Tastes

When my bourbon journey began back in 2020, these Beam Signature Crafts were on my very first lists of bottles to find and try. But I could never find any of them anywhere... until tonight when I had dinner right next door to a Liquor Store (I rhymed!). TBH, I was hoping to locate the 12 Year Bourbon tonight. But they had the Brown Rice 11 Year, and the High Rye 11 Year. I opted for the former... Nose: sweet with old leather-bound book mustiness (that's a good thing). Palate: (drank with one small cube) Very strong oak presence right off the bat. Sweet and spicy... and something that I can't quite pin-point hits at the back on the first sip. Buttery pound cake? Man, what is it? Maybe it's more like a cherry-nougat truffle from a box of chocolates? Whatever it is, this is very good in a very different way. Cheers, Jim Beam! Finish: Very minimal burn, fairly long with lingering tingle and oakiness. Good stuff. I know they have more of this where I got it. I'm probably going to grab another before they're gone for good. The price might be considered high for a 375 ml bottle. But the quality and the relative scarcity of these Signature Crafts make it worthwhile, IMO.

Color: light-medium copper. Nose: Familiar vanilla and caramel. Slight hint of molasses. Palate: Initial alcohol burn followed immediately by cocoa — like a packet of hot cocoa. First time I've got such a strong cocoa flavor. I've seen it mentioned in the expert reviews here, for other bottles I've had in the past. But never have I actually tasted it until now. I'm getting a lot from this juice on its maiden voyage. Slightly sweet... slightly bitter cherry on the front end, orange zest appears on the back end. I drink my bourbon with either an ice cube or a large ice ball — depending on proof. Drinking this with a cube. As the cube has dissolved, a smooth and leathery-caramel flavor is revealed. Finish: Spicy and oaky with a slight drying quality. Final thoughts: I've wanted to try past Bardstown offerings, but they've always been a bit over what I've been willing to pay for, going on reviews alone. But coming in at under $50.00, this is excellent bourbon. A smooth, flavorful easy sipper. I would definitely buy this again. As a side note, the bottle is really nice. The artwork that appears inside the bottle, against the back light, is very pretty. Brownie points!

I originally reviewed this McKenna 10 Year back in October of last year. I am updating/replacing my original review tonight... Barrel No. 12937 Barreled on: 10/17/12 Color: Medium amber Nose: Vanilla, caramel and a hint of devil's food cake. Palate: Sweet, smooth, more caramel with oak tannins coming through. Nice gentle hug in the chest on the first few sips. This is somewhat spicy, but more tempered. I get that tongue-tingle that seems to be a general trait of most Bourbon. Finish: Long with a leathery tobacco quality. Think, "sitting in a leather chair in a cigar lounge". I had some McKenna 10 Year BiB at a restaurant last October. The nose on that one hit me in the face with butterscotch. I did not get that from this one. I know these Single Barrels WILL differ, but I'd not be surprised if the butterscotch made an appearance in subsequent pours. Bottom line: This is one of my favorites of the many Bourbons I have had, and it is a Top-Shelfer.

Color: Medium Copper/Amber Nose: Sweet with vanilla, and what I thought at first was maple. But it soon hit me that what I was actually getting was walnuts. Yum! (Kinda made sense. You know — maple-walnut...?). I love walnut, so I get very excited when it makes an appearance in any way. Also, there is zero ethenol on the nose. Impressive for 126 proof(!). Before my first sip, I was really hoping that the palate would live up to such a superb nose... and, boy did it! Cinnamon apples came through on my nose just before the first sip.... Palate: Sweet cinnamon apples right out of the gate. Lots of spiciness with a nice dose of heat in the chest. More cinnamon mid-way through. As the ice cube begins to disperse, the walnuts from the nose reappear. Yes! Some nice subtle oak and spice (Cloves? Allspice?) appear on the back end. Finish: Medium length with a lot of the sweet and nutty palate remaining as it fades. I paid more than what I was expecting to pay for this bottle. I was anticipating closer to the $90.00 SRP — especially since I picked it up at my grocery store, where I usually avoid paying more for hard-to-find bottles. However, I will say that this is so good — so complex and flavorful — that the "sticker shock" was softened. This is damn good bourbon. Superlative, I will say. If I can, I am going to procure another bottle — but only if I can get it for under $100.

Pavilions/Vons/Albertsons barrel pick. Barrel 8191. Color: medium/light copper Nose: Oak, caramel, sweet Palate: Medium/slightly creamy mouth feel. Spicy and sweet, slight chest hug. More woodiness/oak tannins. Bitter cherry on the back end. Finish is medium with a buttery quality. This is very good. Since it's a store pick, I'm thinking I should grab another bottle before it's gone, because it's definitely worth a second purchase. I'll be interested in what I get from future pours. I have a feeling this is a bottle that will evolve over time. Solid 3.75. I hesitate to give it a 4 at this time, because I reserve 4 and above for bottles that knock me out from the get-go. But I won't be surprised if I decide to give this a bump before I finish this bottle. Added 6/30/23: Second visit with this bottle... got a good dose of vanilla and maybe a hint o' molasses, as well, on the nose this time 'round. Same spicy-sweet-oaky palate as in my first pour/review. My score holds at 3.75. Solid bourbon for the price. 1792 has yet to disappoint me. Added 7/14/23: Bottle-kill pour. Nice peanutty flavor that I did not get from the first and subsequent pours. Score stands at 3.75 stars, but JUST misses 4. I noticed this week that my grocery store sold out of this barrel pick. So it's officially in the books.

Color: Light golden amber Nose: cloves, oak, and maybe a hint of cocoa(?). Palate: Drank with a small ice cube. Nice! Rye spice followed close behind by a good dose of sweetness. Orange peel, or a general citrus flavor, made a surprise appearance several sips in. This is a very complex and ever-changing Rye. I got a huge dose of "sweet grains" (whatever the hell that means) on my very last sip. Finish: Not sure how to characterize the finish. I guess it's short, but with lots of character. I had the Rare Breed Bourbon last year, and I loved it. So I knew I'd love this — I just didn't know I'd love it as much as I do now. They really know what they're doing over at Wild Turkey. I've not been disappointed yet by any of their offerings.

Color: medium amber. Nose: Oak, leather and apples. Palate: First sip I took neat. Initial alcohol assault on the sinuses, along with a nice warm hug. Dropped in a large ice ball to tone it down and allow the flavors to come forward. First sip with ice revealed a very spicy profile along with the inevitable sweetness I'd expect from Maker's. However, I'm having trouble identifying specifics on this very first pour.* Finish: Drying and spicy/tingly. *I plan on adding more details in the very near future — including results from a blind I am planning to conduct between this BEP and the two 2023 BRT releases. Stay tuned...

Color: Medium Amber/Copper Nose: Familiar leathery nose, molasses (?), baked apples along with a slight alcoholic whiff. ** Drank with a large ball of ice. Sometimes, higher proofs don't drink like it. Well with this one, the 116 proof makes itself known. First few sips leave a nice long chest hug. Palate: Spicy, slightly sweet, and some buttery qualities after a few sips. **For me, I pick up more on the nose the more I drink. The second pour gave me a big dose of "strawberry/banana " on the nose. Nice! Some slight bitterness appears on the back end. As the ice slightly dilutes it, a nice brown sugar quality comes out. The finish is spicy and tingly — like pretty much every bourbon I've had. I want to say that I had the "standard" Pipe Dream Bourbon earlier this year/late last year. I had me a pour at a bar, and I liked it so much that I bought a bottle the next day. I like to support my home state's distilleries whenever possible, so I had to try this Pipe Dream Cask Strength when I spied it sitting in the office of my local grocery store (where I score most of my hard-to-find bottles at SRP). I have to say, though... for the money, I would buy the regular offering before I bought this Cask Strength again. Better value for the money. This is similar to the regular Pipe Dream, but stronger. There is definitely more going on with this pricier bottle. But I think I was able to appreciate the flavors of the standard Pipe Dream just fine without the higher proof. The $50 difference also makes the "base model" that much more appealing. If you can find this bottle, I say go for it. But you'll be just as happy with — and that much less poorer — with the standard Pipe Dream.

Barrel No. 1216, Barrelled 3/5/18 Color: Medium Amber Nose: Burnt caramel, cinnamon, molasses, oak. Palate: Initial full frontal spice assault, followed by a nice warm hug. Some sweetness but the spiciness really steals the show. A little heat. Nice tongue coating, but nothing too "oily" or thick. The above was written upon my first pour. The second pour revealed more sweetness than the first. Still spicy as all get out, but more evenly distributed between "spicy" and "sweet". Since I bought this bottle at Total Wine and More in Connecticut, and I live in California, I won't be able to revisit this particular batch. I think there are some bottles remaining at the BevMo here in town. I am curious to try it. Stay tuned.... Added 6/30/23: This is definitely one of those bottles that evolves over time. The original all-out spice assault was nowhere be found this time 'round. Still a very good pour. Not a stand-out, but very good everyday sipper nonetheless. Bottle kill pour 7/3/23: The warm chest hug is still making its presence known. I will say that this drinks a tiny bit hotter than its 107 proof. Sweetness and spiciness remains consistent with all previous pours. Oak tannins for miles.