Tastes

Color: Nice medium amber Nose: Somewhat tame nose. I get some "grain" and a bit of alcohol... but that might be the result of my present state of health (continue reading)... Palate: (Drank with an ice cube — and with a compromised nose and palate, due to a cold I caught a few days ago). Slightly syrupy mouth feel, which I was not expecting... something very "unique" about this stuff. I am really getting the "rye" in these initial sips (35% in the mash)... pretty spicy... slightly sweet. Yeah, folks — the rye is the star here — at least going on my cold-ridden senses. Had I been given this blind, I'd have thought it was a rye whiskey. Funny. I said the same thing about another recent bottle I reviewed (Baker's High Rye). Yes... the take-aways from this bottle's maiden voyage are "Rye" and "Spicy". Finish: Pretty short finish... Tongue-tingle. But I'm getting some "black licorice" on the back end (nice!), along with lingering rye. Final thoughts: This is good. Heaven Hill is one of my favorite distilleries — indeed, I count their 7 Year BiB among my all-time favorites. So when I saw this appear on the shelf (glass case) at my grocery store, I snatched it up. My only issue is the price. Not totally sure what goes into pricing, but I would say this should be about $20-$30 less than what I paid. I will say, as I did above, this is a bit unique from what I tend to expect from bourbon. I guess that counts for something. All in all, I am glad I pulled the trigger on it. But would I again? Probably not... not when the aforementioned 7 Year BiB is readily-available in my region for half the price. 4.0 stars, all things considered.

Color: Deep Bronze-Amber Nose: Strong nose of alcohol with barrel char and sweeter notes of leather and oak. I'm thinking that this nose will evolve with time and subsequent pours. Palate: (drank first pour neat) Moderately syrupy mouth feel; Big initial dose of spiciness and sweetness, followed by a chest hug that could melt the Grinch's icy heart! This definitely drinks per its proof... but overall, it's rather balanced. The chest hug sticks around. This stuff is very toasty, indeed. (drank second pour with a large ice ball) Similar Spicy-Sweet initial sips... I'm certain that there's "caramel" in there. Cinnamon, as well... yes, there's the cinnamon! As the ice continues melting further, "caramel" indeed comes around, and "Sweet" begins to overshadow the "Spice". Having had quite a few Bourbon brands and expressions, of various proofs — including some other Larceny batches — I gotta say, this is reminiscent of other high-proof batches I've had (Booker's, EC, etc.). Lots of char, spice, oak, and sweetness. Vague, yes... but I think you can catch my drift. Finish: Medium with barrel char and oak. Somewhat drying, I'd say. I wish I could put this stuff up against 2 or 3 other recent Larceny batches, to get a better read on each of them. But it's hard to hold onto each batch, as acquiring them takes time (takes me time, at least), and its months before I can locate the latest release. By then, the previous bottle has been killed. Looking back at my reviews of previous Larceny releases, the A124 impressed me. Not sure if this C924 is achieving the same notoriety, but I'm placing it on par with most other Larceny batches from my past. I actually bought this for around $10 less than the stated SRP. So what I had intended to score 4.0 stars, gets bumped-up per the value factor to 4.25 stars.

Barreled 01/17 Warehouse CL-3 Aged 7 yrs., 6 mo. Color: Medium copper-Light Amber Nose: Interesting nose! I'm not getting the usual maple and leather that I get from the majority of bourbons I've had. This is more... Grainy(?). I'm going to attribute this to the higher rye content. Dill? Ok, now I know what it is — spearmint, or menthol... or eucalyptus. Weird, I know. I've never gotten that on the nose from any bottle that has come before it. Let's go in for a first sip... Palate: (drank with an ice cube) The higher rye % really is the star of the show here. If someone had blindfolded me, and asked me to take a sip, I'd have asked, "Ok, what Rye is this?". But as the ice slowly dissolves, the "bourbon" starts to come through. I'm getting a nice "time release" chest hug upon further sips. A faint hint of cherry is the next flavor to make an appearance. But this profile is mainly spice-driven. The more I sip... and the more the ice opens this up... the more things I'm getting. I just got a major blast of "cedar" on the last sip I took — like lemon varnish on cedar planks. Very interesting, this one... very interesting, indeed. Finish: I'm calling this a long finish. The spiciness and the herbal/menthol profile dominates here. Wow. I really love when a bourbon surprises me and sends me down a different path than most others have. This is not the smokey, leathery, sweet, cinnamon-y bourbon that I tend to gravitate towards. But I gotta say, this stuff is unique. I don't think I can really compare it to any other bourbon I've had (and I've had quite a few at this point). I'm going to go back to what I've said before — this is a very "Rye-like" bourbon. I wish I had a bottle of Baker's 107 to compare it to. That one I list among my Top-10 bourbons. I may need to grab one and do a side-by-side in the near future. Final thoughts... this is very good. I am not sure yet, at this stage, if it's a "back-up"- worthy bottle. However, considering this is a "Limited Release", I'd say you owe it to yourself to give it a spin — especially if you're a fan of Baker's like myself. I'm giving this a solid 4.0 stars.

Color: Medium Copper-Amber Nose: I really can't claim to be one of those people who can pick-out a distillery from the nose (although I can identify an Old Forester nose in my sleep). But I would say this nose is very "Beamy". Lots of cinnamon and oak. Not much alcohol to speak of. I always like that — regardless of proof. Damned if I'm not detecting a hint 'o cherry, as well. Palate: (drank with an ice cube) Slightly light mouth feel. The bottle claims there are notes of vanilla and cinnamon. I think I'm getting the vanilla (I swear, I've never had a pour that made me jump out of my seat and exclaim, "Vanilla!")... but I will say, "vanilla" here. As the ice cube melts, I get something akin to, "fruity". This is not very sweet — which is fine. I'd say "spicy" and "toasty" are the main take-aways from this first pour. Secondary Nose (what is happening on the nose as the ice melts and it opens-up a bit): Baked apples! Finish: Short and lightly bitter — but in a way that somehow works well with — rounds out — this juice's overall profile. This stuff is good. For the price, I'd say it's very good. I will probably grab another bottle, as it will be good to have around during the holidays. Solid 3.75 stars, all things considered.

Color: Medium copper-amber Nose: Nice aromatic nose of maple, molasses, and oak. Holiday spices, as well. Palate: (drank with an ice cube) Medium mouth feel — not syrupy, not watery. Cherries and more cherries on the opening sip....spicy-sweet....nice dose of butter (as in butter pound cake) hits you several sips in. The only time I've ever gotten that was from Russell's Reserve (go figure!). Spicy oakiness follows that up. Finish: Medium finish with the oak and spice elements dominating. BUT... there's also a hint of "orange creamsicle" in there, along with some slight bitterness. This might be my favorite WT I've ever had (I've had the Straight, 101, Rare Breed, and Longbranch). I bought this bottle a couple weeks ago, and backed it up yesterday on a hunch. That was a smart move. It's supposedly going to be a limited release. Never really sure WHAT that means half the time, but I didn't want to take any chances. Solid 4.5 stars!

Lately, I've been setting out to revisit those bottles that I first tried 2-3 years ago — before I really knew anything about bourbon, and before I had figured out what I liked — and posting new reviews for them. 1792 Aged 12 Years is one of those that I reviewed (back in August 2022), but didn't (couldn't) really manage to articulate what I was getting. So... Color: Medium Copper-Amber Nose: I get hints of maple and baking spices, along with leather. Not too strong a nose. I guess that makes sense for a <100 proof expression. Palate: Oh-so-slightly syrupy feel on the tongue. Tart cherry; Spicy, slightly tannic oakiness; Sweetness comes through after a few sips, but the spiciness beats it back down — not a bad thing, just an interesting observation. Subsequent sips reveal a hint of "bubblegum" — think "Topps Baseball cards stick bubblegum", once the sugary sweetness vanishes. But I'd say "oak" is the predominant flavor in this juice's profile. Spicy oak. Added 11/15/24: Tonight, I killed this bottle... and from the final pour, I'm getting a subtle "hot cocoa mix powder" on the palate. Finish: Peppery finish with spice and more subtle "bubblegum" sweetness. Originally, I gave this 3.75 stars. I think that was/is a fair score. It's very good, and the price makes it taste even better. I think it's important — and appropriate — to consider cost when rating a bottle. At the price I paid, it's at least a 3.5... maaaaaybe a 4.0. Any higher a price tag, and the rating would drop a good .25 - .5 stars.

This was a totally unexpected purchase today. I'd never even heard of this bourbon until this afternoon. Usually I get eye rolls from my wife when I tell her I'm going to buy another bottle. But when she saw this, she actually said to me, "Oh, you HAVE TO get this!" So, whenever I encounter genuine enthusiasm and encouragement, I can't possibly squander such an opportunity. LOL! So here goes... Color: Amber with a definite "mahogany" tinge from the coffee element. Nose: Light nose with familiar notes of oak and leather I've gotten from most bottles. Palate: Strange initial flavor. I am definitely getting the "coffee" from this. It's impossible to not detect it. Some sweetness. Slightly bitter on the mid-palate, and slightly harsh on the downward journey. Moderate burn for a lowest-of-the low proof allowed for bourbon. It's an... "interesting" pour — which I wholly attribute to the coffee influence. But, in all honesty... it ain't too bad. I wish I knew the age of this stuff. But I can say it doesn't taste youthful, as I was expecting it to. Finish: Fairly long finish. I just keep coming back to the "coffee", because it truly is the focal point of this stuff. I don't see this as ever becoming a repeat purchase, let alone in my regular rotation. But I'm glad I gave this a try, and will indeed finish the "bottle". 2.75 stars, just falling short of 3.0 stars. Added 10/31/24: I attended a Pumpkin Carving party last night with my neighbors. I brought this over to share. It got a similar, "Not bad!" reaction from those who partook. They actually came back to it for a second pour. So, there you go!

I first had Elmer T. Lee at a bar back on March 24th. I was so impressed that I left a quick review as I sat there sipping it. Since then, I've been looking for it, and my patience finally paid off. My trusty grocery store guys came through for me, and I was able to get it at SRP (Other shops nearby are charging nearly 4X SRP! I really hate that). Anyway, here is my new and more "detailed" review... Color: Medium/Light Copper-Amber Nose: Fairly "mild" nose — not surprising considering the relatively low proof. Slightly leathery, oaky. Palate: (Drank with an ice cube) Oaky, slightly sweet with equal parts spicy. This stuff has a very unique flavor profile, while presenting some very familiar flavors I get from the likes of Blanton's. I know that doesn't really make sense, but at the same time, it kind'a does (if you know the history of Elmer T. Lee). The more I sip, the more I get a certain "apple crisp" dessert from one of my favorite local eateries: Apple, vanilla ice cream, and oats. A very subtle, smooth, and easy sipper. Finish: Medium, I guess... with a "warm buttery toasted bread" kind'a quality — graham cracker, as well. My original star rating was 4.5. That rating stands! This is a bottle I would take with me into exile.

I wouldn't have given this a second look at a shop. But I was out bar-hopping with a friend last Friday, and figured I'd give this a try. Nice. Surprisingly good. Spicy on the front end. Slightly sweet. Caramel (I could actually taste it). Butterscotch. I believe this is fairly young — aged less than four years. But it doesn't taste youthful. I'm not going to buy it, but I would definitely drink it again. It ain't half bad... not bad at all.

I had Pure Kentucky for the first time at a bar yesterday. It had a great nose, and from the very first sip, I was impressed. So I ran out today and grabbed what turned out to be the last bottle on the shelf of one of my go-to shops... Color: medium amber. Nose: A sweet nose with leather and molasses. Palate: (drank with an ice cube) Slight burn on the first couple sips, but it fades quickly. Sweet corn and chocolate — as in "hot cocoa mix powder". I don't think I have ever gotten THAT from any of the many, many bottles that have come before. I like it! Holiday spices come to the fore as the ice cube melts. Added 11/16/24: Crisp apples on the palate tonight. Nice! Finish: I never really know what to say about the finish, to be honest. I guess you'd consider it a medium finish with the holiday spices being the predominant thing. I do agree with the reviewer who stated that there's not much complexity going on here for a 12-year expression (I initially thought it was a 10-year). But make no mistake — a 12-year at this price point? It's a no-brainer. This has proven to be perhaps the best surprise bottle of 2024. As I said, I scored the last bottle remaining on the shelf. Apparently, this is not too readily-available. So if you see it, grab it. Of the Willett offerings I have had (Noah's Mill, Rowan's Creek, Pot Still, and now this), I'd put Pure Kentucky at a clear-cut #2, second only to Noah's Mill. Solid 4-stars. I will-ett definitely buy again.