Tastes

The nose is fruity and scotchy with a faint hint of rye tartness and a nice waft of vanilla. The palate is nicely spiced with a bit too much alcohol. There are some decent fruits in here too. The finish has a nice amount of syrup on it. There isn't a ton going on, but the flavors are pretty good and it's sippable in a hedonistic way. It doesn't have an aggressively young taste even though it isn't all that complex. There's something a bit off, but it in no way ruins the experience. It's just a bit bland with a somewhat bitter bite. This is surprisingly good for being such a cheap Scotch.

The nose is sweet with a bit of vanilla and sweet citrus hard candy. It smells light. The palate has a big citrus hard candy flavor with some vanilla and pear coming in. It tastes a bit like a well aged white wine mixed with a touch of Muscat. It isn't terribly complex, but the flavors that it has are very good. It's light with no particular alcohol presence despite the ABV. It's very smooth. There's a bit of mild oiliness in it giving a presence of lemon zest, but without making it taste young. It has somewhat of a buttery Chardonnay character. There's a light hint of slightly underripe banana and there's also some mild woodiness with a bit of vanilla. The complexity is here, but it is subtle. This tastes more like a 15 year or maybe an 18 than a 21, but it's good. It reminds me a bit of Springbank 10 and even has that similar bit of smoke. I'm on the fence between 16 and 17, but the sweetness of the candy at the beginning and the occasional subtlety is quite nice, so it gets a 17 for now.

The nose is rich and full with a nice round and balanced scent. It smells like wood, but with some nice red fruit that goes in and out. There something a bit like wet wood on the nose, but if Joseph Magnus is good with wet wood why can't this be? A hint of tangerine comes through on the nose too. The palate is remarkably smooth for the proof with bitterness and some peppermint there balancing the bits of spices, but also mixing nicely with some mild, subtle herbal flavors and some light citrus. It doesn't come with that red fruit flavor. While it tastes more like E.H. Taylor Four Grain than Elmer T. Lee, it has that same Elmer execution that makes it delightful to drink. It's on the strong and hedonistic side being cask strength and the wood and smoke are a bit strong, but it all balances really nicely. Like, exceptionally so. This is a heck of a lot better than Stagg Jr. With some water, the citrus blends into the wood, revealing more cloves and tannins along with a tad of licorice. It's never as complex as Elmer T. Lee, but it is richer and tastes older. This is a fantastic drink that I would have on any occasion. If only I could afford it. The almond nuttiness and vanilla really help to balance it out in a delightful way. There's so much vanilla and cinnamon and clove flavor that make it taste delightful, yet it isn't harsh. The wood has a delightful rich toffee flavor. If Elmer T. Lee is grown up Evan Williams Black, this is grown up Jim Beam Black and improved Booker's Shiny Barrel. This has a bit more complexity than Booker's while maintaining the richness and presenting the wood in a favorable light. There's sooo much vanilla and it's delightful. There are no bad notes. It's a bit tannic and that could be a problem for some, but the tannins give the wood some additional life. There's ultimately no fruit or floral character and that isn't a problem. This is a bourbon with a woody purity that is delightfully easy to drink. Hedonistic and moderately complex with no bad notes. The cask strength helps it fill out its complexity. Occasional suggestions of fresh cherry jump out, but they are ultimately transient effects of the high proof (though they do appear when some amount of water is added). The flavor is so full and rich with plenty of vanilla sweetness. This is an excellent drink that unfortunately costs a hell of a lot. With the almond, I can see how Distiller got nutmeg. The tannic oak is there for sure. There's some cedar in the wood, but it's far from overwhelming. The baking spices are there for sure, though candied ginger is much harder to suss out. Black pepper is there and some mint can be detected, but spearmint seems like a mis-tasting that combines the other flavors in an unflattering way. Distiller largely hits the mark, but misses a lot of what makes this so terrific. It's hard to understate how excellent this bourbon is. If it had the complexity of Elmer T. Lee, if give it a perfect score. This is truly an amazing drink. (And maybe it deserves that 23}. It's unfortunate that the price is so high.

This has a rich, sweet, toasted, nutty nose. It's one of those premium smells that indicates long aging. That toastiness - like toasted barley mixed with popcorn - really comes through most of all on the nose. It isn't a big, assertive nose with a lot of alcohol, but it smells good. It smells a bit weak and simple, but it smells like it has a very well executed flavor. The palate is smooth, though it does have some spiciness to it. It's very rich with those toasty notes bringing out a fullness, but the mouthfeel is disappointingly a bit below medium. There's sufficient sweetness here along with the richness. It tastes much like it smells, with a bit of red fruit (cherry) coming out as well. It's very good, but I wish that it were more complex. I have a suspicion though that a mix of this (for the richness), Jim Beam Black (for the complexity) and Booker's (for the oomph) would be really good. Maybe some Whistlepig Piggyback for complexity as well. The one problem in using this for blending would be that it is so smooth that it could water down the blended spirit (shocking!). The quality here is very high, but I really would like more complexity. Unfortunately, based on this tasting, I'd put it below Booker's Kitchen Table and Whistlepig Piggyback. Maybe some Noah's for fruitiness, but Noah's does tend to have a bit of gasoline character to it. I do still really like this though. It's toasty and balanced with some juicy cherry with a layer of spices that includes a nice amount for baking spices (particularly allspice, but also some nutmeg and a dash of clove) and a woody backing with some sweet brown sugar. It's a very well balanced bourbon that has nice richness and complexity. Although not a masterpiece, it has some very good flavors and is well worth its price tag.

The first impression here is sawdust, like someone just dumped some wood chips in carelessly. It's a far stronger flavor of that "huh?" nature than I.W. Harper 15 is. It's strong though and the barrel is nice. The price is absurdly high for the quality though. The nose is rich with some umami and sour flavor. It smells a bit like rancid meat. Some more spice comes out though, along with some sawdust. The palate indeed has that sour flavor, but it's not nearly as prevalent because there's a huge richness and sweetness with brown sugar and then sawdust taking over. The tartness remains to balance it, but is vastly subdued. There's quite a bit of spice and some smoke. The harshness hits home. It's sweet with a bit of a toasty flavor from the sawdust, but it doesn't have a toffee sweetness, not does it have any fruit or a great deal of complexity. It's a decent bourbon because of the richness and sweetness, but it isn't terribly complex and the way that the flavors don't quite cohere (what is that sour flavor doing?) and how the sawdust comes through suggest youth. With a few drops of water added, the sawdust becomes more complex with additional smoke and barrel flavors. For comparison, George Dickel Bottled In Bond has a much more complex and palatable nose, with toasty and fruity notes that pull me in. George Dickel has a less brazenly assertive palate with less wood and smoke, but it has more balance with some nice toasty flavor and juicy cherry. If you're going for the biggest kick, choose Garrison Brothers. For a balanced bourbon that has plenty of wood and toasty flavors with a mouth-watering mixture of baking spices, go for the Dickel. Yeah, this just isn't on the level of George Dickel Bottled In Bond. I kind of like the rich, sweetness - it tastes like a very good young bourbon. Still, it tastes like a young bourbon. I bet this would be really good at 8 years rather than 3.