Tastes

Neat, neck pour. I like this a lot on the nose. Mild rye, sweet corn, light caramel, apple. Light oak. So inviting for a rye. Viscous and syrupy in texture. Very sweet and light on the tongue. On the taste, rye quickly gives way to a vanilla angel food cake. Oak and caramel come back on the legs. I know this is a barely legal rye which explains the delicious qualities and lack of spice compared to other ryes. This is one of my favorite ryes at this price point for sure.

Neat. Neck pour. One year anniversary pick 15-4415. Nose is fantastic immediately. Beyond the waves of oak, light caramel and vanilla, there are deep, ripe red fruits and a hint of honey. Gets spicier the longer I spend with it. Intense rye and peppers. Molasses. Orange peel. This one is tickling my nose everywhere. Very thick and syrupy on the tongue. All vanilla and dark brown sugars gives way to intense oak and cherry. Followed by caramel and vanilla covered in powder sugar. This is an intense and delicious New Riff. I’ve had all these flavors on other barrels but never all at once and this intense. An amazing pick and fitting for an anniversary.

Neat. Neck pour. Second time having this but the first from my own bottle. Such a funky adventure on this nose. So much going on. Deep molasses followed by prunes and port. Dates. Buttery oak. Vanilla. Almonds. I can sit here and tease out all the finishing influences which makes this blend even more impressive. Viscous mouth feel, like a syrup. Blind and with no context this could easy be mistaken for a rum. The port and rum are dominating right now. On the tongue, it’s all berries and plums. On the taste, the port gives way to intense almonds and vanilla. Those prunes, plums and berries come back on the legs. It leaves with a deep, drying oak. This is a great drink but a more interesting adventure than a delicious whiskey. I enjoy exploring and picking this apart but it isn’t yummy. It isn’t something I will crave. I’ll return to it when I become curious about it again.

Neat. Neck pour. Immediately Booker’s but also something more. That nutty blast is still there on the nose but there is depth here that was not there on the prior two releases. So much ripe red fruit. Cherries, raspberries, strawberries. Some citrus too, orange peel. Now lemon. The nose is quite surprising... Texture surprises too. What the hell, this is the craziest Booker’s. First sip and I think I should buy another immediately... Back to the texture... it’s watery but not thin. Milky? Tons of vanilla on the tongue initially. On the taste comes the nuttiness but it subsided into all of those fruits yet again. Intense legs on this too. Vanilla and oak all the way down for miles and miles. Top of mind, best Booker’s regular release ever. The Booker’s qualities I love but then so much more. The watery texture may be the only disappointing trait but calling it watery when it has legs for miles seems odd. After hating the last two releases, Country Ham makes me love Booker’s all over.

Neat. Neck pour. Gallenstein #27. Rich caramel and tons of corn. Hint of cherry and a ton of oak. More oak than a typical Buffalo Trace but otherwise on profile for the nose. Average mouth feel. Expected for the proof. Just some cane sugar on the tongue. Primarily cherry with a hint of oak of the taste. Oak lingers. Perfect pour to give someone just getting into bourbon but a bit thin and bland for me. I’ve had better Buffalo Trace SiB.

Neat. Neck pour. Blast of oak and bread immediately subsided to the sherry influence. Bright, ripe raspberries and cherries. Profound sweetness. Layers of vanilla and sweet cream. Hint of chocolate. The goes back and forth from dark notes to bright notes. Trick and syrupy on the tongue. Brown sugars and maple hit the tongue first, starts very dark. Then those bright red fruits emerge followed by a hint of almond. After that the vanilla and oak. Vanilla and oak linger and dry the mouth, which then brings those red fruits back for another round as you salivate. Hint of chocolate emerging on subsequent sips. Fantastic pour. Many sherry influenced bourbons I have had stick to being light and bright. This one hits all the notes, dark, medium and bright. Every sniff and sip is a bit different. One of my favorite pours of 2019.

Neat. Neck pour. A fresh cinnamon roll to start. Quite a bit of delicious oak and vanilla. The nose has this rich and creamy presence within that vanilla. There is a sweetness that takes over the longer I sit with it. Dark cherries emerge. Creamy and smooth on the tongue. Quite oily. Oh that is good. Waves of flavors that just keep coming. First on the tongue, it’s brighter than I was expecting with that rich vanillas and hit of apple dominating rather than the spice, cinnamon or oak. On the taste it transitioned to this delightful chocolate then into oak and cinnamon. It mutes for a second and then you get a second wave of oak and vanilla. The tannins dry the mouth a bit. Just when you think it’s over the vanilla finds it’s way back as your mouth tries to counter balance the drying. Then in my mouth I can still chew on the cherry. What a delightful ride. The nose is still changing too. That chocolate note and oak are taking center stage. This is perfect.

Neat. 8.5 year. Neck pour. Lighter on the nose than expected for the age and proof. Lots of light, bright notes. Vanilla. Apple. Only a slight hint of nuttiness. Very slight oak. Baking spice. Surprised by how little I can get from this nose. It’s opening up a bit as I sit with it. Creamy mouth feel, very smooth texture. Light on the tongue again. Powder sugar and apple. Oh there is that Beam flavor profile. Man. There is a surprising depth all the sudden. The nuttiness and oak come through kicking but fade into vanilla, caramels, strawberries, maple. Delicious legs for miles. I like it a lot. Going back to the nose I can’t believe how muted I’m the nose is and how much flavor comes on the taste. I am getting more and more from the nose as time goes on. Despite the nose, the taste is awesome.

Neat. Neck pour. Classic MGP nose and very fragrant for only 88 proof. Dessert flavors with a hint of oak and pepper. Vanilla, light caramel and butterscotch. Hint of berries and cream. Smooth and almost creamy mouth feel. Light texture but oily too. Not much flavor on the tongue. Light sweetness but otherwise muted, some barrel spice and vanilla. The taste is delicious and very bright and sweet. Vanilla and light caramel. Light, milky chocolate on the legs. It’s 88 proof and $30. Can’t lose sight of that. With that in mind, the oily thick texture and smooth dessert qualities are amazing. It’s delicious, light MGP. I can see myself reaching for this as a great everyday sipper when I am just in the mood for dessert bourbon.

Neat. Neck pour. BCW-1. Super buttery with sense of freshly made bread. Butterscotch and slightly burnt caramel. Vanilla and a hint of nutmeg. Barely any alcohol despite being 120ish proof. Reminds me of Wilderness Trail quite a bit. Super creamy and oily. Really coats the mouth. Lots of brown sugar and powdered sugar up front with a slight hint of oak and apples. It’s quite delicious. The taste is a flavor bomb. Overwhelming butterscotch. It’s butterscotch on more butterscotch with a hint of those bread notes on the tail end of the legs. That butterscotch is hanging in the mouth forever. It’s not complex, but it’s a flavor bomb with that butterscotch. Super delicious. So smooth at such a high proof too. Superior to Wilderness Trail. Hard to compare to other wheats of similar years like OWA or RC6 because it is pure dessert. Not much spice or oak to pick apart. Is it worth $100? I think so. No regrets buying this from the distillery and a great bounce back for Boone County after the Small Batch fell a bit flat for me.