Tastes

The nose is spicy with a nice full woodiness. The palate is smooth and viscous with a bit of oiliness and some nice low-burn and prickly spice in the background. The flavor is a nice deep rye, unlike most. It's surprisingly sweet, but not overbearing. Brown sugar is quite present with nice cinnamon spice and a hint of clove. There's something kind of fruity like apple in the flavor, but it isn't tart green apple or sweet red apple. Definitely kind of an apple skin presence; maybe green apple skin? This is quite good with nicely balanced flavors and good execution and presence. Rye isn't really my thing though and I wish it had more complexity. There's a nice toasted almond flavor that lingers for quite some time on the finish. More fruit really does come out and become the basis of the sweetness. The vanilla from the wood has a nice presence that avoids overwhelming with floral flavor. It really isn't all that floral and it nicely doesn't have much mineral either. This is a really nice clean rye. A bit more mineral does eventually come out, unfortunately. It's still a nice clean rye though.

The nose is clean with minerals and tartness and some nice sweet water. The nose has some spicy spice and a bit of wood too, along with something a bit bitter and herbal. There's a fair amount going on on the nose, though it is a bit light. The palate is sweet with floral notes and a light flavor. After that though, there's a bit of wood and some spicy harshness. As a young, light rye, it works quite well. There's a hint of brown sugar to the sweetness and the floral notes are refreshing. This would go great in a drink during the spring or summer. There's some complexity, but not a lot of fullness and richness here. Still, the balance works and the execution is fairly good. It comes across as stronger than 40%, which works as an advantage, but also suggests harshness. This is not on the level of Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, at least with a wrecked palate (this definitely has more sublety). It isn't as good as the Templeton 6 year, but it's solid in its own way. In direct comparison with Evan Williams Black, this has a markedly milder flavor with less caramel and wood richness. In comparison, the floral notes shine here, a tad like in Nolet's Silver Gin and certainly like in St. George Breaking & Entering American Whiskey. There is some decent complexity here. This has some more licorice than Whistlepig Piggyback and that's kind of fun. It's less complex and assertive though, with a bit much sweetness of sugar water. The subtle complexities to it are quite nice though.

This tastes cheap. A cacaphony of cherry, toffee, wood, and cinnamon leap out. There is some floral cotton candy mixed with a bit of grain that doesn't have much flavor and reminds me of the Nikka Coffey Grain. None of the flavors are overwhelming by themselves, but combined they are hard to take, particularly since they are largely low-quality renditions of flavors. I appreciate the smoothness and that hit of Irish Whiskey orange, but there is a bit too much spice and not enough fullness. It's a viscous drink, but not one that brings along a richness. Some salt hangs out in an awkward way too. All told, it's a hodgepodge, though not a disaster. Interesting, but not a great staple. Maybe a good choice for Japanese Whiskey fans.

It smells like old socks, but tastes like Scotch. Not the best Scotch though. It reminds me of Glenmorangie The Original, but this drink tastes like it is in pain. There is some richness here that I do appreciate. Some grain with orange-flavored wood and caramel is there, combined with minty undertones and some dark chocolate. The individual flavors are predominantly good, but none of them blow me away and they combine in a discordant manner. I wish this were Glenmorangie. At times I think it reminds me of Bushmill's 21, but really it is more like Glenmorangie 18, but even so, there are just small elements of reference. In total, the quality is closer to that of Glenmorangie The Original, albeit a bit reduced. The weird flavors and bizarre combinations really drag this down. Jameson Black Barrel at least has a unique creaminess going for it. Not bad, but I wouldn't generally choose to sip it.

It initially tastes of antiseptic, but has a fullness to it. Unfortunately, there isn't a ton going on here, so it tastes like a surprisingly robust vodka. Smoke is there for sure, but there is some sugar to fight it. Some sort of astringent fruit is present, but is not too strong. The bitterness is dissatisfying. Very dry, to be sure. It's on the smooth side, but there is some cinnamon burn present. If there were less spice and more of something else, I'd be a lot happier with it. There are just so many dissatisfying flavors in here. If it were priced alongside Popov vodka, I'd consider it, but at its price...not likely.

Yep, it tastes like rye. A lot of mineral. There is also some nice tart rye character, making it kind of refreshing. There's some spiciness, but not too much. It isn't terribly sweet. There are some floral notes for sure but there is also some nice fruit on the finish. It's pretty generic so it would be a good mixer. The more I drink though, the less I enjoy sipping it. Really, it's a lot of mineral and a dose of spice with not a lot else. That sweet, caramel apple bit is kind of nice but the rest is not that great. I'd rather not sip this.

It tastes weak, which is no surprise given the low ABV. There's a lot of mineral here. Its sweet with some buttery but not savory elements and a lot of vanilla with brown sugar and maple. There's some bitter alcohol lurking but it isn't too bad. There's a little barrel, but not much. There might be hints of rye. It doesn't have that intense alcohol bitterness to it that would make it bad for mixing but it isn't a sipper either. There's some leather and generic cinnamon spice. It's starting to sound very complex in this review, but it really isn't and it's far too weak. This is a really uninspired and almost insipid whiskey. It's exceedingly bland.