Tastes

Sherry barreled, maple syrup, plum/prune. The finish is just dark barrel stuff; red wine, pungent stone fruit spice. It's a lot of prune, plum and peach. Grainy like a barleywine. Elements of a nice brandy peek in too. The sherry/red wine component comes through early, with a plum/date sweetness. The second wave is orange peel, lemon grass, and potpourri spices. Flower petals. The smoke/peat is low. A very solid addition to the stable.

The nose is butterscotch and briny salt. The peat manifests itself more as tobacco ash: it's smoky but not harsh. Buttery coffee creamer. A sulphuric/broccoli note briefly rears its head, before reverting to its butterscotchy origins. The first sip is milk creamer, a little buttery, but morphs into vanilla creme. There is a spicy cinnamon in the middle of the palate. There is a more earthy peat character with a peppery sting. A distinct plum/prune/stone fruit savoryness poker its head in. The finish is a metallic/astringent first wave. The creamer flavor sticks throughout, with a little zing of citrus spice. The raisin/plum (it must come from the barrels) adds a satisfying finish.

The nose is apple skins, cherry juice, buttery shortbread. Flowery and perfumed. The apple pops throughout. There is a metallic, citric quality on the tail end. Taste smacks of sticky, sweet honey, toffee and molasses. Morphs into maple about halfway through the sip. The buttery shortbread also pushes through, with a drop of vanilla, which adding a little water boosts. The stewed apple also breaks out with a few drops. Finish is mild oak, vanilla tobacco ash. Stone fruits: sugarplum and prune. There is a lingering ashy burn at the end. Syrupy feel and finish. This is a sticky, sweet, and slightly tart Irish whiskey.

A lovely honey color. The aroma is vanilla cake frosting; creamy and sugary. Shortbread cookie, as expected. There is a definite lemon extract adding a puckery nose; lemon-ish adjunct aroma, like a less-tart Lemonhead candy. Taste: Vanilla cake, shortbread, lemon drop, coffee creamer. Once you get past the initial burn, it's a creamy and vanilla-y taste that is so mild and friendly. Stewed apple. Even the finish has a vanilla frosting component. The lemon pucker lingers on the front of the tongue. The burn in the back of the tongue is wood barrel, with a puckery tannin that dovetails nicely with the lemon/citric stuff. The barrel wood comes out of nowhere. Touch of cinnamon at the end, which may be what's adding the unexpected burn. It's very pleasant and sweet, with a surprisingly challenging coda.

After the initial burn wears off (takes 2-3 distant sniffs), there is an almost cooling, minty aroma; it's perfumey sweet, but has a grainy, malty backbone. Just a touch of lemon creme. It's sweet and mild, and has a touch of shortbread like you'd find in an Irish whiskey. The first taste I get in the first sip is wood barrel, spicy and prickly. That is quickly followed by a grainy barley flavor that I identify with a young barleywine that hasn't aged enough to smooth out yet. More lemon creme, like whipped cream that blended with a lemon meringue pie, giving it a zing. The finish is pine oils and forest; I'm surprised this is how it ends.  Some smoke and ash, then a metallic and barrel tannin pucker. The final finish is a bed of charcoal and tobacco in a goop of molasses. But with every swallow the first dominant is heavy, oily pine. And yet the cooling finish bookends the nose. A terrific Scotch.

I read a lot of notes and watched a lot of YouTube videos saying how underrated and decent Mellow Corn is, especially for a $12-15 price point. Don't you believe it. Unless you are on a very strict whiskey budget, Mellow Corn is more a chore than an enjoyment. It is a Whiskey delivery system for less than $20 and that's it. The nose is corn syrup and cinnamon, which is surprising since the mash bill is apparently only 10% rye. There is a banana creme or plantain component in the tail end of the sniff. The taste is banana, corn syrup, rye, gas fumes and charred oak. The 50% abv is not tucked away in rich flavors, but put front-and-center, lighting up the palate like a shot of Fireball. The finish is somewhat tannic, but more wood and corn syrup. Finished very dry and dusty. The finish is not complex; it is not pleasant. This is not an underground sensation or a sleeper whiskey. It's a below-mediocre American whiskey that even a Bourbon-n00b like myself can identify as a fraud. Don't let the "PBR-is-actually-really-good" (it isn't) crowd steer you down the wrong path thinking that for $15 you'll be getting anything more than a $15 whiskey.

A little-known Irish whiskey you've probably never heard of. The nose is orange ribbon candy spices and black licorice. Maple and honey sweetness rein in the bitterness. Black pepper. A metallic taste that I assume is what stainless steel tastes like. The taste is buttery cream at first, quickly morphing into vanilla cake frosting. More of that black licorice. And more metallic/pennies. There is a bit of blood, soy sauce and pepper. It has a slick, oily body. The finish is barrel tannins, ribbon candy spices. The black licorice is a constant throughout, so you have to like that kind of thing. I don't really get much of the shortbread that is part of many Irish whiskeys but I'm an idiot so take it with a grain of salt.

The aroma is peanut dust, hay, sawdust and oak. Green apple skins, some orange zest and ribbon candy. It's got a dry, almost dusty nose, like spending some time in a barn. Taste of peanut, caramel, and oaky wood. A definite apple-and-cinnamon vibe, like a chunky applesauce. The rye kicks in at the front of the palate, and it adds a prickly spice. The finish is vanilla and apple syrup. Some cherry juice, bitters, spicy orange peel and oak. The oak, especially, lingers at the end, giving a lacquered richness. This is one of the better budget Bourbons I've had. Full of rich flavor and terrific for the price.