Tastes

Rating: 15/23 This has some interesting finishing going on, which is what got my attention. It's also Beam whiskey combined with Japanese blending, which makes me nervous since the Jim Beam range has pretty subtle flavors already and Japanese blending seems to mute a lot of the characteristics as well. We'll see what the result is here. N: I get cola, a bit of cherry, some light toffee, a hint of peanut, some mineral, and a bit of woody spice. It's a fairly light nose for a bourbon and the amount of mineral and cola concern me since it leans more toward the metallic side of cola than the rich herbal side. P: The mouthfeel is disappointingly.a bit watery, but it isn't too bad. The cola is definitely there, as is the wood spice. It's a sweet bourbon, though not excessively so. The spice builds over the course of the palate. Toward the finish, a little bit of almond and peanut comes out, which I'd say is the high point. The beginning has more of the mineral and cherry mixed with dried dark fruit building out the cola flavor. There is some corn sweetness, but it doesn't really come out as caramel or toffee. I get more of a vanilla tone coming out with the corn, but not a ton of it. F: A bitterness from the cola kind of comes out and sticks there at the end, making the finish a bit underwhelming. Overall, there are some interesting things I like here that make this a unique bourbon, but all-told I can't say I'm a particular fan. It's a substantial step up over Jim Beam Black, but for the price I think I'd go with Russell's Reserve 10 instead. Eagle Rare kicks it to the curb, though I think it does outclass Elijah Craig Small Batch just a tad. I could see a 14 and at one point I thought it was a 17, but I think it's really in the 15 to 16 range. I'll go 15 for now, with it likely moving up to 16.

Rating: 19/23 This one initially disappointed me because of how strong it is. I just got bitterness and a big punch in the face. I wouldn't recommend it for beginners, but as I've gotten further into the bottle, the richness, interest, and complexity have become much more apparent. N: Do I get ethanol? Oh yeah. A tad of meat from the distillation? That too. Rich wood like a lumberyard where the wood has been sitting outside for a couple of years and a dash of peanut? Yep. I get spices, with cinnamon, pepper, and clove being the main ones. The nose here is a bit richer than that of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B520, but it's also a bit more difficult to pull apart. I'm not amazed by this. P: This is very rich and fully without water, bringing out some sweetness and tartness immediately and blending them into some orange peel and big rich woodiness with some nice toasted quality that reminds me of Dickel BiB (2018), peanuts, and peanut shells. It's a dash harsh, but a little bit of water brings out some really nice funkiness with some rye, herbal flavors, a dash of savoriness, some light peppermint, and woody robustness dancing together nicely, There's a bit of some sort of bite like a prick of metallic tartness that I don't like. While it's far from overwhelming, I do notice it. Without water, I have to say that I was wondering why I recalled liking this so much, but the water brings out tremendous complexity without sacrificing richness and the funk is fascinating and filled with nice flavors. There's some mineral here, but it's just enough to impart a clean water flavor and enhance the vanilla sweetness a little bit. I do think though that the smoke that has a little bit of a firework character to it mixed with the mineral flavor might be the source of that metallic prick. F: The wood lingers for a long time with a character that is kind of youthful, but also soft. The clove and also a dash of ginger remain to represent the spices and the mineral, clove, and smoke, retain a tad of metal. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B520 has more going on without water and I like it better. That's a significant mark against this considering that the Elijah Craig also has 5 percentage points more alcohol. With a little bit of water, the Elijah Craig absolutely holds up, but it doesn't spring forth the same complexity. It takes a rich and spicy (cinnamon) tack that I can't say I'm as big of a fan of because it is less interesting and complex. Still, it is very nice and makes a big statement while avoiding the metallic note that unfortunately haunts Wild Turkey Rare Breed. I'd say that the water substantially improves the Elijah Craig as well, but not to the same extent that it improves this. Their qualities are very similar though. Elijah Craig is definitely richer and fuller, but despite the nose and unwatered palate here, this is more complex. I have to give both of these the nod over Eagle Rare, so they're in the 18 to 19 range. I guess I'm leaning toward 19 for both of them because they seem more than a point better than Eagle Rare and Eagle Rare seems more than a point better than Russell's Reserve 10 (which I rated at 16). So, Eagle Rare is a 17 to 18 and these two are just a 19. Easy enough then. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel tastes better than this does though. It's a cleaner, more nuanced flavor that lacks that one piercing flaw present in this. It's mellower, but not muddled. That said, my bottle of Russell's has been open for something like a year longer than my Rare Breed, so this could well be attributed to oxygen. Still, my Rare Breed has been open for something like 8 months itself, so this comparison doesn't strike me as too unfair. I would also give Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Cask Strength a clear victory over this, despite my bottle of Jack Daniel's having received a bit less air (though I'm certainly not comparing a neck pour). Considering how the Russell's and Jack compare, I think that this is a solid 19. I thought it might push its way up to a 20 because of its complexity, but Jack trounces it on both complexity and general flavor while Russell's demonstrates much better balance with a delightful flavor and a smooth, easy-to-sip profile. I do have to say that this one in particular has a real love-it-or-hate-it funk going on. I'm a fan though and for $40 + the highest liquor taxes in the nation, this is a fine buy. OK, I decided on a 19 for this, but I also have a brand new bottle to open and compare, so maybe that will be a good indication of how much of the quality here was (because this is sadly my bottle kill tasting) from the liquid put into the bottle and how much was from the 6ish months of moderate oxidation. Well, that or just a difference in single barrel quality. The new bottle is... almost as good! It has a bigger flavor to it, but less subtlety. I'd rate it an 18 off the cuff here, so even the neck pour is well worth buying at retail price. I killed a bottle of Russell's Reserve Single Barrel at the same time. I concluded that the Russell's was amazing (a 21!) but it did also cost a fair amount more. The Rare Breed had only been open for about 6 months and had been much more full for most of its lifetime, but I did expect the neck pour of my new Russell's Single Barrel (yeah, I didn't mention, but I had a new one of those too!) to at least match that of the Rare Breed. Surprisingly, the new Rare Breed was only about a point below the old one, whereas the Russell's was far below (probably a 16). Considering that Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof costs about the same as Russell's Single Barrel and has higher proof and tastes (shockingly) a tad better (based on one bottle aged 6 months with mild oxygen), I was borderline on buying another bottle of Russell's Single Barrel (though I will absolutely buy more of the Russell's 10). Now taking into consideration that the cheaper Wild Turkey Rare Breed pours better from the neck and that I haven't managed to make a bottle last nearly as long as my bottle of Russell's Single Barrel and that the Rare Breed is both higher proof and cheaper, I have to conclude that the Rare Breed is a better VFM. If I could find any more bottles of Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116 at my local Total Wine, I would buy them today! I'm thinking now that Russell's 10 (and maybe Eagle Rare 10), Wild Turkey Rare Breed, and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (hopefully the next bottle I buy holds up) are the VFM bottles to get. My next rating of this will probably fall back down to an 18, but the oxygen here brings it up to a 19. With either rating, it's great VFM and something that I would keep stocked forever, had it not recently sold out locally.

Rating: 14/23 If I were in a bar and had to order a pour of something cheap, this would probably be my go-to. I certainly don't love it, but it sure is hard to do better for the price and avaialability. N: Quite full. There's spices, cherry, some sour funk, a little vanilla, and a mellow woodiness that acts as a full backing layer. A huge step up over the likes of Ezra Brooks, but far from amazing. Just a bit complex and nicely balanced. P: Sweet yet quite tart with cherry, a bit of mineral but not too much, a big spiciness featuring cinnamon and pepper, quite a bit of vanilla, some caramel, a little bit of nuttiness (pecan?). Very balanced, quite rich, full, and decently interesting. Totally sippable, but not exceptionally engaging. It doesn't taste all that old, but it doesn't taste like they're trying to pretend it is either. F: The tartness lingers, along with the spice, wood, cherry, and a bit of vanilla. A fine ending, but not as good as the palate. This is a very solid bourbon at a very reasonable price. What more do you want from it? I can sip it, but I don't have any qualms about mixing it. The proof holds up very well and makes its $20 price tag all the more reasonable. A 14 seems about right for this.