Tastes

Man, I really enjoy this. Nose of classic cinnamon, pecan and caramel. Little to no bite. Light bodied and sweet with buttery caramel, rye toast, clove and maybe some cherry. Medium long, warm finish. What it’s not - made in KY (haters gonna hate) - overly oaked - tannic What it is - balanced - classic - rye spice and fruit - well worth the $35-40 If you like 9y knob creek but want something smoother and lower proof, grab this ———— Revisit - I get something like chocolate cherries and cognac this time around, a bit bitter on the finish. Maybe that bitterness is the “flinstones vitamins” that everyone talks about? I don’t mind it and would guess it’s derived from the oak as it reminds me of stirring a campfire the morning after... nose is still sweet vanilla, mouthfeel is thin and approachable. At $40-45 this could be a re-buy, likening it to a fruitier Elijah Craig with its woody notes.

4th time in this bottle. I shake it a few times (something I never do) and pour the glass angrily - why did I buy this? Why did I believe it was a wheated mash bill? What can I blend it with and not hate? Light copper color, legs are slow to start and then race down the glass once they break free. First whiff is still dusty and astringent. First sip, meh. Leaving it alone and coming back though something is changed. I get more of a burnt butterscotch and a bit of shoe leather. Sip again and it’s understandably becoming smoother as I numb my tongue but I get more of the burnt butterscotch and tannins, not overly drying, as well as spice... I would best describe it as “the taste and sensation of licking a 9v battery.” Am I going to go blind? Do I actually like this? Who led me to believe this is wheated? We’re they right? The finish says wheat, but in a Makers sort of way. Spicy, slightly sour and oily. I met my hero, AI GT Stag 2019 and found that sometimes your heroes aren’t what you expected. Don’t get me wrong, they’re awesome. Expectations, however, come with lots of false assumptions. I had many false assumptions on this one. Could this be part wheated, 15 year old juice that just fails to resemble much I have tasted (aside from batteries, or CS Makers - which I take issue with for its sharpness)? I just don’t know what to believe or who to trust, including my own taste buds. I will get to the bottom of this bottle... someday. For now, my guess is HH/Bernheim aged >12 years and the fruity character is gone and the wheat-congener based notes and tannins spring forth. Who knows.

Batch 2, second of the mostly empty bottles in my mother in laws cabinet. Amber in color. Nose is rich and warm with vanilla, ethanol, spice and floral notes. There’s a bit of something tannic in the background. Zing! Dried tobacco, brown sugar, baking spices. Thin and hot but without imparting pain. There’s some toast, leather and clove in there as well. The finish is medium long with more leather than aforementioned items. Fits with the 4 roses higher rye profile but without the brighter fruity pebbles notes. What it’s not: - viscous - buttery - fruity/floral - nutty - without sting What it is - spicy - tobacco smoke - potent vanilla

Cleaning out my mother in laws cabinet... first up this... yellow. Legs oddly slow for any proof, let alone 80. Corn-predominant sour sweetness, oak and aldehyde on the nose. Palate is thin, sawdust, Cheerios, dried fruit. Medium finish. Nothing unexpected - which is not a compliment. Needs to grow up and will revisit once it comes of age and isn’t so watered down.

Revisiting this one. Nice amber, slow legs. Very aromatic with lots of floral and sweet-sour (green apple?), bing cherries and more of an oak backbone than I remember getting before. Light body, slightly oily, hotter than it smells! Initial punch of oak and floral sweetness, then some burn and a medium finish that maintains the oak and green apple sweetness. There’s a very subdued baking spice the deeper I get as well as a sense of char. It also seems to get sweeter (light brown sugar) and more viscous as I go. I like this a lot more than the first few rounds with it. It’s fairly straightforward, traditional and delicious. What it’s not: - especially complex - spice laiden - earthy - nutty What it is - corn forward - nicely oaked - light bodied but still oily - traditional and satisfying KY bourbon

Leather, spice and everything nice... Dark-medium amber. Sloooooow legs. Rich vanilla, spice and sun dried oak in the nose with a singe if ethanol. All of this in a cognac glass while out. Some floral and tobacco notes as well. Not thick but certainly oily. This is hot - leather, tannins, brown butter, toffee, pecans. Further in I get red apple, cinnamon and more sweetness comes out. Finish lasts forever, brings back more cinnamon and vanilla with tannins bouncing back and forth. I neglected to write this down earlier but 3/4 the way through my pour I picked up something that reminded me of fertilizer. Full disclosure, I’ve never tasted fertilizer. There seemed to be a noticeable mineral quality underneath it all. Kind of fascinating as this isn’t something I’ve gotten from a bourbon before. Maybe I’m nuts, maybe it was because I was sitting outdoors in August, maybe I should start drinking less once the pandemic is over...

Was gifted to me by my mother in law who grew up in Bardstown. Orange’ish amber with quick legs. I really like the aroma on this one - it’s basically a nose full of sweet oak. Second whiff reveals a little crem brûlée, tobacco leaf and a hint of leather. Body is medium to light. The youthful juice hits the front of the tongue with smooth bits of vanilla and cola and by the back is more zesty with caraway, nutmeg, oak and some earthy banana/tobacco funk coming back. The finish is shorter than I prefer but pleasant. Overall it’s a good blend of the old and new. The young juice makes for a sweet nose with the older juice bringing along a little complexity. This is no gobstopper but is dang good.

Nice amber color, slow tear drop legs. Right out of the bottle the nose is great with fruity, sweet aromas. Over the next few minutes it remains bright but puts off warm full-fat vanilla iced cinnamon rolls. There’s detectable oak as well. I don’t get any ethanol or astringency unless I really bury my nose in the glass and breathe deeply. Smooth on entry with a quick upstroke of barrel spice and then an oily, brown-butter and barrel char finish. The sharp fruit notes from the nose roll in as a subdued plum flavor. The spice isn’t clearly identifiable but reminds me a little of anise. The finish is buttery, long and somewhat tannic - highlighting the wood more than the juice itself. The complexity I was hoping for isn’t quite there but this is a freshly opened bottle. What gets me is the absence of more sweetness or brighter fruit notes that seemed to come across on the nose. Anyway, for now this is a mature, viscous and satisfying dram but for the price not what you can get from an ECBP or even an Russel’s store pick. That said, the profile is very different from either of those and bourbon “traditionalists” would likely enjoy this one. Will need to revisit...

Liquor barn store pick - barrel #10330. Golden color. Nose upon popping the bottle was a little ethanol, leather and oak but with 10 minutes changed completely and resembles cherry coke, cinnamon and vanilla. The ethanol hangs around but not overwhelming. Thin and immediately spicy with chocolate covered cherries and a medium, warm finish. Second or third (maybe fourth now?) approach brings out some of the malty, floral MGP notes. I don’t get much oak or leather but maybe a bit of tobacco. For the price it’s not bad. Neither smooth or complex I don’t know that I’d buy again but not regrettable by any means. Leave the lips “buzzing” beyond the majority of the finish and might turn off a new neat bourbon drinker. For someone more into MGP, Dickel or KC this probably won’t disappoint. ————— Revisit - legs are pretty quick once they break free. Nose reminds me of pecan pie, sweet but ultimately nutty. There’s a noticeable singe but no aroma of alcohol. First sip was pecan pie with brown butter and gobs of sugar. Body is thin to medium but oily and brings about a wave of allspice and heat. The heat on the palate fades over a minute or so, leaving a nice warm KY hug I the chest and a mouthful of pecan pie again. It seems that from first few pours u til now the malt and chocolate cherries have gone more derby or pecan pie. The nuttiness isn’t something I expected to find. For what seems to be a 9y MGP + 5y Dickel blend I have to admit that this is a new profile for me. No clove, no vitamins and somehow nuts... might be that I chased Bourye (10+ year MGP bourbon-rye blend) with this, might be that one of the base whiskeys was matured in second-use barrels. Might be worth revisiting again soon!! Score is held back on account of the heat (not quite Bookers level) but great coating sensation and novel pecan pie flavors deserve a bump from 3 to at least 3.75 (if not 4 for the nutty novelty).

Oak on the nose, but not overwhelming. Admittedly this is the first crack at this bottle. With a little time to breath it transitions to dusty peanut shells with some floral and vanilla notes coming through. First sip is smooth and oak forward but perhaps even less so than some 12 year bourbons (notably Knob Creek 12, which is $30-40 less and should be widely available). It’s a medium body on the tongue with flavors of mild oak and cedar, tobacco, floral notes and still a bit of peanut butter on the medium finish. As someone who really enjoys big, high proof bourbons and especially Knob Creek store picks I would say this left me scratching my head wondering if the proof were higher if I’d like it more. Don’t get me wrong, it’s solid. For the age statement I would say you can get bigger oak flavor out of younger juice. I found this to be balanced and maybe with time it will show its age a bit more, hopefully becoming better rather than worse. Time will tell.