Tastes

This was by far the best bourbon I’ve ever had. Pretty sure I reviewed it under a different title. I’ll try and merge this and edit it together

Opened this bottle a few days ago and went back to it today with a friend. Maybe it’s the company but it’s even better today. In addition to my previous review I’m getting a ton of SWEETNESS on the palate. Probably the honey note but I’m getting a bit of something citrusy too. Just a little and I didn’t get it at all on first opening. I will re-note...the amount of burn on this is amazingly slight for a young whiskey at this ABV. I’ve had many a bottle in bond bourbons that have way more bite than this. The 8 year Lagavulin has a lower alcohol content, stayed in the barrel longer, and was much harsher. This is smooth and sweet (apparently) while being a peat bomb. I finished the glass and a half hour later my fiancé walked by the empty glass and did a slight recoil. I asked her what was up and she just said “smoky!” Couldn’t have said it better myself!!

Short legs show it’s youth. Little drips sit in the glass as you swirl it. I have missed Islay malts while on a mountain getaway with a bunch of bourbon lovers. The nose is wonderful and perfect. It’s campfire, salt and sea just as you’d expected from the PC line at Bruichladdich. I know that all the barley is Islay and I think that’s awesome. I’m not smart or well traveled enough to be able to taste it but it’s a wonderful thing to note about the “Terroir Matters” people over there. It gives a handmade microbrew feel to them. The taste is classic. Again, I don’t know how to say it better than sea and salt. I haven’t been to Scotland but it makes me think of the North Atlantic. Kinda smells and tastes like the Maine coast (plus peat). I should try this with lobster or is that too much Maine? Regardless, there is no burn in this (full disclosure I’ve been drinking a lot of cask strength lately so my tastebuds could be dulled 🤷‍♂️). This is long and smooth on the back end. I still feel the salty sweetness behind my molars minutes later. This is wonderful.

Had this at a whiskey festival in the past. Didn’t love it then but had a bunch of different things then so thought I would try it with a fresh palate when I Saw it on a friend’s shelf. Sadly I agree with my initial assessment. The nose offers some red fruits and a pretty easy going not too burn heavy sniff. Unfortunately the palate is lacking. It’s astringent (not in the good Islay way in the bad cleaning product way). It literally left a bad taste in my mouth. I’d try it again but I wouldn’t seek it out. There’s a lot more better whiskey out there. I’ve been drinking with a bunch of southerners lately. I enjoy bourbon but can’t wait to get back to my Islay bottles at home. What I wouldn’t give for a Laphroaig/Ardbeg/PC to blast the rest of this off my tastebuds. I miss PEAT

I thought this was wonderful. I’ve had this as a mixer (for its namesake and others) before but not straight. Maybe it’s cuz it was the last nip of the night but I enjoyed it quite a bit. For what I imagine the price tag is I need to find a bottle or two of this. I should have known it was a Buffalo Trace product. I haven’t disliked much that comes out of that distillery

Nose was very hot. Even after letting it sit 15-20 minutes it was still burning my nostrils. Palate is quite nice. Coating mouthfeel. Lots of sweet and spicy notes including the vanilla that I seem to be looking for everywhere lately. The finish was hot and intense. I held each sip in my mouth as long as possible because it gave me heartburn going down every time. I wish I could smell more than ethanol and I wish the finish was less abrasive but while it was in my mouth it was wonderful.

I have been digging ryes lately. WFE is something I found a few bottles of over the last 8 months and it’s quite nice. This is a little disappointing in comparison. Not really challenging and a bit boring but still tasty. I wonder what my rating would have been if I’d had this first 🤔?

7/14/15 dump date. Very nice combination of a little spice and a lot of sweet. Nice end to the evening

2014 -503 Edition. When I first tasted this it blew my mind. It was the first time I’d had the Islay finished in the PX cask. It’s better than Laphroaig PX but I took points off this time because, for a little bit more $/€/£, you can have compass box no name. It’s a blend so if you wanna be a single malt snob go for it and miss out but it’s mind blowing. This is still wonderful. I’d happily sip on this when I want Lagavulin but a little bit sweeter. That’s literally what it tastes like. The wonderful salt and sea and peat and smoke from Lagavulin tamed with some sweetness. It’s truly wonderful and nothing to scoff at But it is not number 1 in that category for me anymore.

My last Old Weller bottle. Sweet but a short finish. This was the first bourbon I ever enjoyed. It’s nice to go back to it from time to time but I go for peat bombs and/or cask strength expressions more now. I used to like it a whole lot more than I do now