Tastes

Neat. The final pour of this Party Source Store pick. This has been on my shelf for too long with only a few ounces left. Bottle kill time! Not a big fan of Jefferson’s but this barrel pick really stood out to me. The other Ocean bottles I have had never lived up to this one. On the nose, there is this nice salted caramel. Damp wood and baking spices. Very slight hint of berries and cream. It’s a very inviting nose, I understand why my novice whiskey drinking friends like this one. Surprisingly creamy for 90 proof and most likely chilled filtered. No real flavor on the tongue, watered down caramel sweetness at best. Salted caramel and oak on the taste. Oak on the finish. That’s really it. This is just an expensive easy sipper. Didn’t even live up to my memory of it. It is smooth and inviting and the flavors that are there are nice but it’s so simple for a bottle that costs so much. This bottle is a conversation piece and that’s it.

Neat. Neck pour. Super excited to get this bottle today. Big fan of the Cornerstone and Rare Breed brand in general. Nose is more subtle than I was expecting. Salty rye bread. The salt coming off this is surprising. There is a nice vibrant orange mixed with a hint of vanilla. Honestly the nose is a bit disappointing. It’s very inviting, no hint of the high proof, very crisp, but not very interesting. Texture is not quite creamy but not watery either. Like a light oil that thins out when it hits your mouth. Wow, this packs so much flavor. I wasn’t expecting that off the nose. On the tongue, it is very subtle with a hint of cinnamon and just a hint of sweetness. But it transitions into a beautiful vanilla with a hint of that orange. Rye spice then comes in a wave and leaves this nice sweet oak on the medium finish. Hard to believe this is 112 proof, drinks like 95. The taste really saved this one. The flavors from the nose to taste translated well but they were so subtle on the nose I wasn’t expecting them to pop like they did on the taste. This is a really good rye. I do not think this Rare Breed is as essential to the rye category as the bourbon is to the bourbon category.

Neat. Neck pour. Starting to get more and more into scotch lately. Something about a single malt goes better with summer to me. Super excited to find this one. I have loved every Ardbeg I have tried thus far but everyone tells me this is the best among the more widely available bottles. Oh what nose. Getting behind the well balanced peat, there is this combination of sweet and savory. Peppered beef jerky, leather, coupled with stewed fruit, vanilla scones, and slightly sour pears. Hint of chocolate too. Really runs the gambit of these light and dark notes. Texture is perfect and oily, really digging the higher proof and non-chilled filter. It mostly sits dark on the tongue with the peppered jerky but then there is a cinnamon sugar sweetness. Almost BBQ like really. Smoked BBQ. Everything on the nose is there throughout the taste. Peppered meat, leather, stewed fruits, and pears. Peat and pepper linger on the legs. Very impressed with this pour. It is the most balanced, flavorful, pronounced Ardbeg I have had so far. At $89, probably one of the best overall values in whiskey across categories too. (Within two minutes of me posting this my wife came in for a kiss, was completely repulsed and louder said “Ew what the f***!” Her score of this dram is much lower than mine apparently.)

Neat. Neck pour. Expectations are low for this $20 release. Expecting it to be somewhere between a Jim Beam and Old Grand Dad. Nose is definitely signature Beam with those peanut shells. Very buttery, but I wouldn’t say peanut butter. The butter is in addition to the peanut shells. Hint of strawberry taffy, thats interesting. Decent sweet oak and hint of leather. This is surprisingly well rounded, crisp and approachable. OGD can be hot on approach but this comes off as 90 proof at most. Fabulous mouth feel, rich and oily. Surprising blast of flavors too. Tons and tons of cinnamon sweetness. Even a hint of cherry up front too. Transitions into signature Beam. Peanuts and vanilla. Cinnamon coming back on the medium legs. Even getting this latent cherry again. Black pepper and spice emerging on subsequent sips in addition to the notes above. Geez and that cinnamon, it’s a cinnamon bomb. Well damn, this is pretty darn good. I think I like this better than OGD bonded. I would call this the best sub-$30 Beam product. If you are hesitating on this one and you like Beam products, do yourself the favor and grab it. Not as a special release, but as the best $20 you will be able to get in 2020. With Early Times on the out, I think this takes the budget crown while it’s on the shelves.

Neat. Opened about a month I think. I was disappointed with the neck pour of this one. Honestly it might just be a bad store pick but I suppose that is a good lesson. The sticker doesn’t mean crap if you don’t know the rep of who is doing the picking. This is supposedly a Wheatley pick though, so I can’t imagine the Buffalo Trace Master Distiller picking a bad barrel right. The nose is just so faint and delicate. Honestly it reminds me of Maker’s cask strength.... I’m going to do a side by side... Man these are more similar than I want to admit. The Weller is definitely better. It’s more refined, some nice creams and berries with the typical caramel. Nice hint of oak. The Maker’s is darker in tone, similar caramel but with a bit of musty rickhouse rather than those fruits and berries. So Weller FP wins the nose (thank god). Okay, the mouth feel on the Weller is perfect. Rich, oily, super coating. Taste on this one is just okay though. Those berries and cream really show up immediately on the tongue. Transitions into caramel and pie crust. Bit of cherry on the finish. Long finish too. Nothing about these flavors are lights out. Back to the Makers, the Weller is better but not by much. Makers feels thin by comparison. Caramel hits first but transitions to that musty oak note. Nice chocolate on the legs. The finish on the Makers may actually win. Ugh, I must not have a good single barrel on the Full Proof. If they all taste similar to this one, Full Proof is not worth the hunt (let alone secondary). I’m going to compare this to Makers RC6 next time. I bet you it blows it out of the water.

Sample. Won at auction in support of St. Jude. This is the final blend of the Beagle Rare collaboration mixed by Kentucky Owl’s Dixon Dedman. Completely different experience from the original blend on the nose. Original blend had these chocolates and dominate peanut butter. This is much lighter and brighter. Vanilla ice cream and apples. The longer it opens up though it begins to shift. Graham cracker crust, caramel custard, sweet cherry sauce. Blueberries? Cinnamon. Back to the apples, but a candied Apple even. No peanut remains from the original blend. Gosh now the bright notes are becoming dominant again. Fun one to pick apart. Creamy smooth texture, sweet cherry cola on the tongue. Takes you for a little ride. Starts dark with more oak than I was expecting. Cherry cola comes round again. Nice cinnamon apple. Caramel and more cherry. Back to the oak which lingers for quite a while. The oak on the nose is more prominent than it was before the taste. Getting some salted pretzel now as well. The legs on this is the best part. Still getting flavors (oak and cherry cola) many minutes later. A fun pour! Hard to imagine how this blend started dominated by peanut butter and ended on a great fruit filled, oaky ride. I have a bit left of each sample to enjoy the rest of the night. Glad I could be a part of this experience and support a good cause.

Neat. Sample won via auction in support of St. Jude. By master mixer and greatest whiskey taster in the world, Matt Porter (ADHD Whiskey). Blend was created as a community collaboration for the WhiskeyTube community. On the nose, I get charred caramel, vanilla frosting, and peanut shells. Hint of mint and chocolate as I sit with it longer. Some really nice strawberries. Buttery pie crust. Getting a bit of cotton candy now too. Syrupy and thick texture. Very dark on the tongue. Brown sugar, black cherry. Chocolate is a dominate flavor and really hangs on the legs. In the middle, a big blast of peanut butter and a hint of those strawberries. Charred caramel and oak. Surprisingly well balanced throughout. Back to the nose, that peanut butter is coming out more and more. A very nice blend by Old Sharter distillery. Really enjoy all of the flavors, very balanced, and fun to explore. Lots to pick apart on the nose and the taste delivers.

Neat. Neck pour. Why not kick off 4th of July weekend with a super serious whiskey review of Screwball. Never had this before but it seemed like a great bottle to enjoy this holiday weekend. The nose at first reminds me of artificial butter smothered all over microwave popcorn. It also reminds me of Buttered Popcorn Jelly Bellies! Texture is super oily like the syrup you pump into coffee drinks. The flavor again is Buttered Popcorn Jelly Bellies. This is delicious and dangerous. It too rich to drink more than a pour or two in a sitting. I think this is also the first whiskey my wife has ever truly liked. Maybe a gateway to some Jim Beam? Fun stuff.

Neat. Sample. Last time I tried this I was not impressed. Time to see if this second sample is any different. On the nose, bit hot with alcohol. Nail polish and Playdoh. It’s not off putting. Vanilla frosting. Just not a nose I enjoy. Geez, nail polish again on the tongue. Fresh cut grass. Caramel apple, but the apple isn’t ripe. Just not a fan of this one.

Neat. Sample. Finished 1.5 years in Armagnac barrels. Honestly I never heard of Armagnac before 2020 and now I can’t escape it! Bardstown blew my mind a month ago and now I find Armagnac finishes in other brands. This is so rich and dense on the nose. A deep, heavy glaze like a reduction or even and ice wine. The Armagnac influence is so strong and in your face. Equally amazing and off putting in a strange way. Next to the glaze is this heavy plum from the finish. As you dig, the familiar caramels and even butterscotch emerge with an enticing sweetness. Texture is rich and oily just as the nose eluded. It’s heavy and dark on the tongue with a sweet stone fruit. Oh but it brightens up in a hurry and really packs a punch. Orange peel sourness transitions to vanilla and caramels. But the caramels accelerate into rock candy sweetness. A surprising amount of oak remains on the legs. Couples with cherry cola. I’m all over the place on this one. Ran out of the sample trying to pick apart this ride. Really like Armagnac finishes. I’d buy this one if I ever found it.