Tastes

A mass-produced bourbon that regularly matches the Buffalo Trace single barrel selects, if you can’t find the BT store picks, grab one of these. Nose: candied walnuts and butterscotch with hints of cherries Palate: a bready, slightly fruity, vanilla spiced bourbon. Very balanced Finish: medium with more spicy vanilla and fruits. Not as deep and rich as the Taylor Single Barrel, but a great choice for fans of BT’s mashbill #1. It’s generally less oaky than say Eagle Rare because of the shorter age the Taylor Small Batch receives.

Coming back to this after a few months. If you like Bakers you’ll like this. Its profile is reminiscent of Bakers although that bourbon has a more consistent sweet bbq note. Nose: peppercorns, mint, hint of caramel Palate: vanilla spice and slight sugars but... Finish: short and dry finish Not the best Bookers has to offer but it’s a solid small batch. Reminds me of a higher proof Beam Bottled-in-bond. I prefer Bakers to this specific batch.

Here’s the deal. You could get three handles of this bourbon for a fifth of the new Bardstown Bourbon Company’s fusion bourbon #1. This bourbon is very similar. It’s possible the sourced aged bourbon that is in the recipe for the new BBC release is one and the same. It’s one of the recent bonded bottom shelf bourbons that have been discontinued. (See Heaven Hill bonded) If you see at MSRP, buy.

Nose: dusty vanilla, toffee, butterscotch, light fruits maybe cherries, hints of oak Palate: spicy fruit, somewhere between a strawberry and cherry, hints of vanilla and cream, some oak Finish: short, a few spices and basically the same profile as the nose and palate This is a fantastic value 10-year Bourbon if you can find it at MSRP in 2019. It’s what a 10-year Buffalo Trace mashbill should taste like. Nothing fancy but solid. I’d imagine the best of this aged lot goes into E H Taylor single barrel and small batch. Eagle Rare is left between Buffalo Trace which averages (according to various distillery statements, between 6 and 8 years) and E H Taylor.

Single barrel pick for: 21(c) Museum Hotels, Kentucky (2018) Nose: sweet caramel, butterscotch, cherries, vanilla, all the creamy dessert that Buffalo Trace fans crave, only brightened and enhanced Palate: vanilla cream, sweet tea, leather, hints of toffee and baking spices Finish: medium finish, with more vanilla and caramel with added spice About as good of a BT Barrel Select as you’ll find. Quite rich, and highlights the best flavors Buffalo Trace has to offer.

Nose: spicy, with hints of cream and zesty citrus, butterscotch, cherries Palate: spicy caramel, fruits Finish: more fruits and some cinnamon. Shirt to medium finish This bourbon reminds me of something, but since this is my first tasting I will reserve judgement. It’s pleasantly complex. I’m glad to see more bourbon blends hitting the market. Some of the Barrell Bourbon offerings were great. I will say that if you enjoyed the discontinued Ancient Ancient Age 10-year or Barton Bottled-in-Bond— also discontinued — you’ll definitely dig this.

A rich but brittle and bitter bourbon that is overpriced and consistently performs below Maker’s 46, Weller Antique and other wheated bourbons in the $30-50 MSRP range. If Lux got this from Nelson County it’s gotta be the worst of the Old Fitzgerald stock. Nose: fruit, like cherries or raisins, toffee, a bit of ethanol Palate: more ethanol... but also sweet wheat and fruits, some vanilla spice Finish: medium and full of spice, some wandering floral notes come in. Mostly cinnamon on the finish. Total money grab by Lux. This is a $30 wheater. Tops.

Nose: toasted oak, berries, maple syrup, cherries, candies walnuts, sweet cereal Palate: very rich and bright, semi-oily, more cherries, baked sweets, caramel, toffee, vanilla and butterscotch, hints of coconut and orange Finish: medium finish, but shorter than I expected. The age on this balanced well with the bonded proof Just a fantastic bourbon. It really is, to me, a lower proof George T. Stagg. So if you can snag a bottle under $90 it’s a huge steal considering what stagg is going for these days. The single barrel seems to be more sweet and oily and less dry than the small batch. So if you’re looking for a more refined Buffalo Trace/Eagle Rare go for the small batch. If you want a George T. Stagg you can actually find from time to time grab the single barrel. If you don’t count Pappy 15 which is $99 MSRP, this is the best bourbon under $100 you can buy.

Store pick: Liquor Barn (KY) Age: 11 years Warehouse: KK (Additional: Series 5, Barrel 7, Schenley) Nose: wonderful nose with honey, mint, candy corn, oak, toasted biscuits Palate: rich, with butterscotch, mild peppercorn, Finish: quick but it’s such a rich pour it don’t mind. More spices, including cinnamon and hints of vanilla. Another top-notch Elijah Craig Barrel Select. The age really shines here. Elijah Craig is best at 11-12 years I have found.

Nose: slightly sweet but a unique nose, hints of popcorn; somewhere between a good rye and a standard Four Roses Palate: rich, sweeter up front, hints of toffee but it’s dry for what it gives you at first Finish: spice kicks in here and it’s pleasant, food balance of wood sugars and spices, hints of vanilla A hidden gem because it’s on most shelves in Kentucky. Definitely will try again and explore