Tastes

[Early 2011] It all started with a Groupon... "Come learn how to make whiskey." A buddy and I received these from our SO's as a Christmas gift and went down to have a breakfast (with whiskey) where we made a mash, tasted profiles, and took home some bottles - including this one. Not a bad whiskey but was never something special. The story is probably cooler than the dram. Sweet logo, good family heritage, good people. And since have worked up some solid liquor I keep on the shelf. But their gem is vodkas and this reserve whiskey is just part of the standard lineup for me. Raw, woody, like Evan Williams Single Barrel. Harsh polyphenols that almost make you think of cleaning agents. It's a good whiskey but not their best. And for the price not something I keep around. Last bottle I bought was in 2014 for a bachelor party whiskey bracket. If you've never done one of those, do it.

[12.16.21] I don't want to own up to how long I've had this bottle. Saw it at the Jim Beam tour and thought I'd give it a shot. Their black label signature was amazing, and their red wheat ones were pretty good. This has the high corn, refined moonshine opener. First sip has a bite but you don't notice after that. Salty/acrid in the middle but it mellows out to a brandy (dried, fruity whiskey) finish. Have to be honest that I don't really like brandy so the finish for me isn't as good as a red wine finish. I'm most likely to use the rest of this in some dead-awesome Madison-style old fashioneds. But not my sipper. Tl;dr? Watershed makes a limited release bourbon aged in cab barrels. That is better and similar price for us locals.

[11.11.21] What. A. Year. Am I right? A cryptic text and a short visit later, this bourbon was delivered to my doorstep as a thank you for a year as board president. Let's be honest, this was mostly for having a spine and not letting corrupt bullies do what they do best. I'm happy to report my house isn't burned down and my kids haven't been "destroyed". People these days... But that's a story for another day. Or never. This bourbon was a fitting token, given its tougher, leathery bite. I'll credit my wife for the choice (apparently she recommended it for me). Salty, like a bit of sweaty, harness leather, a bit of bitter tannin/spicy bite like oven-torched flowers steeped in rye, and still a smooth, easy finish as if those flowers had been blended to a corn base. I'm biased because I paid for this in blood and sweat but this is a pretty solid version from a classic distillery.

[8.31.21] Remind me next year to say no to board presidency. Driven to drink, I was looking for something new and found this bottle from our trip to Williamsburg mid-COVID. Can't remember what I paid for it but it was worth it. Batch 167, 96 proof. Drink this at room temperature. [If you ice it, metallic and oxidized flavors (think bad homebrew kit) overwhelm the flavor profile. (I debated if my ice was bad, but my kids tell me it's fine.)] But this is a dang fine smokey malt that is sweet on the front end that sours until it's bitter on the back like the end of a cheap cigarette. Simple, not too salty or floral, not extravagant barrel complexity. Just American single malt, start to finish.

[3.18.21] Got this for nearly nothing and figured it couldn't hurt to try. Left it on the shelf for nearly a decade til "COVID made me do it". But seriously, the whiskey is getting narrowed out and I needed a new donor. Lambing season is a wreck so here goes another... This is actually pretty good. And better neat at room temperature. A high proof whiskey that lacks culture but not flavor. Strong vanilla and caramel, leathery burn, salty. This is a solid buy for the price I paid but no idea how it stacks in 2021.

[12.25.20] Picked this up for the FIL for Christmas. The storyline is nice and reviews were very optimistic. And with a sherry cask finish and reasonable price point, how could you lose? Spicier than I expected for a Beam blend. Nose is very fruity and floral but it actually burns a bit on the pallette. A lot going on in the flavors (I suppose that's why the experts said "full, rich") but the finish is pretty smooth like a sherry finish should be. It benefits from an ice cube if you want to scrub that peppery bite in the sip. This is a good whiskey. Worth buying, worth drinking, but wouldn't be on my "must own" list.