Tastes

A weird rubber+sweet honey nose, sweet candied caramel taste and short finish, this is a very inexpensive single malt that has hints of floral notes from typical Speysides but is nothing to write home about.

Scotch novices might enjoy this because the flavor notes are easy to pick out. Honey, oak, malt and caramel on the nose and taste. Short to medium finish, which is a bit briny and doesn’t really match the rest of the experience. Also, It’s inexpensive for a single malt.

This bottle is discontinued as Heaven Hill opted to release a premium 7-year line for much more than this former bottom shelf $15 gem. I’ve never tasted the new bottle. Nose: a very sweet almost cedar-like wood dominates the nose. It’s one of the most unique noses in bourbon I’ve tried the last five years. Taste: sweet toffee with rich & oily light peppermint notes. A very dessert-like whiskey. Finish: medium with little bite and a little more sweet fruits and candy. Until this was yanked from the shelves this was my favorite bottom shelf whiskey ever. It’s a shame that it’s gone for now, but demand on HH’s bourbon stocks has been insane the last decade. It’s one of the sweetest bourbons I’ve ever tasted if that’s your thing. If, for some reason, you come across a dusty white label Heaven Hill 6-year *bonded* bourbon and it’s not insanely priced, buy!!

This is my 225th review. For a long time I’ve recommended Makers 46 to wheaterheads that couldn’t find Weller on the shelves anymore. And if they wanted Weller 107 I’d recommend Makers Cask Strength. Now I have another bottle to send them to. Nose: bright fruits like cherries and hints of orange zest, floral notes, oak, butterscotch. Taste: fair bit of mint spice in the mid palate, but not too spicy. Back palate really reminds me a lot of Weller 107. Finish: medium finish and a nice balance of the fruit and spice. Overall the Makers line is the superior wheater for my palate. Weller 12 and William Larue Weller takes the prize for the older vintage but anything younger and you’re better off trying a Makers line rather than chasing overpriced Weller

This is a review for a Larceny Small Batch Single Barrel store pick. Barrel: 6555451 Liquor Barn (Kentucky) Barrel 3 (2020) Barreled on: 6/19/13 Rickhouse: KK Floor: 4 Nose: some of these Larceny barrel picks are fantastic. I can already tell this a good one. Dusty bright fruits, hints of butterscotch and cherries. Taste: quite rich, with more buttery sweetness, light fruit, with a delicate vanilla spice in the rear palate Finish: medium finish, rounds out all the other flavors A great sipping whiskey. Larceny barrel picks outshine Weller Special Reserve. (Makers 46 is also better than the bottom shelf Weller in case you were wondering). Weller 12-year is a different story but the Fitzgerald wheated line from Heaven Hill continues to impress. For those of you chasing the allocated Weller line, try a Larceny store pick if you see one in your area.

This whisky gets overlooked but it’s a great staple. Bourbon lovers should check it out as well. Easy to find, decent price point. You’ll find it in so many bars. Nose: buttery crackers, toffee, honey, oak, light fruits maybe a cherry note Taste: spicy vanilla with some more oak and barley Finish: medium with what’s almost a brief rye spice kick on the mid palate Hard to go wrong with this whisky.

Probably one of Luxco’s best bottles in my opinion. Especially if you can find it for retail ($50). Nose: dark fruits and oak, raisins, nuts Taste: rich mouthful of classic bourbon, decent amount of spearmint from the rye Finish: pretty long. Some of it is the proof but it’s got a nice rye spice that lasts awhile if that’s your thing

15 years ago some called this fancy bourbon. And while clever marketing has kept this Brown Forman staple competitive in a crowded bourbon market, it’s still damned good whiskey. It’s in every bar. Every spirits store. Neat or in a cocktail, it’s reliable. Nose: maple syrup, floral notes, vanilla, oak, candy corn and hints of spearmint. Taste: peppercorn now as some spice comes in, with more mint and butterscotch Finish: medium Don’t sleep on the standard Woodford Reserve.

I’ve lamented for years the Buffalo Trace bottle problem: walk into majority of liquor stores and if you’re looking for a Buffalo Trace product you’ll find three bottom shelf dwellers and then the standard $25-30 90-proof Buffalo Trace. That’s it. Because everything else has been relegated to either waiting lists, raffles or the secondary market. I hope Benchmark Single Barrel and Full Proof is a sign of things to come as Buffalo Trace adds variety to their offerings. Nose: Stagg Jr is that you?? It’s the same recipe, and younger, but at this proof you get many hints of Stagg Jr. That got me excited. A decent amount of oak, vanilla, some cherries. Taste: okay, this is definitely a younger bourbon than something like Stagg Jr or even standard Buffalo Trace. But it’s not bad! Pretty rich and not as ethanol forward as I’d expect a young full-proofer to be. Finish: despite the proof it doesn’t stick around long at all. And so, we start off strong and end with a bit of a whimper, but this is not a bad bourbon by any stretch of the imagination. Now if BT can just get some variety in the Ancient Age line.

Returning to this bottle after eight months. Nose: like dipping your head into an oak barrel. It’s balanced though, with some toffee, and on the... Taste: the oak is not overpowering at all but a spicy mint develops with some butterscotch and caramel. Finish: medium to long This is still a fine bourbon. Is it worth $150-200 that I’ve seen it for sale? That’s up to you to decide. I’ve had lots of barrel strength Elijah Craig and Knob Creek or other full proof bourbons that were as good as this for half the price. It’s a nicely balanced and rich bourbon.