Tastes

Compared favorably with Evan Williams and Jim Beam, but not with Eagle Rare. It's not at the level of Booker's either, not even at the level of Kitchen Table. It's good, but it could really use some improvement. It has a surprising sweetness and a lot of spice. There is clear butterscotch and some light brown sugar for additional sweetness, though it mixes with rye spice and leaves the flavor a bit light and open like Evan Williams, particularly on the finish. There is mild dried cherry in the spice along with plenty of vanilla and a substantive floral element. There's a lot of general fruit flavor, but it has a bunch of subtle elements in there rather than just being a mess of generic fruitiness like in a juice box. The barrel is clearly perceptible, though it doesn't have that deep richness that I often enjoy. Still. There is a fair richness in the middle that comes across as decently hedonistic and the flavors are mostly good. Weirdly, this bottle doesn't indicate which single barrel it is from. It's lighter than I would like, but it's certainly passable. Sure it's on the sweet side with a big spicy hit, but I enjoy it. Some leather is there, though it is far from the richness of Joseph Magnus. Still, this is quite a good bourbon. It isn't super complex, but the flavors are mostly quite good and there is more complexity than there initially appears to be. As far as the spices go, cinnamon and allspice are clearly there and the heat could not be explained without some black pepper. This is really surprisingly good

There isn't tremendous complexity, but there is good complexity with a big richness plus some nice wood and other bourbon flavors. It isn't fruity, but it is tasty and a great bourbon that easily surpasses 1792 Single Barrel by multiple points. This is a bit better than. Booker's Country Ham and rivals Belle Meade Reserve and Booker's Shiny Barrel. Yeah, it's woody and spicy with plenty of vanilla and some cherry and a high ABV. It tastes really good. This is a prime bourbon, especially for the list price. At a marked up price, it becomes more in line with Booker's and Belle Meade Reserve, but at list price it is a steal! Direct comparisons clearly indicate that this is a 19. It doesn't have that scotchy complexity of McKenna 10, but it does have more richness and classic bourbon flavor. Huh, McKenna 10 sure tastes like an older grain scotch that was aged exclusively in bourbon barrels. This, on the other hand, has more of a Russell's Reserve Single Barrel flavor. That cherry really does come through, but so do the other flavors. Russell's Reserve has a bit more chocolate and is also a tad harsher somehow. I like the richness of Russell's in comparison. This is really more classic with more spice (somehow) mixed with a lot of vanilla and more cherry (also somehow). It's a touch comparison given their high ABV after making so many other Comparisons. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 58.4% has clearly higher ABV - it's harsher, though it has plenty of fresh cherry mixed with prunes and maybe a couple other dried fruits. I prefer the 1792 with its more traditional about and added smoothness despite its ABV. This is a very nice dram at a great price (if you can find it at list price), even relative to Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8. I don't think that I would have rated this whiskey of this year, but I do see how Jim Murray placed this near the top of all whiskeys. This rates favorably with even behemoths like William Larue Weller and George T Stagg. For the price, this is the obvious choice.