Tastes

Coming back to this 14-year store pick (Liquor Barn, KY) Nose: sweet corn, leather, some oak Palate: rich with nutmeg, vanilla, orange, cola Finish: rich and peppery but the bite is not what I’d expect from a 120-proof You might be tempted to dash water and open this up (and proof it down a bit) but based on the pours I’ve had so far, watering this below probably 105-110 proof and it loses its complexity and richness significantly. Just keep it neat with a few drops, and small pours ;)

Barrel proof NCF This is from Barrel #14-578 (total bottles: 214) Proof: 113.6 2018 Nose: sweet oak, candied walnuts, dark fruits — maybe cherry...almost reminiscent of the wooded-dark cherry nose from Makers Cask and Wilderness Trail. Palate: quite rich, more dark fruits, vanilla, toffee, some cinnamon Finish: some bite, the proof comes through, but does not finish with high warmth. Quite smooth for the proof. This does not taste like a 4-year craft bourbon. Definitely want to come back to it. I compare this to Wilderness Trail bourbon (bottled-in-bond) due to price point and flavor profile, even though WTrail is a wheater. (I don’t know the mashbill of this bourbon, likely high rye, but does not seem like wheat...honestly does not seem like a high rye bourbon based on the profile but I think that’s a testament to its balance) ...Wilderness Trail beats this handily. But it’s still quite good.

Nose: vanilla, cherry, toffee, hints of maple syrup and candy corn Palate: starts dark & mildly rich with cinnamon, more dark fruits, ends brighter with vanilla and a hint of butterscotch Finish: starts with strong warmth but doesn’t finish so harshly. Mellows out nicely or at least balanced with the stronger bite at the start of the finish...if that makes any sense.

This is for the 112.8 proof edition Nose: nutmeg, oak, zest and other spices Palate: spicy orange and cinnamon but a slightly creamy feel on palate and not too spicy. Finish: same balanced spice as the nose and palate, rather smooth for 112.8 proof Wild Turkey 101 is an underrated bourbon for my taste. For my first pour of this, it was essentially a little hit spicier and stronger 101. Will def revisit.

Nose: slightly briny but sweet corn, hints of vinegar Palate: vanilla spices, smooth forward and brittle rear palate Finish: rye spices come out for a medium burn Hard to distinguish this bourbon. It reminds me of a Jim Beam mashbill, slightly more complex. A brighter Basil Hayden, with a little more ABV Will come back to this.

Coming back to this after about a week... Nose: toffee with notes of chocolate, sweet wheated cereal, butterscotch, candy corn. Palate: rich, more butterscotch, citrus, spicy fruit mid palate and back. Finish: longer than last time, more rich, but somewhat bitter. This has improved since I opened it. The nose did not have the toffee or chocolate notes the first time. Nor the finish as long and rich. More complex this time around but still not a $70+ bourbon.

Nose: bright...butterscotch, maple syrup, sweet wheated cereal, slight leather Palate: slight toffee, more butterscotch and some vanilla spices (even some “Buffalo Trace tea” in the background) Finish: some more spices but mostly smooth with a little more vanilla, sweet pecans A fantastic bourbon at its MSRP and old availability. At more than $100 with very limited availability now it’s subject to the hype. Plenty other delicious whiskeys at the 100-200 price range.

Nose: sweet...maple, butterscotch and dark fruits, nuts, oak Palate: rich with baking spices and vanilla Finish: medium and warm but not a heavy bite A classic bourbon. A mellower bourbon compared to its brother Bookers. Great neat or a splash of water. This is an underrated bourbon in my opinion and compliments Bookers very well as something can be more of a lighter, daily sipper.

Nose: banana, dark fruits, bbq sauce Palate: very rich, toffee, and it’s decently spicy, with toasted oak Finish: balanced and medium Reminds me a little bit of Bakers. A sweeter and softer OF 1920

Nose: sweet wheat, oak and banana Palate: vanilla baking spices, tougher than a lot of wheaters to me Finish: somewhat bitter. The palate and finish are not as balanced as the nose. This is a direct competitor to Makers Mark, which wins over the Larceny in my opinion.