should try at least once. Extra small batch aged or not! Cheers!

Barrel 28 -18 The very first thing you will note about this Sazerac offering is the exact, and I mean EXACT replication of the Blantons bottling process. From the little pewter Caribou mounted on a flat, hammered cork head, to the bottle bag and box, it is clearly a direct rip off of the Blantons packaging. Wither you find this an off putting encroachment, or an affectionate emulation of style, there is no denying the "stolen" characteristic of the display choice, not that the BT-Saz owned entities would care or have a say in the matter. At least the bottles are square-ish, with pleasing round corners rather than the 8 sided "crystal ball" style bottles we are used to with the top notch bourbon. The license style hologram stickers are a nice touch as well that carries over to the neck band. Ok bottling asthetics aside, as we know, it's really whats inside that counts. On the nose this is a spicy dram, a reminder of some other northern border offerings come to mind. Not much beyond some bold rye spice to be found though. The liquid defers an oily residue on the insides of my mini goblet and seems to retain a coating on the sides. With all respect to Derek, that reported "burst" of flavor seems to me nothing more than the spice we detected earlier. These differences could be explained from the single barrel nature of this offering. Letting the whiskey breath and open a bit with a few drops of water makes only a small difference as the rye spice continues to stand out. Certianly some small variants of sweetness in caramels and dank sugars but these are mostly over powered on the palate by the afore mentioned spice of most certianly rye origin. For a single barrel Canadian product this is not entirely unpredicted, nor is it unpleasent, however the barrel finish never really seems to materialize. Perhaps judged verse the strict whiskey classes this would stand up but as a bourbon aficionado there is less here in the wood finish and complexity in flavors to take away. The finish is perhaps warmer than an 80 proofer would typically yield and the lingering spices carry forward. All and all not a bad effort, an enjoyable high rye drink that imparts little else but has nothing to complain about either. A very decent drink but just not a dram that goes on the "must try" list. Perhaps the undoing of the Caribou will be the massive expectations some will derive from the packaging that shouts "Blantons" but whose contents are less than the very top notch product that is implied. This may be a satisfying drink but under no circumstances would you trade a bottle of Blantons for it.

Note: the 90 proof offering is all that was currently available in this area of the south. I would love to try the 86 and 100 proofs just for comparison. Nose: faint sweet vanillins and caramels, really not much, but what there is says "BOURBON" On palate: spice rye, some banana nut rye, dry ryes, peppers, light sweet crude faint dark dank sugars, certianly a tastey concoction. A notable mustiness of chinese cinnamon fading into a barn door oak, some might find this off putting, to others this is "home", but either way it is there and is notable. I find it a somewhat charming spin on the aged oak variant and given the remainder is pretty much all good in the peppered spiced rye area it's unbelieavable that more folks aren't "on to" this bottle and over look it due to the almost absurdly low cost. But hey let's keep that to ourselves! FInish, goes down smooth, small warm lingering low cinnamon spice and a very notable LACK of harshness on the backside. Literally nothing to turn you away from seconds. Enjoy this bargain basement bourbon and just laugh when some snob tells you a good bottle starts at 80$$.. easily a 3 star value and possible more Cheers!