Tastes

Neat. First time back to this bottle after a few weeks on the shelf opened. Nose presents itself as classic Beam. First note was a nuttiness. Digging deeper reveals vanilla and preserves. There is a lovely lightness to it. Mmm, hitting me right tonight. Maybe this opened up because this is a different experience to me. The flavors on the taste runs the exact reverse of the nose. Preserves and vanilla blast and they Give way to the nuttiness. Legs are a red velvet and last a decent length for a 94 proof. I dismissed this at first but it’s a beautifully balanced whiskey. Getting a higher score this go round.

Neat. Barrel 15-1941. Spring 2019 release. Such a bright, delightful nose. Barrel proof (111 proof) but barely a hint of it on the nose. Really fruit forward, berries and cream. Deep caramel too. Hint of coconut. I feel like I could search this and find something new every time. I don’t recall a non-finished rye having this much going on with the nose. Mmm, that’s a good first sip. Hot damn. Texture is perfectly thick and oily. Brown sugar and cinnamon blast the tongue, gives way to chocolate, hits you with the rye spice, gives way to caramel and vanilla. This is a special barrel. I tried Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye for the first time a few days ago. This is significantly better. After the first few sips, the nose is even more delightful now. Well done New Riff. Well done.

Neat. Candy quality to the nose. Vanilla frosting. Mint. Pepper and rye spice. Super thick, syrupy texture. Almost reminds me of a maple syrup that has hardened a bit and has crystals of sugar throughout. Brown sugar and maybe cinnamon initially. Gives way to the same flavors from the nose - vanilla, hint of mind, pepper and rye spice. Quite delightful. Did a comparison to the SiB too. The SiB is very light in terms of the flavor notes by comparison. The Barrel Strength is a step up in complexity.

Neat. I believe this is sourced since the bottled says Western Reserve was established in 2015. Shot in the dark, but I would guess Barton based on the nose. Nose reminds me of 1792 Small Batch. Wood, caramel, dark fruit, hint of brown sugar on the nose. On the taste it is very thin. Hint of those sugars and caramel. Hint of spice. Not much on the legs. Nothing offensive or off putting about it, easy to drink but not much flavor to latch onto either. Unfortunately the bottle design is the best part of this. Too expensive for what it is and I regret dropping the money on it.

Neat. That nose is interesting. The Vermouth influence is dominating. The taste is smooth and delightful. I hope this opens up with age.

Neat. Not a fan of the 1792 Small Batch but this Full Proof version is great. Bright notes on the nose. Vanilla, apple, honey sweetness. Nice creamy mouth feel. More bright notes on the taste. Pear, apple, vanilla. Just solid stuff.

Neat. This is a perfect bourbon. Buttery corn on the nose. Tons of vanilla. Nice syrupy mouth feel with tons of caramel and vanilla all over. Absolutely delicious in every way.

Neat. Leather. Vanilla. Oak on the nose. Little nuttiness behind those. Average mouth feel. Same flavors on the taste with some added spiciness. Legs are long with that vanilla and nutty note. Almost reminds me of a lower proof Booker’s. Would be interesting to blind taste this against Bakers. A solid, smooth sipper. Not delicious but it could open up nicely.

Neat. Peanut. Buttery popcorn. Tons of vanilla on the nose. Nice creamy texture. Vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, charred oak. Rich and strong finish. Barely shows its proof anywhere too. This lives up to the hype. Hot damn.