Tastes

Nose: maple syrup, butterscotch, peppercorns Palate: hints of toffee and vanilla, cinnamon, mixed fruits Finish: medium, smooth and oily with a slight kick at the end

Nose: maple syrup, butterscotch, candy corn, a little oak and hints of raisins and cherries Palate: rich, vanilla spices, citrus and toffee Finish: medium to full body... excellent balance of flavor and bite This stands up to the E. H. Taylor Single Barrel in richness, drinkability and complexity. It will vary from release to release but this shows you how fantastic EC was at its old 12-year age statement before the bourbon boom.

Nose: peppercorn, butterscotch, vanilla Palate: very close to the nose with some added maple syrup sweetness Finish: short to medium, with some extra cinnamon spice A creamier, vanilla-forward take on the traditional Wild Turkey. And at 90 proof it sets between the 81 and 101 varieties. Always a good supply and the price point is great for a 10-year aged traditional bourbon.

The higher proof sibling to Weller Special Reserve, this wheater staple is far superior to its lower proof companion. Nose: cloves, cherry, toffee, a little syrupy and bready Palate: slight cinnamon but not too hot, more toffee hints of butterscotch, which is a Buffalo Trace standard note Finish: decent, not super long and medium bite, definitely a rich one Way better than special reserve. The extra proof and possibly longer age make this the best Weller besides the 12-year. Some like it better than the 12. Retail is 40-50 in 2019 with new Buffalo Trace pricing. It’s worth it at that price point.

The hype over Pappy + Little brother Weller trickled down to this bottom shelf bourbon several years ago now. It’s not better than Maker’s 46, which is available everywhere. It barely beats Larceny in my opinion. Only buy at retail. Period. Nose: hints of vanilla, cherry and corn. Nothing prominent. Palate: toffee, more light fruits Finish: quick

A simple, sweet bourbon that punches above its price range. It’s not complex, but it’s easy to sip neat or in a cocktail. Nose: sweet corn, with hints of buttered bread —let’s just call it cornbread. Palate: not creamy but not dry either, hints of citrus and tea Finish: short, very little heat but a little clove kick

A sweeter, and less complex bourbon than the Evan Williams bonded, this is an approachable bourbon that beginners can pick out. Less nutty than some of Heaven Hill’s other offerings. For the money it’s hard to argue with.

Nose: honey and caramel, some hints of citrus and corn and even grassy notes Palate: more honey, lemon, vanilla spices Finish: medium with extra spices and citrus but quite smooth especially for 100 proof This is a good rye. Maybe a very good rye. It is a rung below Willet 4-year rye for my tastes but I’ll definitely come back to it.

Nose: bread-y, dough-y and full of honey, lemongrass, mint and a hint of caramel Palate: spicy mint, more honey and light fruits, even a hint of sweet tea Finish: medium. And the 100+ proof is barely evident. It’s very smooth and refined. There’s even a little vanilla and cinnamon hanging around. I’m a casual rye drinker. Generally ryes to me aren’t that complex and other than the spices it just doesn’t speak to my tastes. This, however, is amazing. It’s the best rye I’ve ever had for sure and one of the best whiskeys I’ve tasted. The high rating is well deserved. And at only four years it’s a steal because it tastes like and older whiskey—if you can find it at MSRP.

My 150th whiskey review. This bourbon is underrated but Is by no means outstanding. Still, it has a lot of potential when comparing to Elijah Craig, JTS Brown and Heaven Hill. It’s got a richer nose and palate than Heaven Hill and a few drops of water tame the ethanol. It’s definitely a young bourbon but for those looking to explore the variants of the HH mashbill try this one on for size. Nose: it is not as approachable as some Heaven Hill products. Ethanol and spicy corn. Palate: okay this is much better: brown sugars, sweet corn, but not quite butterscotch. Packs a punch Finish: medium but mostly due to the youth and ethanol heavy flavors. Eventually it rounds out into a spicy almost mint flavor and hints of caramel. It’s more complex than standard Evan Williams. Not as refined as the discontinued HH bonded. A great mixer because it holds up to the extra flavors.