Tastes

Fairly all-around American rye. This Buffalo Trace “scarcity” is good for its MSRP. But don’t overpay for this stuff folks. Nose: familiar Buffalo Trace cherry, a hint of corn and brine, some cinnamon & bubble gum Palate: interesting malt flavors in the mid palate with additional rye spices Finish: goes down okay, some bite but the flavors are decently balanced

This is a barrel selection from Liquor Barn (Kentucky, USA) “EQ. 5” Age: 10 years 7 months Bottled: 2019 OESQ Proof: 57.5% Warehouse: TN Barrel: 34-3C (could also be an L, the handwriting was smudged) Nose: floral nose with cloves, oak, brown sugar, leather, toffee, butterscotch, raisins Palate: mint, cinnamon, more raisins, nice mid-palate spice but disappears before the finish Finish: small Kentucky hug but for the proof it goes down with little burn at all. Finish is medium though and I wouldn’t quite call it dry but it’s not sweet either at the end. Overall another great single barrel selection. I like this better than my previous bottle from last year. A bit more complex and very well-balanced from nose to finish. This bourbon, a well-matured 10-year, could easy take on many of the limited releases of even older age that frequently sell for hundreds of dollars more. Four Roses Barrel Select remains one of the best bourbons available period.

Standard mainline bottle here. Not a barrel select. Nose: honey, molasses, corn hints of brine Palate: a bit bitter and young-tasting. Far cry from the old 12-year. Peppercorn and hints of leather Finish: short to medium, with some additional bitterness.

Coming back to this bottle after 10 days. Main difference from this tasting and the last is the rye spice is less up front. If this is a blend of 12-15 yr/old Dickel, which previous releases were rumored to be, it isn’t surprising because of their high corn and low rye mash bill. Proof: 106.8 Batch 3, Bottle 994 of 1539 Color: beautiful amber Nose: deep, dusty cherries, corn, butterscotch and caramel Palate: quite rich but lighter and not as oily as I remembered from the last tasting, more caramel and some vanilla, a nice amount of oak, baking spices start to show up mid palate Finish: medium to long and spice shows up at the end Overall this is a great blend, and I’m not sure how much 15-year-old Bourbon is in this but it’s not overly oaky at all. Is it worth the $150 - $200 price point? I don’t think it is. A good Russell’s Reserve Barrel pick is just as good for 1/3 the cost. If you want something closer to this (probable) mash recipe then grab some Knob Creek Single Barrel — especially if you have store picks in your area that are more than 10 years old.

Readily available in many markets and spreading fast, New Riff Bottled in Bond is one of the best new bourbons on the shelf. Nose: gentle and sweet, some toffee, fruits, even some hints of lemongrass & mint from the 30% rye in the mashbill. Very welcoming and approachable. Reminds me a bit on the nose of the great Woodford Reserve Rye. Palate: rich and bright, with zesty spices and a bit of oak Finish: short and sweet This bourbon rivals the likes of Elijah Craig, Four Roses and others in the 30-40 price point and around 100 proof. Fantastic addition to Kentucky bourbon.

One of my “big five” bourbons I always recommend to newbies. (The others are the mainline offerings from Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig, Four Roses, & Woodford Reserve). These are five bourbons you can generally get under $30 a bottle and are not only great representations of bourbon but also very consistent and damn drinkable. Nose: rich maple sugar with hints of peppercorn and maybe cinnamon Palate: balanced between vanilla and baking spices with hints of caramel Finish: short to medium, with a little clove from the rye spice at the end It’s hard to find a better 100-proof bourbon at the price point of Knob Creek Small Batch. If you like this then you’ll love the Knob Creek Single Barrel, one of the best bourbons on the shelf year after year.

At SRP this is a good wheated bourbon. Anything above and you’re wasting your money. Makers Cask Strength and Makers 46 consistently outshine this repeatedly. Nose: a bit of apple and spices, also a bit unbalanced with a dose of ethanol, cherries, corn, caramel Palate: rich but a bit astringent, taste includes butterscotch & vanilla spices Finish: medium

This is a single barrel store pick (Apple Spirits, Somerset KY USA), 2019 Nose: slightly more cinnamon and less up-front vanilla and caramel sweetness in the typical Eagle Rare Palate: quite rich with cherries and hints of caramel and more cinnamon Finish: medium with pleasant mix of spice and oak Not too dissimilar from typical mainline Eagle Rare, which isn’t a bad thing. But, in search of the little subtleties in this single barrel pick I will revisit the bottle in a couple of weeks.

This is a single barrel store pick from Chuck’s Liquors (Bowling Green, KY USA) Bottled: 2019 Warehouse: L Floor: 4 Nose: Woodford mash bill shows up but with a little more volume—sweet fruits, vanilla, caramel Palate: quite rich for a mainline Old Forester, the single barrel variant shines here, the barrel and oak come through on the palate quite well. The oak is subtle but it’s there. Finish: medium, with some rye spice This is a great example of what the main OF line can be. The Whiskey Row series is excellent for sure but this single barrel is great as well if you have had the regular 86 or 90 proof or even the bonded version.