Tastes

20 Barrel Project 2019 58% Corn, 34% Rye, 8% Barley Tasted Barrels No. 7 (Bubbles, KCMO) and 20 (Gomer’s, KCMO). Relatively deep copper orange color, but lighter in the glass with a generally thin body and narrow legs. Traditional rye nose with hay, menthol, muted cinnamon, cream, and chili peppers. Clean and pure - can snuff deeply with no flash of burn. Nicely spiced on the palate. Again chili peppers and cream are assertive, but allspice, anise, and especially clove make a bold appearance. A splash of vanilla. Only modest sweetness at any point through the tasting experience. Cracked black pepper, menthol, and a gentle barrel char note wash the palate and linger quite prominently on the finish. Cloves outlast the others. Overall it is quite spicy; somewhat more than many of the mainstream barely legal rye whiskies. A surprisingly well-made dram for small-market Iowa. Not a knockout winner, but one heck of a value at $30 for a 46% single barrel craft bourbon with zero ethanol on the nose (scored the Bubbles one for $20 on clearance - one of 4 remaining bottles).

Light, reddish-copper brown. Thin body but relatively oily legs. Rich, cereal-centric Irish whiskey nose. Plenty of vanilla. Palate is dominated by vanilla notes, strong menthol, and a relatively pervasive cocoa. Spicy cinnamon and a bit of ethanol that fades quickly on subsequent sips as the palate acclimates. A few vegetal notes come along for the ride - definite chili peppers, maybe a trace of that dill from MGP rye. Overall, hard to complain. Not perfect but perfectly drinkable at the $30 (sale) price point. The stave toasting flavor profiles they used show clear similarities to makers 46 ideology but I’m not complaining.

Single barrel 2019 “Happy’s W&S” store pick. 92 proof. Really enjoying this. Closest representation of Angel’s Envy finished rye I’ve ever had. All creamy vanilla and cinnamon. Not sure how the single barrel and slightly upped proof is vs the standard 86 proof expression, but this is impressive. Clear, sweet, lactose-y cereal note on the nose - leftover milk after a bowl of Cinnamon Life. A nicely-spiced rye but silky smooth. Sweet Demerara with a creamy, oily body, then Big Red cinnamon that lasts and lasts. Delightful tingle on the finish for a solid minute. Not overly complex, but seems to have a target flavor profile and nails it. Extremely impressed for a craft distiller. I might go buy a few for the bunker.

It is my time to revisit buffalo trace’s (over-)hyped low/mid-level product line. CEHTSmB was on deck! Wanted to come back to it to see if my somewhat tepid response had evolved over time. Still a super creamy nose. All lactose with an evasive but measurable sweetness. Vanilla and pear is the best I can label it. A flash of spice that seems unavoidable at the end of a sniff no many how many times I acclimate. An incredibly oily body for 100 proof. Quite impressive and enjoyable. Adds to the creamy qualities. Cream and prevalent vanilla that immediately blossoms into cinnamon spice on the tongue. Not overly sweet (a pleasant change of pace) but only for the spice lovers. This cinnamon and menthol tingle does not fade (neat, at least). Finally starting to appreciate the bottle for what it is as an adventurous departure from mainline bourbon. Will never be a favorite but an enjoyable change of pace that is clearly well-made but not in my typical wheelhouse for bourbon. I will keep a bottle around for the variety.

Partially reneging on my previously lukewarm reaction to the ubiquitous BT. Been trying to clear older bottles off the shelf so decided to kill this one. I think this one doesn’t stand up well in direct comparisons, but on its own is just a really well-balanced bourbon at the $25 price point. All the classic bourbon flavors, toward the sweeter end, but with a solid and very welcome hit of oak and astringency to balance it out. As a casual sipper, no complaints. Had been holding onto the end of this bottle for a side-by-side with a BT store pick, so opened that and the main difference was the store pick was missing 80% of the oak, perhaps intended for gentler palates. I prefer the everyday bottle by a clear margin.