Tastes
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Batch: C918 Age: 12 Year: 2018 Proof: 131 Nose: toffee, biscuits, candied nuts Palate: rich with hints of baking spices, and vanilla Finish: very smooth for the high proof. Probably the smoothest bourbon above 125 I’ve ever had. The only bite comes from the proof level and definitely not the recipe; this is a 10% rye mashbill. Slightly bitter at the end. Overall excellent.
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Back in the day this was a definite upgrade over standard Buffalo Trace. Today the two are much closer in tasting notes. Eagle Rare is becoming harder to find, and the two are worth the comparison, but I’ll buy Buffalo Trace over the higher priced Eagle Rare most any day. Still, this is a fantastic bourbon. To me, the 2019 upgrade to Buffalo Trace is EH Taylor Small Batch. That whiskey is what Eagle Rare used to be in today’s available whiskey stocks. Nose: heavy butterscotch and toffee, hints of zesty orange, oak and corn, hints of raisins and worn leather Palate: rich with cola, vanilla, baking spices like nutmeg, more butterscotch, hints of honey and cherries Finish: short but balanced and delicious, way too easy to sip Sweet to start, spicy to finish. This is a great bourbon. However, it’s hard to justify the higher price for Eagle Rare when you can just buy Buffalo Trace. Both are excellent. You can argue Eagle Rare is a bit richer, but not $10-20 richer. And if you find a barrel select of Buffalo Trace absolutely buy. Store picks of Eagle Rare have returned for 2019 and I’m very interested to try those for comparison.38.0 USD per Bottle
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This is the 112.8 proof edition; coming back to this bottle after about a month or six weeks. Nose: butterscotch, vanilla, toast, oak, smoky, approachable, slight zest, hints of raisin and cherries Palate: rich and the rye spices come out on the mid palate but it’s not overwhelming, more fruit including orange zest Finish: medium and balanced, warm but not hot This is Wild Turkey 101 supercharged. Because Wild Turkey goes into the barrel at a lower proof than some, this is a very approachable, rich bourbon that doesn’t have to be north of 125-proof to be quite complex and delicious.
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Nose: lemony zesty malt, lightly toasted oak, biscuits Palate: buttery mouthfeel, hints of toffee, more biscuits and slight brine Finish: honey and slight vanilla, baking spices, hints of a grassy flavor Easy to sip and easy to find. Perfect whiskey for bourbon lovers looking to branch out but are turned off by the single malt....maltiness of scotch.
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Nose: a bale of dusty hay but a sort-of sweet barley Palate: cloves and nutmeg, slight peppercorn Finish: more sweetness, brown sugars, short to medium length Fantastic price for such a balanced straight rye. Lots of ethanol on the nose that quickly went away after the bottle was first opened and the whiskey sat in a glass. Very approachable. Interested to see how the bottle shapes up in a few weeks.20.0 USD per BottleKroger Wine And Spirits
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Evan Williams White Label Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 23, 2019 (edited April 16, 2019)There are a lot of comparisons of this to the old Heaven Hill bonded which was generally only available in Kentucky. Those comparisons are fair. Although this has a bit less complexity. Nose: dusty oak, vanilla, corn, hints of fruitiness Palate: bright, buttery but spicy with subtle earthy notes albeit majority sweet Finish: quite rich with a decently long finish, sweet toffee sneaks in To me this doesn’t have as much of the cherry and dark fruit notes of the HH bonded which is now discontinued. It’s a decent bourbon for the price, especially for Evan Williams fans. It’s still a bit loud and brittle because I’d imagine it’s not much older than 4 years. But the palate is rich even if it’s not as silky and creamy as older bourbons. I rank it a bit below HH bonded but this is still available so I recommend it. Buy this bottle and a JTS Brown bonded for two above-average bonded 4-years-and-up whiskeys for under $30 total. *EW bonded is charcoal filtered so keep that in mind15.0 USD per Bottle -
Russell's Reserve 10 Year Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 23, 2019 (edited November 14, 2022)Nose: butter and corn, dark fruits, oak and a hint of spice Palate: creamy and rich with cinnamon and rye spices, hints of vanilla and butterscotch Finish: warm and sweet, orange zest, well-balanced I like this bourbon. I really do. I’ve met both the Russells. Great people. For my tastes this bourbon would be middle of the road a decade ago. But the richness, consistency, quality and 10-year age statement propels this to the upper tier for me in this day and age. It’s readily available. Not overpriced. Recommend absolutely. -
This is a barrel selection (WW&W, Louisville, 10-years-old, barreled in late 2008, bottled in early 2019). Nose: this store pick noses a lot like Buffalo Trace; bright with butterscotch and sweet maple, light fruits Palate: buttery with cinnamon and a hint of nuttyness but not as prominent as the Heaven Hill peanut notes that often come out of that distillery Finish: some warmth with spice on the front and mid palate, sweet at the end, very balanced Definitely more complex than the typical EC small batch, and better in that regard. The fruits aren’t as decipherable as day the C918 batch of 12-year Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, but this is a great example of what Elijah Craig used to be at its old 12-year age statement.32.0 USD per BottleWestport Whiskey & Wine
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Several months after opening and I rarely taste a whiskey that tastes exactly as when I opened it. And it’s a good thing. Nose: approachable, sweet and light, some fruits, a little earth, a little malt Palate: very bright with cinnamon and for a rye it isn’t all that spicy Finish: long finish but balanced and smooth for a rye and my taste. This is an approachable whiskey that rye newbies should try to get an easy introduction to the standard. Add a little water and it reminds me of Tullamore DEW. Good balance of sweet and spicy. It’s definitely overpriced in an age of more aged ryes hitting the market (thinking specifically of Old Forester). But if you find it at MSRP it’s worth a buy.75.0 USD per BottleChuck's Liquor Outlet
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Evan Williams Single Barrel
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 18, 2019 (edited February 19, 2021)Barreled: Jan 18, 2010 Bottled: April 26, 2018 Nose: butterscotch and sweet corn, soft but just rich enough Palate: rich, oily, cherries, vanilla Finish: all the oily smooth sweetness pops to attention with some rye spice at the end that finishes nicely This bottle continues to improve with time opened. It’s interesting. The bitterness present when I first opened this bottle has mostly gone and been replaced with a nice nutmeg rye spice.
Results 181-190 of 292 Reviews