Tastes

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!

Store: Liquor at the Lake, Lake Wylie, SC Barrel #: 7571560 Nose: Vanilla, caramel, and hints of butterscotch along with some slight baking spices and floral notes that take on more prominence as it breaths - pretty classic Bourbon notes Palate: The vanilla and butterscotch hit again at the front of the tongue but give way to oak spice and spearmint notes that take over mid palate with brown sugar make a small appearance towards the back - nothing spectacular but very solid Finish: This ends fairly quickly with the spearmint lingering for a bit mixed with some very slight spice - the ending makes me think this is a fairly high rye bourbon Overall: Totally decent, but doesn't leave much of an impression other than there is nothing overtly wrong with it

I've had this bottle multiple times, this is my 2nd review since this bottle differs in proof. This review is for the 4 year old version at 114.6 proof Nose: chocolate covered berries doused with baking spices drifts up to greet you immediately. There is also a hint of vanilla that comes to the top on subsequent sniffs - very rich on the nose and perhaps the best I've experienced from a rye Palate: the palate has a rich mouthfeel and the pepper spice and spearmint finally makes an appearance. This is accompanied by some vanilla wafers, adding to the richness - absolutely yummy and keeps the momentum going from the nose Finish: the sip sticks to the top of the palate allowing the spice and licorice notes to linger. The burn is surprisingly mild given the proof, but the fairly long finish definitely does not disappoint - great ending to a fantastic journey Overall: I already loved Willett Rye, but this took it to a whole new level. Every other bottle I've had was in the 104 proof range, so the extra "umpf" enhanced all the favorable notes that I already enjoyed.

Nose: getting some fruit notes right off the bat like strawberries and bananas along with some slight orange peel - quite enjoyable, off to a good start Palate: pretty thin mouthfeel, but loaded with vanilla wafers and more of the citrus notes - left wishing there was more to it, but still a nice dram so far Finish: finish very quick and unremarkable, bit of a let down from the nose and palate - loses all of the promise that had been built up Overall: this was serviceable, glad I tried a pour before getting a bottle because this is one I would not be purchasing more of

Nose: this starts off with dark fruit notes, including plums and cherries, which then turns into heavy corn notes that gives this away as a younger offering - ok start, but worried about the immaturity Palate: the fruit from the nose fades and gives way to lots of corn and cereal flavors. Don't think there is much rye in this as there is almost no spice and it drinks like a wheater or maybe even malt - no worries about immaturity, tastes decent, but does not blow you away Finish: this finishes quickly and the malt notes are the ones that linger the longest with some corn added in - leaves you wishing for more Overall: I really love the Jimmy Red Bourbon from this distillery and had high hopes for this bottle, but found it enjoyable but not blown away by it

Nose: Delicious mixture of vanilla, cherries, caramel, and sweet corn - classic! Palate: more vanilla and creamed corn mixed with some pepper spice and a nice oily mouthfeel - again, classic! Finish: the spice continues through the finish, a tab bit of licorice, and leaves your mouth a bit dry - kind of let down from the nose and palate, but far from a disappointment Overall: I think the 15 year has a leg up on this, but this is as classic a bourbon as it gets and is thoroughly enjoyable