Tastes

Belated. Abbreviated notes: Super impressive for a 1 year craft bourbon. Sweet. Muted cherries and oat earthiness. Rich. Gentle proof spice adds balance. Some barrel notes despite the young age.

Belated. Abbreviated notes: Tasted side by side with LE SmB ‘15. dominant bubblegum, sweet, floral, some gentle barrel notes. Very nice and I could drink this one all day.

Belated. Abbreviated notes: Tasted side by side with LE SmB ‘17. balanced age and fruit, good, 1/2 step down from 2017

Belated. Abbreviated notes: cinnamon spice from proof, huge underlying toffee sweet corn. Very nice.

The first of many belated tastings from a whiskey weekend. Notes abbreviated: smooth, balanced,gentle spice, prominent but enjoyable oak

Bubbles single barrel store pick (Kansas City), probably 2017 or 2018 bottling. Pale straw yellow. Thin in the glass, but leaves surprisingly long legs. Vegetal nose. Cut grass, bell pepper, and eucalyptus layered over a deep but muted foundation of lemon zest. A longer nosing reveals the that zest belongs to a very sweet scone... vanilla-orange glaze. Strong grain notes. More vanilla. Quite lovely and intriguing overall. Floral and sweet at first, then settles into rose water with a lingering sweetness and gentle heat on the sides of the tongue. Oak and vanilla from the bourbon casks come through clearly on the second taste and blend into the other notes subsequently. Honeydew melon. Yellow apple. Very light but carries a full, complex flavor. Often seems to finish with an orange muscat dessert wine note. 92 proof shows with occasional lingering spice and drying sensation, becoming saliva to the mouth. Really quite an impressive pour that is growing on me as I work through the glass. Strongly floral, rich and diverse fruit, clear bourbon notes (first fill cask for all 12 yrs since SiB?) that complement rather than conflict. I will enjoy this bottle... rating reflects the very affordable price point vs. value.

No complaints. Rum comes though strongly, but not a challenging spirit. Sweet with a clear Demerara note. Vanilla. Wouldn’t reach for it, but I think they accomplished their goal.

Impressively gentle and smooth, but there almost nothing there. Cider notes are plain and clear on the palate... kind of a viscous Strongbow. Drinkable and certainly not off-putting, but forgettable.

Tasted side by side with the 12 year. Lustau is a much more concentrated flavor... but I don’t quite care for it as much. It’s more brute force, less elegant. Bold fruit, sherry, and sweet-tart oranges. All the strongly-flavored finishing casks make a fine spirit, but it lacks the rich, thick elegance of the 12. Kind of like pop music vs classical. Catches your attention... but you’ll have forgotten about it next year while the 12 is timeless. Given the retailer was asking $25 more for this one, it’s a no-brainer.

Tasted side-by-side with Lustau, Tullamore 12, and Tullamore finished whiskeys (rum, cider). Both the TD 12 and Lustau were clearly good whiskeys, but this was the clear winner to me. I’d been a little down on it lately as the price has climbed from 35-40 up to 60-65+ in the past few years and it just doesn’t wow me, but in a head-to-head it’s pedigree showed. Amazingly creamy and thick mouthfeel for 80 proof. Honeysuckle nose and a rich, buttery orange peel flavor that curls into a hint of spice around the tongue. Kept coming back and thinking I’d rather just drink this. Yum!