Tastes

It tastes like rye, but it's surprisingly full-bodied and quite sweet. It doesn't have a strong bite and has some nice fruity, toffee flavors. It's shockingly smooth with only a little spicy bite. There's a little bit of wood but there isn't much and there isn't a terrible beet flavor either. This is really good, and not just for a rye. More complexity would be nice, but it's an enjoyable drink nonetheless. It's maybe a bit more in the caramel than the toffee, making it too sweet for some I'm sure. The spice does come out if you take a big sip, but it's good even so.

This tastes like a special bourbon. It has plenty of sweetness but it is balanced by the bitterness without beets completely overtaking it and without rye spice dominating either. There is a fair amount going on and a few flavors stand out, putting this out toward the upper end, but not at the zenith. The sweet and bitter anise flavor is what really makes this worth drinking, much like how the Glenmorangie 18's coconut flavor works well for it. The barrel is clearly present and there are also nice grassy notes with it. Caramel is there for sure and mint comes in in a subtle manner. There is a dark fruity flavor to it like bing cherries that is quite nice. It could do with some more complexity and a real knock-out flavor like that illusive apricot in single malts but as it is it is still really good. There is something surprisingly astringent here, almost like a tequila, but it never tastes overly like alcohol. When all of the flavors are put together, the bitterness and spice are a bit much, but it isn't overwhelmingly so. The balance is quite good, though not masterful perhaps. It's good, but probably not worth the price.

This has a more aged smell than the Suntory Toki does, but it has less to it and it's less appealing. There's a bit of fruit on the nose, including some tart apricot. The alcohol does come through on the nose. It smells perfectly fine. The palate is fairly smooth I guess but there definitely is some youthful harshness to it. It tastes like a whiskey for sure, but it tastes on the young side. It's fruity, but the flavors aren't exceptional at all. First impression: although it's richer, the Suntory Toki has somewhat better execution. There isn't a whole lot to the flavor and the alcohol is too pronounced. There's that annoying Irish bitterness in here too. It's drinkable, but it really isn't all that enjoyable. The aftertaste is bitter too. Given the flavor, I was surprised to discover that this is a malt whiskey. I like the richness, but the undertone is not very good. Really, I'd drink this if I had to, but it isn't very good. That bit of sweetness is worth something, but it isn't enough. Sadly, this just gets worse and worse. There isn't much to recommend it.

It's sweet with some nice flavors, but extremely mild. The flavors are kind of good, though the most powerful one is icing sugar. Icing sugar with some vanilla and cinnamon, but the sweetness is not completely overwhelming. The icing sugar coats your mouth. Would not have again. It's so mild that there pretty much isn't a finish.

The nose is a bit aggressive with the alcohol, but there is some nice fruity rye scent (apple), which is really weird since this is a wheated bourbon. There's a notable cereal scent that tends toward the bitter side, but that adds some nice richness. That said, it definitely smells tart and a tad generic. The cereal and ape do go well together though and there is the faintest waft of cinnamon. The palate has a big dose of caramel and cinnamon with some harshness from the cinnamon coming through. The flavor is unfortunately generic and the caramel is too young and syrupy. It's a bit standard, but the rich flavor would make for a good mixer. It's richer than Evan Williams, but it's also more aggressive in its flavoring, bringing in a bit of mushroom umami as well, which adds to the syrupy element of the sweetness. There's a bitter nuttiness that lacks complexity. There's plenty of vanilla and some spice, but it is hidden behind the gross bitter flavor that is kind of like the cork dissolved in the bottle (gross bread). Maker's 46 has problems, but this has them worse. The bitterness could be construed a bit as dark chocolate, but it has that distinct wet wood note to it. It's key bitter and sweet balance is reminiscent of Corsair Quinoa, but it lacks the complexity and novelty. Drinking it right after Corsair Quinoa, it just tastes like alcohol and rubber. It's not awful, but it's certainly no better than a mixer. Larceny may be milder than this, but its flavor is executed better. It's a 9 to a 10.

The nose is subdued with an alcohol strength in the background and a lightly fruity element with vanilla and a hint of rye grass up front. It doesn't smell all that aged, but it also smells fairly well balanced. There are some nice notes of wood on the nose that blend with the grass, but they are on the young side. The palate has a richer, woodier flavor than expected with a nice balanced toffee element that goes with the wood. There's somewhat of a lighter caramel going on here, but it isn't that sickly light caramel that ruins so many bourbons (though it does cause a bit of worry). There's a little bit of smoky meat on the palate that reminds me of Lagavulin 16 in a nice way. The vanilla is present for sure and it fits in well. A lot of smoke persists here and somehow it isn't super sweet with all of the butterscotch and caramel. This cask strength is on the mild side, but it's still quite numbing. A bigger sip reveals more alcohol and harshnesswith that meaty smokiness playing a bigger role, but the sweetness still making its way in a bit. It does, however, taste more like a wheated bourbon (lightly flavored) with barrel and smoke willfully added than it originally tasted. Nice bright cherry still makes its way through though. The balance and complexity are better here than in Elijah Craig 12. If it weren't for the harsh alcohol, this would be a nice contender to compete with regular Elijah Craig or possibly Belle Meade Cask Strength. The fruit really gives it life. With water added, more bitter wood and vanilla come out. The licorice becomes more present on the finish too, along with a weird faint hint of cotton candy. More of that Jim Beam Black balanced flavor profile does make its way out, though it's a bit more jagged than plain Elijah Craig or Jim Beam Black. Still, this is much better than I expected from Maker's. It's fun to add water to it, but at the end of the day it's sometimes richer than Elijah Craig, but it's never more balanced and complex. It sure isn't bad for the price though. It doesn't numb as much as Elijah Craig 12 does, but it certainly does numb. Ultimately, it's perfectly fine and has a bit more complexity than Elijah Craig 12, but tastes more like rubber at low ABV. It's totally sippable, but not something I'd recommend.

The nose is rich with wood and spice. There's a big fullness to the nose that is terrific. The proof really comes through. It reminds me of something like Stagg Jr in smell. The nose definitely has a bit of rye dryness to it. It's a really terrific nose with sweet vanilla and cinnamon galore mixed with a tad of brown sugar. The mouthfeel is thinner than expected. It has a big kick with tons of spice. Some tart cherries come in later. There's lot of rich chocolate with spicy cinnamon mixed with the wood. It's an interestingly spice-forward concoction. There plenty of sweetness though with vanilla and brown sugar. There are some cherry notes, but they aren't exceedingly strong. Their freshness is a bit disappointing. There's something a bit earthy in the wood too that combined with the cherry reminds me of that mushroomy flavor of cherry wood chips. I get where what I interpreted as brown sugar and fresh cherry was interpreted by Distiller as banana and ripe apple. The flavor doesn't quite do it for me, but it's far from bad. This is in the Eagle Rare/Booker's Kitchen Table range. The flavor profile has some good notes with a solid balance, but it's not terribly complex and there's something that rubs me the wrong way a bit. Still. I like it well enough. I might even consider it I stead of Booker's if I thought Booker's had a poor release. It's gets a bit sweet at the end, but that helps to drown out the rye tartness and minerality. Really, it's quite good. It's in the 16 to 17 range.

Woody, slightly spicy, and clearly sweet with strong vanilla notes and some unidentifiable fruit (maybe apples?) Topped with some generic flowers. The flavor is full with a little bit of salt and brine. A solid, but unexciting bourbon. I wish it didn't have that wheaty, spicy, woody flavor. Compared to wild Turkey Master's Keep Revival and Russell's, this is less spicy and woody, but it still has an off, bitter flavor and lacks character. Bitterness is a bit too present, but there is also some toffee and a bit of spice. It's on the smooth side. Not, bad, but its flavor could use some more balancing. It burns and has a bit of rich fruitiness and woodiness. It has this weird quality of tasting somewhat aged but also somewhat watered down. The end flavor is decent, but it lacks complexity and has some off notes. Alcohol flavor is clearly present here. It's drinkable, but it tastes fairly low-grade.