Tastes

Neat. Neck pour. Stumbled on the A120 today, gave up hope of finding it honestly. But found a dozen on the shelf at Party Source like its no big deal, in June five months after release. I adore the B520, whiskey of the year candidate. Let’s see how A120 stacks up. Nose kicks ass. Buttery sweet rolls. Charred caramel. Powdered sugar. Butter cream. Nice sweet oak. Man this is delicious smelling. The more I sit with it, it even reminds me of frying French Toast. No no no. It’s elephant ears. That fried batter and then that powdered sugar. That’s a cool nose and memory trigger. Straight back to King’s Island or festivals. Oh man it tastes like it too. Oh that and more. Wow. I need to compare this to B520... Texture is perfect and creamy. Sweet oak, cinnamon and brown sugar up front. Transitions to that delicious fried batter and powdered sugar. Then comes the charred caramel and leaves you with the sweet oak. Oh man I love ECBP. It’s on such an amazing hot streak right now.

Neat. Party Source 10 year store pick. My last bottle of KS was a bit disappointing. Delicious but also not twice as good as regular 101 so it just felt like poor value. Came across this 10 year store pick and couldn’t resist. Initial impression, I am glad I pulled the trigger. The age on this is making its presence known. Dark sweet oak and vanilla extract. Lots of cinnamon and baking spices. Beautiful cherry. Leather. Butterscotch. Gorgeous nose. Average mouth feel. Super dark on the tongue. Bitter even like a dark chocolate. I have never had anything so dark and bitter up front. The taste matches the nose. Heavy oak presence, leather, vanilla, butterscotch, cherry. It comes in nice waves. Ends with that bitter dark chocolate. This dark chocolate note is throwing me off. It’s like Hershey’s Baking Chocolate, even dries the mouth as if you tries to swallow a spoonful of it. Comparing it to base 101, the extra years have altered this completely. The two pours rhyme but are also so different. Conflicted on this one. It’s delicious but also too bitter. The bitterness hangs too. Maybe it will open up but I think this barrel may be overaged. Strange.

Neat. Opened for maybe 2 years (wow, time flies). So Booker’s. After Teresa’s Batch, my faith in Booker’s was broken a bit. Country Ham was amazing but not enough for me to collect batches like I used to. But I decided to return to Sip Awhile to understand if I am propping up the old batches or if they were better than the last year. Nose is very subtle actually. Creamy vanilla frosting. Only a hint of the Beam nuttiness. Some really nice cherry. Charred caramel. Quintessential bourbon but nothing knocking me out. Viscous and syrupy. Maple and vanilla sweetness up front. But it brings the flavor. Cherry, peanuts, chocolate, caramel. It really brought it all in waves. Maple and honey is really strong and pronounced throughout the experience. Really dense with good flavors. The cherry on the legs and aftertaste is fabulous and lingers. It’s amazing. I struggle with Booker’s now due to the inconsistency and price gouging but it’s nice to know I wasn’t crazy to fall in love in the first place. In my top 5 favorite Booker batches of all time.

Neat. Opened more than 6 months. Recall loving this the first time I had it but it has been so long I can’t recall the profile other than being nutty life a high proof Heaven Hill. On the nose, those peanuts reign supreme. It’s like a creamy peanut butter. Hint of toffee and mint. Some nice barrel char. Baking spices. The peanut butter subsides the longer I sit with it and it has plenty of flavors to pick out behind it. Starting to get some milk chocolate and sweetness. Mouth feel is perfect, so creamy. All cinnamon and brown sugar at first. Ah, the flavors are fantastic. The taste exceeds the nose. Chocolate, peanut butter and toffee are there but then some vanilla and apple. Nice oak presence on the legs. Decent amount of brine on there. Nice caramel drizzle coming through on those apples. It is a bit more tannic and drying than I would have expected out of a 7 year. Mmm this is a delicious pour. Clearly forgot how good this was. The nose is a bit generic and boring but the taste is fantastic, crisp, creamy, and rich. Really enjoying this today.

Neat. Open for over a year. Store pick. Been a long time since I tried this Rye. I can’t remember if I liked this or not even. Found the bottle hidden in the back of the shelf, so why not explore it before I bury it again. Nose is light for cask strength, barely any alcohol burn even. Jim Beam nuttiness is there in the background, which is fun on. Rye. Lots of lightly toasted caramel and charred marshmallow, especially a lot of sweetness with a hint char. The rye is mostly just a background note. No dill or black licorice. A nice peach, maybe even lemon with the acidity. It’s lightening up over time and vanilla is emerging. Really really pleasant and inviting rye. I think this is barely legal rye and I could see it getting confused for a bourbon. Texture is super oily, it costs so well. Brown sugar and cinnamon initially, hint of that lemon even. Much darker than I was expecting. Charred caramel, undertones of nuttiness. Legs are initially a blast of rye spice but really lighten up into vanilla and lemon. Maybe even orange. The longer I sit with it, I am getting a tannic aftertaste and dry mouth. Some excellent flavor on this. No idea why it got buried. I’d put this right next to a Pikesville. The base profile is more bourbon than rye, but the rye brings out these great sweet, citrus fruit notes you would never associate with a Knob Creek product. Only knock is that lemon, acidity can come across as too harsh. The tannic aftertaste takes away from the experience as well. I can still see this in my Top 10 ryes under $75. I’ll grab another store pick when this one is done.

Neat. Neck pour. Store pick - Gallenstein Selection 22, 15 year 4 months! Might be my oldest Knob Creek yet. Hmmm, brighter than I was expecting on the nose for being this old. It’s cherry and vanilla leading. Nutmeg, cinnamon. Barrel char. I’d have a tough time guessing the age on this blind. The color is dark but it is bright initially. I let it sit for a bit and the caramel is emerging. It’s that hard caramel that my grandma carried in her purse. Worthington’s right? The oak is more there as well. This one may change significantly now that it is opened. Rich and creamy, cinnamon and brown sugar take of the mouth instantly. Zero Beam nuttiness. Not even a hint. I might mistake this for Buffalo Trace it is that off profile. Cherry and even a slight hint of orange. So sweet. Super bright and rich vanilla. Some caramel coming out too. The oak only shows up on the very back end and it’s just a hint. The more I sit with it, I start getting cola even. Cherry cola. Man, this is a good pick and I needed a good pick. Last Knob I cracked sucked. This one comes roaring back. Shocked by the flavor profile. A cherry forward, zero nuttiness Knob Creek? A 15 year with only a hint of oak? I may compare this later to EHT Barrel Proof later. It is more in line with than than a Beam product. So strange but utterly delicious.

Neat. Neck pour. Being an MGP nut, I was quite excited to hear about this release. The nose is recognizable MGP with some interesting differences. The finish really mellows out the bright notes (like vanilla or butterscotch) but keeps the sweetness in tact. You get this nice layer of raspberries and blackberries. Heavily charred, rich caramel. Flaky buttery pie crust. Hint of milk chocolate. Just really inviting and comfy. Texture is super think and syrupy. Lights up the tongue with intense fruit sweetness. It’s so oily it costs everything. The raspberries and blackberries are so intense up front, they dominate everything else. Once they subside, the oils bring another round of flavors matching the nose. Caramel, buttery pie crust. Berries and chocolate on the long long legs. Just devastatingly delicious. The longer I sit with it the bright notes are shining through more and now I am getting a delicious MGP butterscotch. This is an amazing pour. I haven’t gotten into Bardstown yet but couldn’t resist this one. It does not disappoint. I need to try Cigar Blend still but the finished MGP I have had, I think this is the best.

Neat. Opened over one year. I recall loving this but it’s been a very long time since I have had a pour. My rye experience is also much deeper than it was when I bought this bottle. The nose is very nice. Balance between sweet corn and rye spice. No dill or black licorice. Nice floral, honey and caramel. Black pepper. Rye bread. Goes back and forth from being bright and then mid-range notes. Lots of dusty corn. Getting some fruit but again bounces between light and mid-range. Apples to raspberries. It’s a great nose. Nice creamy texture despite the proof, quite oily. Cherry sweetness on the tongue almost maraschino cherry even. Transitions to a nice vanilla and caramel, leaves you with rye spice. Decent oak presence on the legs, leaves a drying sensation. Deep into the legs, I do get some black licorice now. I might even say it starts as red licorice at the beginning of the experience and then transforms to the black licorice by the end. This is a really good, easy sipping, super sweet rye. Even at 90 proof, it’s creamy, oily and packs some dynamic flavors. I honestly thought I was going to be disappointed revisiting this one after so long but it is very good.

Neck. Sample from the Bourbon Junkies. So rich. The oak comes across like chocolate from a fountain. Plum. Leather. Toffee. Caramel brittle with chucks of melted marshmallow. Slight hint of cotton candy. This is a special nose. Bit thinner than I was expecting. While it is lower proof sometimes the oils in these old whiskies can still make it creamy. Very light and sugary bright on the tongue, surprisingly so. Oh it packs the flavor. A wonderful cherry note gives way to a blast of vanilla which then transitions to a beautiful oak. Best part about this oak is that it is not drying overly drying. Legs linger with that vanilla and oak. The oak is as creamy as it smelled, once again like a melted milk chocolate fountain spooned straight in my mouth. I might even describe the whole experience as a cherry cordial. This is a beautiful pour. Absolutely gorgeous. I did a quick head to head with Rhetoric 24, the flavors on the Lost Prophet just crush it. Rhetoric 24 is delicious on its own but Lost Prophet is more dynamic pour with all the different flavors.

Neat. Neck pour. OHLQ pick 3 of 5. Lots of cinnamon and clove lead the nose, gives way to a nice charred caramel and a hint of cherry. Pie crust and vanilla begin creeping out over time. Slight hint of green leaves. Syrupy on the tongue, really costs the mouth. Cinnamon sugar up front and wow it is brighter than I was expecting. This barrel really pops. Lights up with a rich cherry and waves of vanilla. The caramel is coming on strong with subsequent sips and the legs are that pie crust. Starting to get a nice Apple note well into the legs too. Really stretches out. This one is very yummy. I’ve had a few of these store picks but I don’t recall the initial flavors kicking in the teeth like this one. Really enjoying these 5 year picks.