Tastes

Neat. Sample. The nose is hot. Too hot. Working hard to get to the flavor which is very reminiscent of a MGP Light Whiskey. Honey, caramel/butterscotch, graham cracker. Viscous mouth feel, darker on first impression than expected. Brown sugar. Transitions into a peanut brittle mid palate. Butterscotch, honey and graham cracker on the finish. Finish has an odd bitterness to it too. Young MGP can be a turn off. They did a good job blending and disguising the youth. But the blend is so hot. One of the hottest whiskeys I have had in quite some time. There are some decent flavors but not worth the journey to get there. Too much other great MGP floating out there to recommend this.

Neat. Neck pour. I keep telling myself to stop buying these old Barton’s but then they get good hype and I buy them anyway. I love the proof point on this year’s release but I also thought the 14 was a few steps below Sam Houston. So this feels like a risk. This nose is very balanced. The oak isn’t overwhelming. There is this lovely layer of oak, leather and tobacco. Depth of flavor behind those. Toasted almonds. Sea salt caramel. Cinnamon and clove. Red fruits - raspberry. Powdered sugar and fried dough. It’s very nice and dessert leaning. Mouth feel is creamy, definitely benefitting from this higher proof point. It’s initially lighter than you would expect. Lots of spiced vanilla. Mid palate brings a wide range of flavors, mirroring the nose. Oak, leather, tobacco come in waves. Red fruits really coming through, still going raspberries and not cherry. There is a red velvet cake with a nice buttercream. Those flavors consistently play through to the finish and hang for a medium length. This is a crushable bottle. It’s got depth but it’s also an easy sipper. I just did a quick side by side. This Calumet 15 is better than the Sam Houston I have. That oak, leather, tobacco on the Calumet with the higher proof just elevate it easily. Not blown away by it, it won’t be a top pour of 2021 but it’s a superior blend of the old Barton going around.

Neat. Sample. First Compass Box experience! This nose is very rich and surprising. Significant oak presence. Hint of chocolate and nougat. Blue berries. Salted caramel cover pretzel. Popcorn kernels. Apples too. There is a fantastic depth to this. I like the nose quite a bit. Mouthfeel is delightfully viscous and really coats. It’s very light and bright up front. Cinnamon and apple with a hint of salt. Really escalates into a flavor bomb mid palate. The brightness shoots up like a rocket and brings this delicious salted caramel in its wake. Pretzel comes through as the blue berry as well. The finish is very bourbon-like. Caramel, oak, vanilla, apple. There is a wine of the finish too and it brings a drying sensation (but not a turn off). Okay that is delicious. This is a bourbon lovers scotch right here. The proof, the flavors, the finish. If you told me this was a finished bourbon I may believe you. The finish is still going strong as I type this conclusion. I am simply impressed by this sample. I will buy a bottle if I see it.

Neat. Neck pour. Really enjoying what Chattanooga has done in such a short time. Had a sample of this a few weeks and was impressed enough to grab a bottle. The port on the nose is quite vibrant and brings this nice sweet jam on top of everything. And I dig Chattanooga’s base. Toasted barrels blended with charred barrels and high malt. Very peppery and savory, almost like a grill rub that’s a blend of salt, pepper, and various spices. So many layers of fruits on this - beyond the port, I am getting apples and orange. Even a charred pineapple. It’s a strange nose as I think about it and break it down. More characteristics I associate with a a scotch than a bourbon in many ways. Only 95 proof but it has this nice creamy mouth feel. Pepper, cinnamon, clove with brown sugar initially. Those fruits come in mid palate and that port influence takes more center stage. Finish is short. Peppery again, a bit of that charred pineapple. This is just a solid, finished daily sipper. Not too many of those out there. In terms of port finished, I’d drink this over Angel’s Envy or Bowman.

Neat. Sample. I have bourbon regret not grabbing this but a whiskey friend sent a sample to fill this hole in my heart. The age on this shines through on the nose. I love these 10-12 year MGPs finished like this. What is interesting, and I am guessing this comes from the finishing, the high rye is amplified to the point it could even be confused with being young as well. It has the overwhelming brightness, shiny, green character. Sits right next to the oak. It’s odd. Really good MGP notes though - butterscotch, graham cracker. I don’t think the finish adds a positive dimension to this nose. Nice oily and creamy mouthfeel, love it. Surprisingly pepper forward. Sweet too but really peppery and spicy initially. Transitions to a beautiful MGP. Chocolate, butterscotch, dark cherry, graham cracker. Yum. Hmm, the finish though. The brandy takes over the finish, lingers for a while, and dominates. Not sure I like it. It’s a tonal mismatch to me. It’s very acidic and sharp. Very conflicted. The underlying MGP is so good but the finish may have actually diminished a great whiskey rather than adding to it. This is the first finished MGP I am not digging. The finish is a turn off. On the bright side, no more regret not buying this one!!!!

Neat. Neck pour. Kelvin Collaboration I is one of my favorite pours ever. I didn’t get my hands on the second one. Really looking forward to this tasting while outside on my patio on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The nose is lighter and brighter than I expected. The Sherry is shining through more than the rum as well. I would venture to guess this is younger than batch I, or at least has more younger barrels in the blend. The Sherry is delightful though. Under that is a layer of peanut shells. Lot of fruit tort qualities here. Very sweet, hint of sour. Pie crust. Leans towards vanilla waffles even. Very rich and pure dessert. On to the taste... Another home run.... god Four Gate. I just need to never pass on these again. Mouth feel is oily and syrupy thick. The rum finish makes it presence known immediately on the front of the palate. Cinnamon sugar sweetness turned up to an almost overwhelming degree. Transitions to this decadent dark chocolate and a medley of fruits. Those fruits are covered in a glaze of simple syrup. The more I sit with it, the flavors from the bourbon are starting to come out as well. Rich caramel and tobacco. I’m just going to curl up into a ball and smile for awhile... Side by side against Kelvin I, this may actually be better. Which is crazy. They are two totally different beasts. Kelvin I the finishing is more of a compliment to an older bourbon. It’s darker and the oak shines through. The Kelvin III it light, bright, and tremendously sweet. But it also has more depth to it and is simply more delicious if you are in the mood for the sweetness. Strong recommend.

Neat. Sample. I don’t know where to put this tasting so here is as good as any. This is a sample from a blend, the sticker names the bottle “Lot Bee.” Why bee? Because it’s finished in honey barrels. And it’s MGP Too, 6.5 years old. I mean, I am probably going to love this... Oh Honey. Literally, an Oh Honey on the nose. It’s interesting, the honey morphs the MGP characteristics. The butterscotch is really coming out and the rye is put way in the background. Lots of honey graham cracker. Bit of apple. It’s mostly just light, bright, and sweet. 6.5 years too, so MGP young notes are not present - which is fabulous. Deliciously creamy mouth feel. Oh my, that’s immediately enjoyable. It’s like someone is pouring straight butterscotch syrup in my mouth (relentlessly). There is not much depth here, but the graham cracker in the middle and a hint of chocolate on the finish. The rest is a non stop wave of butterscotch. That’s a crazy pour. I honestly have had to step away from it. It’s so rich that I can’t just chug it. I have to take it bit by delicious bit. It fits in an odd spot where it’s a one note bourbon but that note is so good I can’t hate it. I’m one step closer to understanding why Belle Meade Honey is so sought after.

Neat. Samples - specifically two 104.6 proofs. I do not like the bottle I bought, which is 84.4 proof. I admit, sipping on it tonight, it is not the completely awful but it still stinks. It’s proofed down too much. Now having these two samples, wow. The proof makes the difference. If you are interested in this bottle, the proof makes a giant difference. My first impression on the 84.4 proof was like 1.5 stars. You see the new score above. I’ll give some notes from the better of the two samples below. On the nose, Medicinal cherry but also dark maraschino cherry is really delightful. There is chocolate and white cream here too, creating a cherry cordial. The oak on this is so sweet and inviting. There are also layers of caramel and butterscotch. Bit of black pepper. There is also this fried dough, I would even go as far as a glazed donut. For 15 years old, this is not oaky. It’s sweet and layers of dessert. Mouth feel is oily but thin. Cherry and chocolate assault the tongue immediately. Apple too. Chocolate really carries through from front to finish. Bright cherry and apple again. Lots of vanilla. Finish is apple and vanilla. Kind of confusing for a 15 year. There is a deep bass like note, dark chocolate the more I sip it. The closest thing I can attribute coming from the age. The nose was more dynamic than the taste and finish but the overall experience is delightful. This is worth the $55-$65 dollars if you find a higher proof bottle. I don’t understand the purpose of the different proof levels, feels like they are shooting them selves in the foot leaving it up to chance on what bottle the purchaser finds. I would have given up on this entirely if not for generous friends.

Neat. 50ml bottle. Found a three pack sample (only $15 in Ohio) that contained the 12 year, Lustau, and 15 year. While I have had the 12 Cask Strength, I have never had any of these. What a fun flight to explore on a Friday. Woah. The nose on this gains more than I expected due to those extra three years. Figs and plums really come center stage. The sweetness is dialed back to the point I am not getting the shortbread even. It’s faint at best. Instead it is coffee cake. Lots of leather. Hint of milk chocolate. The age grabbed me at first, but it does become muted as I acclimate to it - which is odd. Nice oily mouthfeel. Plums up front on the tongue. Still going coffee cake over short bread cookie. Grilled pineapple coming through on the finish similar to the twelve. Really jammy on the finish. Hint of chocolate on the finish as well. The oak is really coming through on subsequent sips but still fully transitions to fruits in the finish. Hmm. Surprised by this one. The nose made me think this would step up a level but overall it is on par with their 12. It hits a different profile but that profile isn’t more enjoyable, just different. Enjoyable but nothing made me fall in love.

Neat. 50ml bottle. Found a three pack sample (only $15 in Ohio) that contained the 12 year, Lustau, and 15 year. While I have had the 12 Cask Strength, I have never had any of these. What a fun flight to explore on a Friday. Very excited for this, been eying a bottle for years now. Nose is very jammy compared to the 12 year. Golly. It’s like the shortbread cookies that have the jam in the center! Little powdered sugar and vanilla icing drizzle. Still getting the pineapple like I did on the 12 year. Getting figs too. The jam is so so nice. Mouthfeel is creamier than the 12 year. The jam and sweetness roll through the mouth immediately. Short bread on the taste but the jam is much more wine like now. It’s as if I am actually sipping wine separately versus the wine influence melding with the whiskey to form cohesive flavors. It is off to the side being it’s own thing. Getting caramels and butterscotch on the finish, which is a welcomed addition. This Lustau is very nice. The Sherry adds quite a bit of depth. Quite nice to enjoy during a cold spring sunset.