Tastes

Starts right off with stale bread. There is some nice fruitiness in here too. It doesn't really taste old. There are some bits of spice, chocolate, and seaside going on, but they are quite hidden. That nasty bread flavor just overwhelms. There is a hint of mint in here that is very subtle and draws attention to the alcohol. There is some mild smoke and a hint of peat. It's a smooth drink, but it just tastes young and blech. I appreciate the sweetness. There is a fair amount going on, but that nasty flavor dominates. I wish that it removed the bad taste and amped up the other flavors - then it would be really good. It's a lot like Balvenie 21 Port Wood in the most unflattering way, but it lacks some of the better characteristics.

A lot of alcohol in the nose and the palate, but the alcohol flavor does kind of fit in with the other flavors that are present. There is a lot of sweetness here and the profile is rich. Rye presence is notable but not overwhelming. Ginger makes an appearance to give the drink some spice, but it does not create an intense burn. There is a bland bitterness that just will not go away though. This bitterness drowns out most of what other subtlety is present with its off, skunky flavor. The dominance of sweetness toward the finish is quite satisfying. Some red fruit pops out at some point, harkening to Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. Unfortunately, the flavor is fairly muddy. Otherwise it has the beginnings of a great bourbon. After extensive time breathing (several hours), the skunky flavor mostly disperses and a mineral element comes through instead. Additionally, a dry, young wood note shows up for the finish. It's a definite improvement because some more of the subtleties come through, but it still definitely is not on par with Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. A little water opens it up, improving its flavor substantially, though it still falls short of Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve. Upon inspection, this is a really solid bourbon. Compared to something like Russell's Reserve Single Barrel, this is a bit mineral in flavor, but it is still quite good, just not a masterpiece. E.H. Taylor Small Batch has a flavor that pops a but more in an oddly refreshing way, but it also has more of a vegetal flavor lurking in there. It is hard to deny E.H. Taylor's depth, but the plain good flavor of Old Forester's toffee and vanilla is able to take it on. If anything, E.H. Taylor tastes more like minerals than Old Forester does (though I do like its lingering apple and orange notes). Rich and sweet, with anise, toffee, vanilla, and rye. Rye, vanilla, toffee, cocoa. This is sweet and rich. It's quite good. The fruitiness and tartness contrast well. There is a bit much rye bitterness that I wish were substituted for some smokiness (there this is some smokiness and a bit of wood rounding it out). There is a fair amount of vanilla, but it is not overwhelming. Some minerality is amplified by the tartness, but not in a gross way. The flavor is complex and most of the notes are good. This is a really good drink. Wow, this is astoundingly good with a tremendous amount of richness and complexity, especially for the price. It's a delight to drink and might just be the best bargain in booze. Caramel, wood, cinnamon, hints of orange, mild rye (for a bourbon). The sweetness is wonderful, but is counterbalanced by the rich, robust flavors. It is on the sweet side, but is not overly so. The finish is sweet and tasty. This is a delightful drink. Compared with Knob Creek Single Barrel, this is less old and has a bit of a bubblegum flavor. I wouldn't call it's kids stuff by any means though. There are some bitter elements, particularly from the rye and there are several flavors that pass through. The Knob Creek is better, but this is awesome for the price. There are some minerals from the rye, but with all of the other strong flavors, they seen acceptable. This tastes like a surprisingly old drink, likely because of the new oak barrel and single distillation. There is plenty of wood and a ton of vanilla. It's sweet with toffee flavors and a tart fruitiness. I just wish that one weirdly bitter, vegetal undertone were not here. Some spices come out here too. It's amazing for the price. There is a lot of complexity and most of the flavors are really good. It tastes older than it probably is and is quite rich while avoiding a tremendous burn or strong alcohol flavor. The individual flavors could use a bit more cohesion, but it's still really good, especially for the price. I like the sweetness, toffee, and sweetness a lot. It has some of those nice, fruity, vanilla bourbon flavors with mild mint backing. It's very good. Tons of vanilla with plenty of toffee, some wood, and an herbal backing with a rye pungence and some undeniable alcohol. There is some apple flavor and there are some mineral, floral elements in here too. It's an interesting mix with a complex set of flavors that are generally good and play well together. It has a bit of a rancid element and is a little rough, but this is ultimately a great bourbon, especially for the price. This is quite intense with a big herbal flavor. There is anise but also thyme and other notes. It's far more aggressive than Blanton's, but it's also flavorful in its own way. Sure, it's drying, but the flavor is rounded and super rich. It may be too aggressive, but I enjoy drinking it as a staple. It's no William Larue Weller, but this is a stunningly sippable whiskey and it is well worth its low price. The toffee adds a really nice balance and there are some lovely chocolate notes that somehow blend with the lavender, honey, spice, and other flavors quite well. The cherry is nice. It has some good, distinct flavor that highlights the rye in it nicely. There's a fair amount of alcohol and it's a bit rough, but still pretty fun to drink. Not a refined as Eagle Rare, but still solid. I'm on the fence between a 15 and 16 but I'll leave it at 15 for now.

It smells like it's going to kick you in the face. It has a surprisingly balanced and oily flavor. There is certainly rye tartness, but it is subdued. The spiciness doesn't overwhelm. This might be the oiliest drink I have ever had. There's some off banana, but I kind of like it. There's kind of a toffee in here too. The balance is unusually, but it's quite good (if you like bananas, which is definitely a dicey stance to take). It's rich and also very sweet. I'm a bit conflicted about the bananas but I do enjoy this. It's fun, but perhaps not very practical given its odd laffy taffy flavor. It tastes a bit like buttered pancakes. It's really fun and super smooth. The banana suggests a lot of vanilla. The sweetness and smoothness are astonishing for a rye, though there is definitely plenty of numbing spice (clove?) to be found the more you drink. It's good in a quirky way, but I think I'd take Corsair or Pikesville over it if I were looking for a somewhat different rye. As it is, this is just a bit too confusing. It's a bit reminiscent of Jamba Juice even. Mega props to Old Forester though for delivering such a smooth drink with minimal alcohol flavor at such a high ABV. It's a bit like Woodford Reserve Double Oak. This is nicely complex and the banana does eventually fade, but it still isn't excellent. It's thoroughly sippable though. The balance is superb and I would recommend this, but I've been bitten by Woodford Reserve Double Oak before, so proceed with caution.

The alcohol is very strong, but the alcohol flavor is not overwhelming. There is a nice, mild fruity layer here with a sweetness that stays decently, even when the bits of bitter rye come in on the finish. A sense of strong alcohol is the main character here, but that doesn't make it bad. In that regard, it reminds me Knob Creek Single Barrel. The flavor is mostly good, but I wish it had some more complexity. The flavor is quite good though, with some creamy chocolate coming through at points and a definite vanilla backing. There seems to be some smoke here, but it just provides a rich undertone rather than punching you in the face. It is consistently enjoyable, but just isn't complex enough. It gets a passing mark for tasting so good generally and having great balance among it's flavors, but the alcohol is just too strong relative to everything else. The faintly creamy, sweet backing is what really makes this enjoyable. I still prefer the Old Forester Signature though and it is less than half the price. It smells rich with lots of caramel and some fruit that adds a little sickly sweetness, but the nose also has some variety. It has the strongest nose of the 1870, 1897, and 1920. The nose has some nice barrel spice too. The palate is immediately fiery with spice and a harsh alcohol presence. It doesn't have a big rich chocolatey (or similar) presence, but it does have lively spice and some bright cherry. The flavor doesn't really go much of anywhere though and the cherry is too bright, particularly given the lack of complexity and richness. There's some nice smoke in this one, but at full proof it's not that great. With a bit of water, the cherry gives way a bit to smoke and some more barrel and vanilla come out. In this state, it's clearly better than the 1870, but is not clearly better than the 1897. It's still spicy and is solid enough with some decent complexity. Watered down, I'd say it's slightly better than the 1897 because it has more punch and more going on. It's not excellent though.

It smells fruity and rich (and also fairly alcoholic). There's a spicy element that is very cinnamony and mixes with some nice fruity cherry, red apple, and vanilla. There's plenty of richness, but it doesn't overwhelm. That warm alcohol sweetness comes out here, which is really helpful. The complexity falls below that of the Old Forester 1870, but the flavors are nice. It reminds me a bit of Knob Creek Single Barrel. There's a bit of a bitter herbal something back there somewhere, but it is within the realm of reason. There's sweetness and some toffee that blends well with the fruit. There's some cocoa with a hint of espresso, but it's not a ton. This is generally a rich sweet whiskey that I'd be happy to drink, but I appreciate more complexity; this mainly focuses on a single nice flavor. It's good at the price, but the 1870 is a little cheaper and better. There's more alcohol on the finish than I'd like, but throughout it's pretty good. Something a little peanuty comes through with a big sip, but it is something alcoholic and bitter too. It smells somewhat rich with some clear fruit and not a huge hit of alcohol. The palate is fairly rich and it has a big burst of fruit with a clear cherry syrup presence. This certainly reminds me of Old Forester Signature, including that bitter note backing the whole thing. It's not terribly complex, but it's nice. It's a lot like regular Old Forester, but maybe a bit more rounded. A bigger sip reveals more rich wood that's a bit musty but has an aged smoothness. It's pretty good, standing a little bit above Old Forester Signature (but not much). It's really the same flavor profile with the fruit, spice, and smoke dialed down. Actually, maybe it's a tad below Old Forester Signature. It isn't super complex and while its presence wish nice, the alcohol still comes through. It may not be as good as Jim Beam Black.

It smells rich and alcoholic. Drinking it, there is surprisingly nice balance of flavors. There is spice, but also wood barrel, vanilla, toffee. All of the flavors are good and they stand out nicely. This is a remarkably sippable drink. It doesn't need to punch you in the face but it isn't overly soft either. There's something here that might be a little too bitter, but it isn't skunky and this drink is also on the sweet side, so it kind of cancels out. There's a little alcohol, but it isn't bad. There's something fruity and light here. The flavors gradually settle down, leaving the pear notes a bit too present, but there's still a fair amount going on here and the overall flavor is rich and tasty. This is a great sipper. I really appreciate both its sweetness and strength. The bitter herbalness can be a bit much at times, but it is great for filling out the backing. This is very impressive for the price point. There's plenty going on here. A bit less alcohol flavor would really make this nice. Months later, the nose has that rich Old Forester presence with rich cherry in syrup and caramel and spice. The palate is kind of weak though. It has a bit of grain and some nice cherry flavor lurking in the back, but there's a lot of mineral and alcohol. It's kind of mild there's some definite spice and burn, but it's pretty disappointingly unsaturated with flavor. There's some almond in here that adds some nice richness, though the whole thing is still weak. The flavors that it does have are each decent, though the minerals do overwhelm. The flavor execution is better than in regular Old Forester, but it isn't even as strong as Wild Turkey Whiskey Jewbillee and it isn't quite as nicely flavored either. That said, I do appreciate the layers that are present. It's sort of the complexity of Wild Turkey Whiskey Jewbillee mixed with the weak character of Evan Williams. The finish is light, but not bad. The fruit flavors are balanced nicely, giving it a distinct harvest presence. The cinnamon doesn't burn too much and it balance of the fruit with brown sugar is nice. It reminds me a bit of apple pie with some light buttery crust from the almond flavor (it isn't very oily though). Vanilla is clearly here, unfortunately enhancing the mineral flavor. A delicate barrel wood presence comes through. A richer version of this could be great, but as it is it's just too weak. That mineral is hard to get past. That almond flavor is really what pulls this up from being flavorless.

The nose has a delightful toasty flavor - a bit nutty, but mostly just nice and roasted, almost like barley tea a bit. It also has some tart and vanilla scents that fill out the complexity. It smells fantastic with a huge fullness of flavor. The palate agrees. This is smooth and rich with some spiciness and a moderately strongly viscous mouthfeel. It tastes delightful and that toasted flavor just has a mild barrel presence to it, preventing it from tasting over-oaked. I don't taste as much complexity as I feel like I should, but the richness is sublime. The notes of white pepper give it life, but they don't overwhelm it at all. This is what I thought that I.W. Harper 15 and Garrison Brothers would taste like. This isn't what I expect of a wheater, but now I know why I like William Larue Weller so much. There is a bit here that does remind me of Blanton's, so Blanton's could be a good substitute. There are flavors of toastiness, mild pecan and almond, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, white pepper, brown sugar, maple, vanilla, a tad of banana, and light spearmint. And something tart. There's a bit of tannin, but not a lot. I love it. It's easily a 20 and might even be a 22. I don't think it's a 23, but there's always that possibility. Everything here is in amazing balance. I'm bordering on 21 vs 22. I think I'm landing on 21 though. I upped it to 22. It's so, so good, but so tragically expensive!

The nose doesn't have a ton going on. There's some smoke and a bit of grain, but nothing that stands out too much. The palate has plenty of smoke, but also some fruit and a substantial amount of malt. This is very rich for a Japanese whiskey, though it remains subtle. It reminds me of Johnnie Walker Green. I love the richness, though I wish that some other flavors stood out more. I'd say it's a bit better than Yame Eight Goddess, though not tremendously so. There's a bit of sweetness, but really this is a rich whiskey. It balances some spice and a bit of umami too. It's dry good, though it lacks that punch that I often like to see. At $75, this is a solid buy, especially at 51.4%.

Mild, but there is something going on here. There is plenty of sugar, but it doesn't taste a whole lot like icing sugar. Plenty of cinnamon is there too, but is that a good thing. There is a nice creaminess here, almost like a cream soda until the cinnamon hits on the finish. There just isn't enough depth to make this interesting. It's like a spicy bourbon for kids.