Tastes

Is it pretty dang good? Yes. Is it another overrated bourbon from Buffalo Trace that is 20$ too expensive and impossible to find just because it's related to Pappy? Yes. That's as much as I'll say about that, but now onto the bourbon at hand. Imagine you're sitting in a leather, wingback chair by a warm fire in a room made almost entirely of mahogany while wearing a smoking jacket. That's what this bourbon is like. It is MATURE. It's very well-rounded with deep, rich, and dark flavors. Nutty, leathery, earthy, with subtle notes of figs. I do believe it is delicious in its own right. Would I buy it with my own money? No, but it is worth trying if you can find someone who happens to have it.

The whisky Macallan should've been. This a fantastic expression of highland Scotch that gives you everything you want and need. For anyone who feels the need to buy Macallan, buy this instead. All Macallan's fall short of the mark for me, ESPECIALLY for the price. This, though, is around the price of a standard Macallan 12, but a great deal better in my opinion. The nose gives way to honey, caramel, and a rich butterscotch that reminds me of a much older highland (20-25 years), which is incredible for a 14 year old. The palate is pretty incredible. It's a little vegetal with some fantastic floral and potpourri notes. The BEST part of this whisky is where many Macallans fall short for me: the finish. The finish is incredible and extremely long. It's sweet, fruity, and floral at the start with the rich bass notes of caramel and butterscotch coming through afterwards. This is a really good whisky and anyone who wants a highland and is tired of the Macallans, Glenfiddichs, and Glenlivets. While those are respectable Scotches, this takes things a step further when it comes to the flavor, finish, and complexity.

Before continuing, read my last review of the standard Peg Leg Porker Bourbon. It highlights everything unique about the Peg Leg Porker brand. This one is about 2-4 years older than the base whiskey. Flavors are very similar to the last whisky, but you can definitely tell that the age has made it more well-rounded and balanced. It means that the underlying bourbon quality is better than the base with the same BBQ flavors as the other bourbon. I think this does drink better and can get a lot more people onboard with this style of whiskey, but I must say I do prefer the original. This is still really good, but I like Peg Leg for that shot of uniqueness and BBQ flavor and I think the base whiskey has more of it. While the flavor of this one is more refined, I think it's starting to loose some of that "good ol southern BBQ" punch in the face that I loved about the other one. It still has a lot of it, don't get me wrong. But not only that, but for 10-15$ less, I'd personally always reach for the original on the shelf.

So I have to dedicate this one to @BDanner. A few months ago I got the Wild Turkey Longbranch because I had high hopes from the Texas Mesquite Charcoal mellowing. It was apparent in the flavor profile, but not as much as I was hoping. It was @BDanner who recommended the Peg Leg Poker bourbon because it had an abundance of that charred BBQ flavor I was after, and boy was he right. I've had this bourbon for a couple months now and I absolutely adore it. Sure, the bourbon base that was sourced is nothing horribly special, but what Carey Bringle and the Peg Leg Porker has done with this whiskey is amazing. For those who don't know, Peg Leg Porker is a BBQ joint in Nashville, TN that, in my opinion has the best ribs (it has to be the dry ribs) in the country. Carey, the pit master, uses hickory wood, exclusively, to smoke the meat for the restaurant. He then takes the burned-down hickory charcoals from his BBQ pit to create the extremely char-heavy flavor profile of this bourbon. I lived in Nashville for over 4 years and saw this bourbon on the shelves multiple times. I never gave it a second glance thinking it was for publicity for the restaurant and that there was nothing unique about it. That was a HUGE mistake. If I took the time to read the back label or do research, I would've made sure to have a bottle on hand no matter what. It's too late, however, now that I live in a state where Peg Leg currently isn't sold. Every time I go to Nashville though, I am always sure to pick up a bottle of this or the 8 year old (this particular one is a blend of 4-6 years). I will review the 8 year old soon. This one, however, for the 30-40$ price, is absolutely worth every penny. That BBQ char is the prevailing flavor and for someone like me (a lover of smoked meat and bourbon), it's about near perfect for a bourbon. Now, it's not smoky, it's just very charred and I like that because you can actually taste the hickory notes rather than just the creosote aspect of smoked whiskeys. If you are ever in Nashville and you like good BBQ, you need to go to Peg Leg Porker and order the dry ribs. Not only are they fantastic, but you will pick up the incredible hickory flavor that is found in this incredible creation of a whiskey.

I think this is a really beautiful whisky. I find it to be more layered than other Highland Scotches. I give the credit to the small cask maturation. I think it’s fair to compare this to the Laphroaig Quarter Cask. The Laphroaig QC personally wasn’t my favorite because of the intense barrel tannins. It was a reasonably dry whisky and I believe Laphroaig is more at home as a meaty and juicy whisky. This is very different though, because unlike the Laphroaig, I believe the small casks give this Highland a beautiful oaky richness. Now it has some wood tannins but it’s not overpowering or dry. I think it has the wood notes that is missing in the Oban 14. This reminds me of the Glenfiddich Bourbon Barrel reserve with more of a floral component. I think in this, the wood helps bring out the peatiness more so than the standard Oban 14. I actually prefer this to the 14. I find it more interesting and a little more complex. I don’t know what it is, but I happen to find that non-age-statement Scotches have a lot to offer. In many cases I like them more than the standard age statement releases. I know a lot of people only get Scotches that have ages on it because it makes them feel like there’s more prestige involved. I feel so bad for those people because they’re missing out on Scotches like the Ardbeg Corryvreckan, Laphroaig Lore, and this. Focus on the Juice, not the label.

On those it has this overcooked apple pie note. Not so much burnt, just over-reduced. The baking spices mixed with this heavy note of baked apple skins really creates this unique profile on the nose. On the palate, the baked apple really comes through alongside this musty wood note that I am quite liking. I don't think it's as refined or as beautiful as the 10-year, but is still worth the buy because it's such a pleasure to sip on.

I'm a big Scotch and Bourbon fan so OF COURSE I like this. To make it simple, this bourbon has 2 things that sets it apart from many other bourbons: a heavily charred flavor and brine. The weird thing is that it'd be hard to replicate these flavors naturally without a boat. So, that's what makes this bourbon special. It's very light and pretty which is not something I usually think of when I drink bourbon. Bourbon is usually dark and rich. If you're a Scotch-lover looking for a good bourbon? Get this. If you're a bourbon-lover looking for a good Scotch? Get the Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel Reserve. I'm not comparing these two in terms of flavor or richness or quality, just in terms of what they have to offer to people who like different styles of whiskies. I really do recommend this whiskey...if you don't care about money. It'll be hard for me to get another bottle because $75 is a lot of money for something like this. For $49.99 I wouldn't bat an eye at all. I just think this is one of the things where you're paying extra money for the story. For me, the story is important, but the juice is what you're paying for.

To this day I've never had a standard Wild Turkey (standard or 101) and I hate to say it, but I don't know why I would after having this. It's affordable, delicious, and everything you could ask for in a bourbon. You can tell it's a high rye bourbon, but the rye is smooth and not punchy. For something that's 58% ABV, it's reasonably easy to drink. It still packs a punch, but it's pretty silky and buttery. It has this lovely banana note on the nose that turns into banana bread on the palate with those spices from the rye. That coupled with the toasted wood and deep vanilla, it's easy to keep pouring more.

I will say I quite like this. I know it's Matthew McConaughey's bourbon so I did all I could to remind myself that a bourbon isn't good just because a celebrity says it is. Despite this, however, I objectively do like this. It's not the best bourbon I've had, but the thing I love about it is that mesquite influence. It turns this bourbon from some basic entry bourbon into something that's actually pretty different than most other bourbons in this price-range. It has this beautiful old-fashioned dusty flavor that I generally find in Scotches that I love. It has some rich vanilla and caramel notes that's wrapped in this "smoky" blanket. The reason I say "smoky" is because it's not smoky like an Islay Scotch, but it has this charred BBQ quality that I absolutely adore. Because of the mesquite charcoals, it does have a character similar to that of Tennessee whiskey. However, I find it less sharp and easier to drink than Tennessee whiskies of a similar price. And that brings me to my final point, the price. I got this for $40. And I believe that is too much for this. When I was on vacation I saw it for 32 and 35 a couple of times and didn't want to risk flying with it in checked luggage. But, for that price I could see myself getting this again and if prices around my area decrease then I will. But this is not a $40 bourbon. This is, in reality, a $25 bourbon that's been improved through a unique process so I'll give it an extra $10 to make it 35, but that's about it. So if you find it for 35 or below then definitely get it because it probably is more different than anything else at that price.

This is one of my favorite Scotches. It's also probably the most briney whiskies I have. This is the Jefferson's Ocean of Scotch. It's got a wholeeeeeeee lotta brine. But it sure is delicious. The peat is about a 5 on a scale of 0 to Islay. The stone fruit of the islands comes through with some beautifully light and friendly peppery notes with a hint of butterscotch. I highly recommend this above any other Taliskers. I am sad, though because when I got this in Nashville it costed 40$. But, now that I've moved I can't find it for anywhere near that price. Same thing with the Laphroaig 10. I guess I'll just have to go back anytime I need new whisky.