Tastes

The nose on this starts off beautifully with classic bourbon notes of vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of cinnamon. The palate has a wonderful zest of citrus and oak spices, along with baking spices, most specifically nutmeg and cloves. The only letdown is that the finish is over too quickly and leaves a slight licorice note on your tongue. The mouthfeel is also a bit thin, but overall this a very nice craft pour.

So tried this at the bar and enjoyed, but now have a bottle to do a proper review. The is not very strong, you have to try hard to pull the notes out, but those that are there are pleasant. I get creme brulee, vanilla, caramel, and a tiny bit of brown sugar. All are pretty faint though. The palate is on a different playing field however. You get an immediate splash of oak spice at the front, which then turns into caramel and baking spices mid-palate and then has a somewhat lingering finish with some heat. The mouthfeel is somewhat thin. Overall you can definitely tell this is a lower Proof pour, but I think you get more flavors from this bottle over the regular bottle of Basil Hayden.

The nose starts off absolutely delightful. Strong notes of caramel apples with vanilla spread over the top, rich but surprisingly not overly sweet. The vanilla and apples continue on the palate which also introduces some pepper spice, which is a nice addition. The finish is the only disappointment here as it fades away quickly. Overall this might be my favorite expression I've had from Glenlivet (although I admit I am not a big scotch drinker).

Smoke comes bellowing out at you upon the first whiff. I get a hint off mesquite and BBQ underneath the smoke, but it is difficult to find. Further down you start getting some chocolate notes as well. The smoke sticks to your upper palate upon first sip, while the thinner vanilla and honey notes wash over the tongue. The mesquite smoke lingers at the finish as well, kind of like breathing in a campfire too deeply. I'm sure there are some out there that would enjoy this, but definitely not something I would crave, ever.

The nose starts off wonderfully with lots of classic bourbon notes such as vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, and popcorn. On the palate, the proof shines through with an immediate taste of red hots, cinnamon and pepper spice with some caramel undertones throughout. The finish is long with the spice and sweet notes interplaying with one another.

The nose on this starts out quite wonderful, especially when given time to open up. Notes of fresh berries, somethig musty but sweet, and a tad of honey. The palate brings a bit of spice, along with some smokey flavors with that underlying mustiness carrying through. The finish is fairly quick, but the spice lingers pleasantly. Overall, this is a decent craft pour, but not something i would purchase again.

The nose takes several sniffs before notes become apparent. When they do, cornbread is the note that you pick up. Next comes some honey and faint cherry. The palate is more interesting as there is some nutiness that covers the classic Beam corn flavor, but then there is some mild spice that starts up at the very back of the palate that is unexpected from what the nose and front palate foretell. The finish goes by fairly quickly, the the spice tingle lingering. Overall, I'm a little thrown off by this one, but it is not at all unejoyable.