Tastes

This came via a friend who is all calm on the outside and full out death metal on the inside. Only guy who I know that broke his hand in residency by punching a wall. Absolute hell of a guy. A medium, orange-tinted amber. Thinner appearance. Nose bursts with butterscotch and bread notes - something of a leavened dough. The latter yields a bit of yeast funk. Herbs and spices start to come out next - bay leaf, thyme, tad of eucalyptus. Earthy clay, dried cherry, slight tobacco. Youthful and grain forward - as in 2 years youthful (but no way to say for sure). There is a more coating feel than expected based on proof and appearance. The palate is a tad hot but not harsh. Following the youthful yeast funk the doughy rye notes the spice sets in - dare I say a bit of pumpkin spice latte. Plenty of light caramel, bit if fresh cut apple to round things out sweetly. Maybe a bit of a hot buttered rum or kettle corn finish. Does this make me think GWAR? Can’t say that it does. Frankly speaking, all I know about GWAR I learned from the film Empire Records around 20 years ago. Talk about flicks that I couldn’t tolerate as my current self (and may reveal faults of my former self). There is probably a dash of hormonal, teen spirit here - and maybe that’s where the nipple piercing, costume-wearing, death metal stuff kicks in? Sort of like sweaty socks and oily faces - this just needs more time. Like 10 years. And on that note, I’m pretty sure I would have called the cops on my former self and will take a moment to reflect on the divine mercy that has gotten me this far…

I think the claim to fame of this offering is that, once upon a time, it was one of the few 6-8y, 36% rye MGP mash bill products out there. To anyone who had never tasted such a thing (much more spicy - dill, pepper, cardamom and almost a cedar note rather than oak) it would likely change hearts and minds. Fast forward 5 years, after never being able to find the stuff, and the shelves are littered with the same offering under 20 different independent labels. I’m sure the owners would argue that theirs is different, but it’s not. Classic high-rye MGP bourbon. Probably worth $60-70 uncut and at full proof but not a dollar more. If you can’t find it (which I generally cannot) then any 36% rye MGP bourbon will. Personally I would take cask strength Belle Meade, which is richer and sweeter than this, any day. No longer unique, I struggle to see how this remains so sought after.

Oh MGP (or whatever they’re calling themselves now) how do I love thee - notes of cedar and dill (hallmark) are present but this is softened and wrapped in a caramel blanket. I suspect the latter is thanks to the light whiskey component. For comparison, Smoke Wagon uncut is more edgy and spice forward and not as sweet. Belle Meade cask strength has a similar balance and sweetness, and higher proof - so possibly a winner. None have the complexity of a Remus Reserve. This is quite good, and would love to pay around $55-60 but sadly is running $70-80 locally. I’ll enjoy it, but don’t anticipate missing it.

This offering seems to be a bit divisive - largely because consensus suggests the prior 6y BiB was perfectly fine and much more affordable. Having had that one years ago and repartitioning my neurons since, I sadly cannot say I remember much about it. Maybe that in itself says something. This, likewise is a bit forgettable. Case in point, this was the 3rd pour of the night this past weekend. Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely delicious (so my brain tells me). It just didn’t have a wow factor. What I think I remember is that it was a bit oily, and I liked that. There was a notable HH oak-forward profile but in balance with cherry and caramel. Not many earthy notes that I can recall. I look forward to tasting this again - from my friends bottle. At $50 or more this tracks with the market, which is not a complement. I would actually consider a bottle if the circumstances were right.

Interesting pour. Nose has a bit more complexity than Willett Pure KY, but also a bit hotter and more astringent. The palate is a different ballgame though. Still thin and overly laden with corn sweetness but adds an interesting floral, almost perfumes component. Kind of like licking a 75yo cashier at Macys - using my imagination at least.

Very Blanton’s-esque but without the oak to back it up. Little burn but still somehow hot on the nose. Candy corn, chalk, thin. Not bad for the price but would take Old Bardstown Bottles in Bond over this any day - and generally cheaper.

I’ll keep it short, contrary to my usual hyperbole. This good, as one would expect for a 15 year old Beam whiskey. The nose demonstrates a bit of astringency following prolonged barre aging - furniture and leather polish. The palate is loaded with weathered notes - oak furniture, dusty attic, dark cigar wrapper, brown sugar, sorghum and a dash of cedar and clove. No score just yet - will have to think on this one for a bit. Just a lovely whiskey.

How anyone gets away with charging $85 for a 2 year bourbon I do not know. Maybe a sign of the times?, inflation?, the world gone mad? Long story short I’m not sure I could knowing pay that. But I can, and did, unknowingly pay approximately that. This is one of two bottles that arrived on my doorstep in a large fancy box from Clermont, KY. The Beam family’s Barreled and Boxed program is outstanding in that it cuts the allocated bourbon line and instead places bottles, and a very large box, on your doorstep. The presentation is lovey and the convenience can’t be beat. But overpaying for a 2-year bourbon to get my hands on a 15-year bourbon that isn’t sourced from Barton - it seemed like a good enough idea. The premise behind this bottle - essentially what I’ve asked for again and again - is lovey. Lower proof off the still. The fermentation period being stretched to 5 days is interesting and could go either way. More ethanol, less in fermented sugar, more byproducts of fermentation that could taste spent or fantastic. Light golden in color and a bit of a viscous appearance. The nose screams Old Granddad 114 - gobs of vanilla, red hot cinnamon candies, corn cookies, apple pie and a dash of cola. There is a singe of alcohol as well. The surprising part is this doesn’t have the grainy cereal notes of some other craft bourbons being put out at 4y or less and I would guess 6y if I didn’t know better. There’s a bit of oak to balance the sweet notes but that’s it. A bit hot and thin but bursting with cinnamon, vanilla and more oak than the nose. There are some black tea notes, but if tobacco and corn grain mid-way to the finish which is short and spicy with a bit of caraway, pepper and sorghum. It’s really quite good. I’m surprised in the same way that Castle & Key’s bourbon (batch 2) and Willett’s 4 year rye pack an unexpected amount of flavor in such a short time. I would say the same thing about their price points as in this case - they have some marketing fancy that drives up the price to a point in a cringy way. Is this more complex than OGD 114 but with a very similar profile - yes. Does it command the additional ~$50 - absolutely not. It’s up my alley but wouldn’t be something I’d ever purchase stand alone unless the price hovered closer to $45-50 max. I could see going as high as a 4 in my book but with price considered can’t justify more than a 3.5. Frankly I could go as low as 3.25 and for the time being will stick with that as a score so long as OGD 114 is available.