Tastes

Very well balanced for a cask strength rye. Had a good burn, but not overwhelming. Mellowed as whiskey rock melted. Very drinkable.

As you would expect, this wheat whiskey offering is mellower than Woodford Reserve Bourbon, but it does taste like a cousin of it. A bit nutty on the nose, cinnamon spice on the palette and some oak on the finish. The lingering taste is a bit medicinal spice. Not the smoothest wheat whiskey out there, but a decent offering.

Made the mistake of buying this based on previous enjoyment of some Smooth Ambler offerings. After reading many of these reviews I quickly regretted my decision. To be fair, my batch (50) doesn’t seem as bad as some earlier ones, but it sure isn’t worth the $55 price tag. Yes it is spicy for a wheated whiskey and yes it is a bit thin on depth. It isn’t as full of acetate as some have noted, but it pales in comparison to cheaper wheats (Weller, Bernheim, Journeyman). Adding water or allowing rocks to melt helps a bit, but not enough. Save your money.

Very pleasant sipper. A bit spicy for a wheat at first but as ice melted, it was very enjoyable. Only available in a few states right now, but I think a wider distribution is coming in 2021.

A full bodied bourbon. Smooth and a bit sweet initially, but the spice comes on and stays long in the finish. Very pleasant to sip.

I was drawn to this bourbon because it is distilled about 15 miles from me. My understanding is that Robert James Distillery is among the upstarts that is experimenting with ways to rapidly age spirits to achieve a depth of flavor in a shorter period in time. My first impression is “you can’t fool Mother Nature.” The bourbon has little depth. It’s a bit medicinal up front and has little to offer on the finish. Might work in some cocktails, but neither my wife or I were impressed with it neat or on the rocks. Disappointing.

Really smooth with enough spice to satisfy my heavy-rye loving wife. We both are enjoying this whiskey. Definitely some nice vanilla and ginger notes. Recommend this whiskey.

Pleasant. A bit sweet, maybe apple, on the front. A longer finish with some peppery spice. This is one of the standard offerings from Brain Brew Whiskey which brags about their ability to mix small batch whiskies to make a custom whiskey catered to each drinker’s taste. Paddle Wheel is advertised to replicate a bourbon common in the heyday of Riverboats along the Ohio and Mississippi. (I can’t speak to the authenticity of that claim.) I hope to get to their suburban Cincinnati lab to craft my own whiskey soon.

Easy sipping bourbon. Smooth and low ABV, but enough spice to satisfy my rye loving wife. Not overly complex, but has some nice vanilla notes. If this were $40 we would make this a regular in our rotation, but at $70 it’s a bit pricey for what you get.

It’s hard enough offering tasting impressions on any whiskey since everyone has a different palette. It becomes impossible with a Single Barrel offering because each barrel is different. Lots of reviews of this Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel list rich, complex and staggered flavors. For me it was spice up front overpowering everything else and spice with a hint of tobacco on the finish. Does mellow a bit as ice melts and it chills. My wife, who lists Rare Breed as a favorite loves her pour. I think it’s good, but will probably let her have the rest of the bottle.