Tastes

Was skeptical going in, but this was not bad. I got honey and Graham crackers on the nose, with some caramel and floral notes on the palate. The finish was quick to almost nonexistent, but did have some hints of spice. Would be interested to try a higher proof version of this.

Nose: you can definitely smell the Dickel right off the bat, not a bad thing just tells you this is sourced juice immediately. Once you move past the Flintstones vitamins notes you get some more fruit such as pears and apples with an ever so slight dusting of cinnamon. Palate: The Dickelness comes up once again on the front of the tongue. There is a wonderfully soft and oily mouthfeel to this pour, but the notes are fairly muted. Maybe some caramel and vanilla, along with apples again. Finish: This might be the best part as you start to get some wood spice making appearance at the end. Not much heat either, but is still a change of pace from the nose and palate. Overall: nothing wrong with this, but you could of just packaged this as Dickel and called it a day. Not sure that Blue Note really put their "stamp" on this in anyway. Not bad at all, but at the end of the day you are drinking Dickel and nothing beyond that.

Nose: starts off with a very pleasant whiff of citrus, maybe orange peel, with an essence of cinnamon covered roasted apples - loving this start Palate: takes a turn away from the citrus and leans more into floral notes like spearmint along with some baking spices and a hint of vanilla - bit of a let down from the nose Finish: fairly short finish, but does have a nice pepper spice that lingers and a Kentucky hug that appears at the very end Overall: went downhill from the nose, but nothing offensive here, but nothing overly impressive or that matches the hype of the beautiful bottle

Excited to have finally popped this one open! Nose: pecans, milk chocolate, brown sugar, and a hint of fruit - off to a delicious start Palate: quick transition to vanilla covered red hots, some of that Welch's grape juice note that is distinctive to Balcones, and some nice pepper spice - quite the change from the sweetness of the nose, but not at all disappointing Finish: surprisingly quick given the proof, but leaves more of the pecans and grape juice with a bit of baking spice - nice end to a nice pour

Kind of a sad day as I finish this bottle and don't have a backup. I've enjoyed it, so thought I would grace it with another review at the end of the bottle as I did when it was opened. Nose: a strong sweetness of brown sugar, creme brule, and blueberries drizzled with honey- you can still sense the high proof, but it does not burn at all Palate: starts out with a bit of warmth from the alcohol at the start, which then gives way to buttered cornbread which is then followed by some black pepper, a hint of honey, and the slightest bit of dark cherry - again the high proof is quite mild in terms of burn despite the nice amount of spice that is present. Finish: the finish is faster than previously and consists of mostly pepper and a hint of dark fruit - it leaves a very pleasant "tingly" feeling on your lips that lasts longer than the first is itself. Overall: I love how some of the flavors have mellowed and the burn is less intense as more oxygen enters the bottle with the decreased amount of juice. This is one delicious bottle and I hope I can come across it again soon.

Tried some Santis Malt 3 years ago and was not impressed. That said, this pour was quite a different experience. The nose you can pick up on both the beer malt and red wine influences from the casks. The palate has some nice pear notes that then turn into white pepper spice. The finish continues the spice and is medium to long.

Update to my previous rating. I was really hoping that this bottle would come around. I have a couple of the Single Barrel bottles that I was excited about, but no worry since this one just seemed to get worse with time, ended up pouring the last quarter of the bottle out.

Nose: starts off with some wonderfully lite herbal and floral notes, along with some cream covered berries - let's you know this is a high rye right off the bat, but hints at more to come Palate: the cream coolness comes out at the front but quickly gives way spice and herbal notes - is unfortunately a bit thin Finish: the pepper spice stays for the finish but fades rather quickly - does not leave much of an impression Overall: fairly disappointing offering for the Harvest Series, Thank goodness others in the vertical make up for this one.

Nose: bright floral notes greet on the first sniff, which then softens to vanilla and berries - decent, but unspectacular Palate: more floral and herbal notes are present on the palate, with slight hint of spice - feels very much like a rye Finish: the spice and herbal notes accompany you through the end, which is over pretty quickly - short and disappointing Overall: was not really impressed by this, seems like it was somewhat unsure of what it wants to be

Single Barrel Select by Grande Krewe Fine Wine & Spirits (New Orleans, LA) Nose: Opens up with bright notes of baked red apples, brown sugar, vanilla, and caramel - off to an outstanding start! Palate: Hits with a bit of spice (cardamom, allspice, cinnamon) at the front, but then shifts to dark fruit and dry cereal along with a fair amount of heat - big shift from the nose, but still wonderful Finish: The spice and heat continues on the finish, which is much shorter than expected from the palate. Overall: Excellent pick!