Tastes

Nose: vanilla, toasted marshmallows, corn Palate: some ethanol but that quickly fades to mint, hints of maple syrup and more vanilla Finish: medium, but that’s more due to the ethanol proof and not the complexity of flavors The 2018 Wilderness Trail bottled in bond was great. It was akin to Makers 46. This single barrel pick (Liquor Barn, 2019, #4 char, Rickhouse B W0107, yeast strain FermPro-1) is lackluster compared to last years BiB release. Will revisit.

Nose: toffee, honey and tobacco Palate: hints of maple, clove, cinnamon, mint Finish: short, with lingering cinnamon, tease of eucalyptus

Nose: toasty corn, almost peaty, with hints of brown sugar, and baking spices — essentially Blanton’s light with more smoke/toast Palate: sweet vanilla and a bit spicier and not as smooth as Blanton’s Finish: medium with some bite. This reminds me of the discontinued Ancient Ancient Age 10-year. Although it’s not as refined because it’s not as old. You can’t find this very often. But it’s not a bad thing. This is likely the lower tier leftovers of the Blanton’s stock.

Nose: bright, with vanilla, spices, orange citrus and hints of lemon citrus and caramel Palate: honeydew with cinnamon, more vanilla Finish: medium, easy finish for a 100-proof rye. Slice balances with sweet fruits and vanilla

Tremendous value until they discontinued the bottled in bond version of this. A fantastic rye-heavy bourbon mash that most whiskey lovers could appreciate. Nose: banana nut bread, corn, oak, butterscotch Palate: quite rich for such an inexpensive bourbon (probably why they pulled it, so they can release later at a higher price point)... balances mix of light fruits, mint, tea, maple syrup, orange citrus and vanilla Finish: pretty short, but there’s an extra kick of cinnamon in there

Recently had this in a blind tasting vs Weller 12, Maker’s 46 and Maker’s Private Selection. I was surprised that this finished fourth. (Private Selection was my first choice and second was Weller 12).

Coming back to this after a week. The nose has really opened up: banana, vanilla, baking spices, leather, corn, hints of raisin Palate: creamy but drier than the sweetness of the nose would lead you to believe. Rich and balanced Finish: medium, with the zest and rye spice kick coming in nicely here. Nice experience from start to finish. Some years this 10-year shines. This one definitely rises above the bottles I had from last year’s batch in my opinion.

This is a single barrel store pick: Chuck’s Liquors (Bowling Green, KY, USA) 2019 Nose: standard BT nose, which includes butterscotch, hints of oak, cherries and toffee Palate: richer than a standard BT bottle, rye does not come through at all, and even the vanilla that is present in many BT bottles is muted Finish: short and sweet I will come back to this one. It’s reliable and BT is great all-around for my taste. But I’ve had better BT store picks & I want to see how this bottle fairs in a couple of weeks.

Year: 2018 (December 6) Barrel: 2747 Rick: 2 Nose: Butterscotch, oak, hints of peppercorn and cherries Palate: vanilla spices, more oak and butterscotch, reminds me of E H Taylor Single Barrel in richness (the small batch of E H Taylor is reminiscent of Blanton’s nose) Finish: cinnamon and more spices on the finish, which is medium and longer than you’d expect for a 93 proof bourbon Quality wise this sits firmly with the best Buffalo Trace store picks, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Russell’s Reserve 10-year, Four Roses Single Barrel and maybe even Woodford Reserve. The elusive Elmer T Lee, though, (same mashbill as Blanton’s) has made this bourbon hard to find. It’s very nice but since it’s only maybe a notch above the best store picks of Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Four Roses Single Barrel, and Russell’s, don’t overpay for this thorougbred-topped bourbon.