Tastes

Rating: 17/23 - Nose - Heathery with cinnamon and other baking spices. Some rich, worty maltiness in the background fills the profile out a bit and adds a bit of sweetness. - Palate - Heather leads into malty sweetness with worty notes. It's a nice combination of nuanced and decadent, despite the low ABV. The cinnamon spiciness really helps with that low ABV and it brings with it some bourbon barrel vanilla flavor There's also an oiliness that makes me think there may have been some oloroso casks in the mix somewhere and there's a nice film left behind as this dries around the rim of my glass. The low ABV does make this a touch bitter, but it isn't bad. - Finish - Clean with lingering heather, a bit of an oily mouthfeel, and some of that bourbon barrel. A bit of the worty grain as well. - Conclusion - This is really good! It's not an all-time favorite, but it's rich and tasty with nuance and body, yet it's only 40% ABV. I'm thinking a 17 or 18.

Rating: 14/23 Got a patent application filed, so I think a bottle opening is warranted. I've been curious about this one for a bit, so I'm going for it. N: Lots of minerality with a mild sweetness that brings in notes of corn, and hints of tangerine. There's a nice bit of dustiness coming off of the corn as well. P: Mmm, this has some nice sweetness! The corn sweetness comes through. The mouthfeel is moderate, but lighter than I'd expect at this proof. Nice vanilla that actually almost becomes cloying. Mild tangerine as well. Then there's the burn. It's not harsh, but this certainly does burn. It's a bit peppery, but not in a really flavorful way. F: It's less sweet than the palate, but similar in style. A lot more minerality in here though. - Conclusion - This is pretty decent, but nothing to write home about. My immediate thought is that this is around a 14. It could be a 15. I've been contemplating this one for a while now and I'm thinking that it's most likely a 14. It just doesn't have enough going on to earn a 15.

Rating: 14/23 - Nose - Oily, worty grain. A bit of alcohol bite. Gradually, that scotch heather scent builds and becomes dominant. It's not the most decadent nose or anything, but it has a nice, typical scotch aroma. - Palate - Worty grain brings in a bit of savoriness, but not meatiness or sulphur. There's lemon zest and white pepper. A bit oily in a way that give it some mouthfeel. Between the light oiliness and peppery spice, I might have guessed that this was 43% ABV rather than 40%, though it does have some of that typical 40% ABV grainy bitterness. Coming back to this after several minutes, I'm getting some dutch apple pie! - Finish - Lingering worty grains and heather. Maybe a some oil and just maybe a faint flavor of apple pie filling. Not a whole lot more going on here. - Conclusion - This is a nice low-end scotch. There's nothing that impressive here (well, maybe that dutch apple pie flavor), but it's well constructed and easy to sip. I've certainly had plenty of older single malts that were less interesting and tasty. As for the score, I'm thinking that this is easily a 12, but not more than a 15. I'm probably going with a 14.

Rating: 18/23 I got this sample thanks to @Milliardo. I've never tried Jefferson's before and rum-finished bourbon is always interesting, so this should be a good experience. - Nose - Rich, toasty wood, with definite vanilla and a surprising hint of salted and roasted pork. A light note of something drying that borders on being slightly tart. - Palate - Quite rich, though not the fullest. There's this nice, big, toasty vanilla and caramel sweetness, which touches a hint of that pork from the nose. There are herbal flavors in here as well, which surprises me since they make this taste more like a rye at times. - Finish - The sweetness is really decadent, with enough going on to be enjoyable as it lingers into the finish with the light herbal notes. - Conclusion - I like the profile that this has. Its rye character reminds me of Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered (18/23), but side by side the Smoke Wagon is sweeter and younger, as well as less nuanced. This is a more mature and sophisticated dram. The rum cask was a great call here. This is a really standout bourbon, with decadence, complexity, and maturity. The nuance here makes this competitive with my latest bottle of Balcones True Blue Cask Strength (19/23), so I think I'll give this the same rating. I'd like this to be fuller. I did think that this might be a 20, but I'm now confident that it's not. It could be an 18. It's an 18 or a 19. I'm leaning toward an 18 now.

Rating: 12/23 - Nose - There's a pretty big alcohol burn here. Unfortunately, it isn't that complex of a nose. I do get some worty grain and malty sour cherry though. Actually, those are more substantial than I'd expected. They seem to grow with time. - Palate - Less bite from the alcohol than I'd feared! It's sweet with the same grain and cherry-malt from the nose. It's not super full though. There's a clean and smooth aspect to the alcohol, as if in order to smooth it out, they removed a lot of the good flavors and complexity as well. It's bitter from the alcohol, but it doesn't burn. There's a definite vodka flavor to this whiskey, which I'm not sure is something I've ever said before. Hints of lemon peel and pepper. Nice grain vodka flavor. Unfortunately, the more I drink, the more this tastes like vodka instead of whiskey. - Finish - The malty grain and cherry carry through, though they aren't strong. They gradually fade out. Long on the finish, the alcohol burn comes back and just sits there. - Conclusion - This is a pretty lackluster whiskey. It seems to prioritize smoothness over all else. It doesn't really deliver anything worthwhile. I actually think of Seagram's a bit when drinking this because it has that vibe of a spirit masquerading as whiskey. For a rating, I can't go too low. This isn't bad. But it sure isn't good. I think there's just enough syrupy sweetness to this to save it from ending up in the 20 range. It's more like an 11 to 14. I think a 12 seems appropriate.

Rating: 16/23 Wow, this was only $46 4 years ago; now, I was lucky to find it at $65. N: A clear wortiness that's sweet with a dry tangerine bitterness. Some interesting terroir notes as well. Hints of vanilla as well. P: Some funky terroir that has drying peat character mixes with sweet malt, baking spices, some vanilla. Hints of orange zest connect the malty sweetness to the dryness. F: Lingering malty sweetness with vanilla and terroir, but there's also a bit of a wateriness. Hints of that dryness from before, but not much of it has made it through. - Conclusion - This is tasty and easy to sip. The flavors are good and the complexity and balance are sold. I like how smooth this is. What's getting me though is that there's a youthful vibe to all of the flavors and they haven't fully come together yet. Still, this is really good. I'm definitely giving it at least a 16 and I'm seriously considering a 17.

Rating: 16/23 This sample of bourbon-rye is courtesy of @PBMichiganWolverine. - Nose - There's a clean water aspect mixed with rye herbaceousness and spice. There's a bit of rich grain wort coming out and then there are sweet red fruits. A touch of malty sweetness. - Palate - Sweet, with a surprising rich and full character. There's some herbal nuance as well that adds depth but doesn't become excessively bitter. There's a little bit of a lightly toasted wood layer going on, contrasting with the sweet dried red fruits, which blend in surprisingly well. - Finish - A bit on the bitter side, but quite rich. There's lingering fruit, but it's even less discernible than it was before. - Conclusion - I like this. There's a nice balance going on. The flavors, although more balanced than I'd expected, are also a bit indistinct. I'm finding Russell's Reserve Single Barrel Rye (17/23) to be better than this. I think this is a 16.