Tastes

Color: Nice medium amber (like most EC batches) Nose: Wow! Cinnamon, maple brown sugar, and Holiday spices. A phenomenal nose. Palate: (Drank with an ice cube) This stuff is not shy! Came on strong and hot on the first sip — hotter than I had anticipated! Spicy, sweet and slightly syrupy on the tongue. I really can't call up memories of past EC batches... but this one serms reminiscent of others I have had. However, wheress some batches have not made an immediate impression on me, this one has. It's potent and robust and rather enjoyable. After that initial heat assault on the first sip, it calmed down (the ice cube might have something to do with that). Finish: Lots of lingering spice and the tongue tingle I have become well-aquiainted with from high-proof pours. This is a great batch from Elijah Craig. If I can grab another after this bottle is killed, I definitely will. I want to mention one last thing... I could have scored this bottle for around $70.00. But I opted to wait for my trusty grocery store — that I walk to — to get it in. As a result, I paid $20 more for it than I really had to. But I can honestly say that this was worth paying the extra $$$ in order to not have to drive somewhere in order to buy it.

I acquired a bottle of Weller Full Proof, via a trade with a fellow Bourbon enthusiast. It's one of those bottles that has proven fairly elusive over the past three years. So I was thrilled to be able to finally get my hands on one... I put this Full Proof up against Weller Antique 107 tonight. The Antique took top honors, and has earned the title of, "My Favorite Weller Bottle". But this Full Proof is no slouch. I have deemed it, "Antique 107 with a higher alcohol profile". This thing is a caramel bomb on the palate, with more of an ethenol presence on the nose than the Antique. After the head-to-head was completed, I switched over to the Full Proof to end the night, and I am digging it. All said, this was well worth the wait in acquiring. If you can find it at SRP, you'd be a fool to not grab it. But don't pay more than that. I was lucky to get it via a trade. But there's no way I would pay secondary market price gouging prices for it. I have found that no bottle is worth paying double, triple, or even quadruple SRP.

Color: Nice medium copper-amber. Nose: Molasses; brown sugar; sweet oak; leather. My wife says, "Coca Cola"... power of suggestion, perhaps. But I get what she's saying. This nose bodes well for the palate. Let's see... Palate: (Drank with an ice cube) Oh, wow! Sweet and slightly syrupy mouth feel at first sip. Mildest of mild chest hug. A good dose of oak char, and a very familiar "bitterness", but in no way off-putting. As I went in for another sip, I got hit in the nose with a big caramel wiff. Can't wait to see where this bottle goes on subsequent pours. The more I sip, the more "creamy" it feels on the tongue... and the more my tongue tingles. But I want to also say, this is pretty smooth for the proof. Hardly any burn or "alcohol" in the profile. It's all "sweet-spice-oak-char-caramel". Finish: I'd say this is one of the longer finishes in recent memory. Lots of spicy wood and more oaky sweetness. People, this is really good. I've not had many Maker's Marks recently. The 101, 46, the BRT's and BEP's are far back in the rear view mirror... though I know I enjoyed them all, I think this "Heart" takes top honors, as far as I can recall. I paid just over $70 for this bottle. It was being sold for $100 at another shop that's a lot closer. Am I glad I drove a little further to avoid paying $100 for it? Yes! Would I pay $70 for it again? Yes! Its a definite "buy again" — but only for the same price (or less, if possible). No more than that. I kinda wish I'd backed it up. Solid 4.0 stars. However, this is one I could see getting a bump in the near future.

Color: Nice Medium-Dark Amber Nose: For 124.5 proof, the nose is not all that potent. Very strange. Not even a nostril-burn. All I can really say for certain is "oak". I refused to give up on the nose — and would not take a sip until I got something more... and that finally took the form of "leather". But enough of this. Time for a taste... Palate: (First pour drank neat) Ahhhh... there's that immediate "spice" assault, that I tend to expect from Booker's, on the very first sip. Lots of oak char on the second sip — along with a lot more of the spice. Very little burn. Oh-so-slightly syrupy mouth feel, but fairly light. More "creamy" than viscous. .... a "Nose" detour: The more I sip this, "apple" comes to the fore on the nose... ... and by golly, it transfers over to the palate. Yup! Cinnamon baked apples. Nice. Finish: Decent-length finish with more spice and a dose of black licorice at the very back of the tongue. I think this is going to be a bottle that develops over time. Will be interesting to see how it may evolve. My next pour will be with a large ice ball. So before I close this out, I'll share my thoughts on how it shaped up with ice... Nothing new to report with ice added. This is very good. Booker's has never disappointed, and The Springfield Batch keeps that trend going. I just wish I still had some of the other four batches that I've had still hanging around. I'd put them all up against each other to see how they measure up. But, alas! That's virtually impossible. I'm giving this one a solid 4 stars. I had to do some fancy footwork in order to get this for under $100.00 from an online Booze retailer. But would I pay as much for a second bottle? Nope. Not when there are bottles like Baker's 107 out there for nearly half the price.

Color: Medium Copper-Amber. Nose: Mmm! Molasses or maple(?) I can never pin-point it. Something akin to "citrus". Slightest hint of "alcohol". Great nose that bodes well for the palate... Palate: From the first sip, you get quite a big hit of spice... yes... very spice-forward, this one. Comes in slightly hotter than some higher proofs I've had. Mild chest hug ensues, but fades fairly quickly. Mildly sweet... getting a decent amount of barrel char. I've always been more of a fan of "sweet" over "spicy". But I'm rather enjoying this. It's very woody/spicy. Almost "bitter", but not in an off-putting way. Waiting for the profile to reveal more as the ice melts into it, but it's maintaining it's spice-forward character. Let's see what pour #2 might bring with it... Pour #2 starts out pretty similar to the first. Still a spice bomb. I'd read others mention, "butterscotch", but I'm not getting that — not tonight at least. There's not been much "evolution" to speak of from the second pour. So maybe this one is not going to change. Finish: I'd say it's a medium finish with the predominant spice stealing the show. Final Thoughts: Ok. This is a tricky one. EC has never let me down in the past. Along with the 94 Proof "base model", I've had the B522, B523, and the heralded C923. I've dug them all. I'm going to say this is "good". I'm not wowed by it, but I'm also not going to disparage it, either. Knowing what I know now, would I spend more than the wholly reasonable price I paid for it? No. I actually got it for less than what I've seen it go for. So thst alone makes it a worthwhile purchase. Will be curious to see if it does ultimately evolve and "open up" with subsequent pours. But as of tonight, it gets a 3.75. Added 8/24: I am nearly finished with my bottle of A124. I've quite enjoyed the four glasses I have poured myself tonight. It's a very "robust" bourbon. There are flavors in its profile that I can't really specify without just throwing something out there for the sake of trying to. "Spice" and "Oak" are the main features here. It's a fine batch, and I'm bumping my original 3.75 up to 4.0.

I first had and reviewed I.W. Harper way back in May of 2022 — when I was still somewhat new to Bourbon. Time and experience have changed my feelings on it. I'm not going to say I don't like it anymore, or that it's not good, etc. Not the case. But it's just lacking in depth and complexity. Perhaps what I am experiencing tonight is what happens to an 82 proofer following a weekend where you drank several longer-aged, much-higher proofs. It just can't hold up against them, and I needed to bring things down to earth. I've included my original review below this updated review. Color: Medium-Light Copper Nose: Light with oak and classic low-proof honey — I think. Palate: Drinks a bit young. Not certain of the age of this bottle, but it comes off a bit youthful to me now — now that I've had soooooo many higher (some away higher)-proof bottles since first trying this one. There's a decent amount of sweetness here, and it's much better than some youthful Bourbons I have had. But it is indeed very "light". Reminds me a little of Cyrus Nobel, if you're familiar with that one. Finish: Short with some lingering sweetness. I used to count this among my absolute favorites (and originally gave it 4.5 stars!). Even as recently as this past April I was raving about it. But I can see now that it's really nowhere near deserving of that consideration. It's a decent and enjoyable low-proof pour. But nothing to search high and low for — as I had been doing prior to acquiring this most recent bottle. ~ Original review from 5/14/22: This is smooth and sweet stuff. Caramel and toffee on the nose, which continue on the palate. Top Shelf status immediately granted! This is THE perfect example of why I love bourbon, and how it should be. Added 4/26/24: After nearly two years, and several dozen different bottles later, I was finally able to locate another bottle of I.W. Harper. Had to literally travel across the country in order to acquire it. But I did it! LOL! This is so good. Getting strawberry on the nose — which carries over onto the palate — on this first pour in two years. One of my favorite Bourbons of all.

Barrel: 39-2 G Warehouse: CN As you can see from my photos, this is an "older" bottle — with the old label design. It was this, or a few with the new dark label. For the heck of it, I opted for the older label... thinking it was maybe somehow older than the others. LOL. Color: Medium copper Nose: Mildly sweet nose of molasses and oak. I also got an unexpected "nutty" whiff. I never thought Four Roses was known for "nutty". Perhaps this particular barrel....? Palate: Spicy and slightly sweet; I get some oh-so-slight bitterness on the sides of my tongue; Getting something else... like "linseed oil". Gave me a flashback to my Oil Painting classes up at college. Weird, I know (Hey, at least it wasn't turpentine!). Finish: Medium; Toasty, spicy, and slightly nutty. It's funny... for a while, I didn't think I liked Four Roses — at all. But that was at a time when I didn't really know enough — hadn't tried enough — to truly know what I liked in a Bourbon. As a more "experienced" sipper, I can say that this SiB is very good stuff.

I first had, and reviewed, Weller Antique 107 back in November of 2022. My palate has obviously come a long way since then, because this stuff is excellent. In my original review I stated, among other things, that I prefer the green label Special Reserve, and that, "I probably won't buy this one again.". I also just gave it 3.75 stars. Well... as of last night, this is all changing. I'm deleting my original review, and submitting a new updated one: Color: Medium copper Nose: Wow! Caramel, toasty oak, molasses (or is it maple?), cinnamon. Palate: Generally sweet; burnt cherries; mild chest hug on the second sip; something akin to "graham cracker" appears on the back of the tongue. This might sound funny and a bit hokey, but... this is the kind of bourbon that brings to mind, "Thanksgiving" — all kinds of aromatic spices, burning wood, and sweet desserts all heaped together in a glass! Finish: I guess it's medium finish with lots of lingering sweetness and cinnamon from the palate. Not quite "drying", but slightly so. Ok... this Antique 107 just knocked the 12 Year off the Weller Gold Medal podium. I need to make this bottle last, as I don't know when I will come across it again at SRP.

I've been trying to locate and secure a bottle for a while now — without needing to take out a personal loan to do so. It's proven a challenge. So, when I saw it on the Bourbon list at the establishment I was at today, I decided to see if my search was worth continuing... Nose: Baking/holiday spices, butterscotch. Palate: Nice balance of sweet and spicy. Butterscotch from the nose follows-up. As the ice melts, rye spice makes an appearance. Finish: Nice finish with more rye spice and lingering butterscotch. This is good stuff. If I can ever find that bottle for something close to SRP, I will grab it.

Nose: Oak char, leather, citrus(?) Palate: Light mouth feel, warm hug from me first sip, spicy, slightly sweet, citrus from the nose reappears after a few sips. Ahhh... I know what I'm getting: Fruity! Like "fruit punch". Interesting. I've seen that mentioned in reviews for other bottles, but I don't think I have ever gotten it from any of them. I am getting to a point where the need to try EVERYTHING is lessening in importance. I know what I like, and although this is "good", I won't be trying to track down a bottle. As for Bardstown, I'm a fan. But I'm sticking to the Origins Series.