Tastes

What really surprises me here right off the bad is that my first thought upon smelling this is not "oh, this smells like a liqueur" or "oh, this smells like honey" or even "oh this smells bad" or "oh, this smells good", but "oh, this smells like Wild Turkey". That's promising though since it means the whiskey isn't hidden. On the nose I get wild turkey's re-forward mashbill with some added fresh orange sweetness like in Grand Marnier. I'm not sure I smell anything particularly like honey though. The palate is quite sweet but is under control. I do get a fair amount of the whiskey and there's this big, light overarching floral flavor that is very nice. It isn't harsh at all really. I do get that orange and I think it's a bit more like the Cointreau orange flavor with its big sweetness and otherwise light profile. It certainly isn't as robust as Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao. I'm actually quite enjoying sipping this. It tastes elegant and interesting. The high rye content of the whiskey really backs up the floral flavors. I wouldn't say it's very complex, but it's fairly nice. Nothing amazing to be sure, but surprisingly sippable with its nice balance. I particularly appreciate how restrained everything is: the sweetness isn't excessive and none of the other flavors punch you in the face either. Yukon Jack is harsher, less balanced, and less floral yet somehow also less rich. Wild Turkey American Honey is leagues better. Though this still isn't as rich as Cointreau and doesn't have as much of an orange flavor (and isn't really a reasonable substitution), the floral flavor tastes fairly good despite being light and it's smooth.

The nose has something a bit savory and a bit sweet, but overall not a huge amount going on. I can sort of imagine I'm getting a bit of honey and pepper on the nose, but it's not terribly apparent. The palate is surprisingly thin and the flavor is surprisingly dry. I do get quite a bit of pepper in here, but not in an overly harsh way. It is certainly warming though. The herbal character of the pepper is a bit rich and goes well here. There is something sweet and oily as well rounding it out that I assume is the honey. It narrowly avoids tasting like rubber. I can't say I'm a fan of this, but it's interesting in a way that isn't just code for "bad" and it isn't a terribly challenging profile, so it's easy to imagine that it could actually be mixed into something. It's not terribly complex but the profile does generally work and it is vodka after all. It could do with a bit less harshness and a bit fuller mouth feel for sure though. Frankly, I don't think that I need a honey pepper vodka in my life. The herbal character is the most interesting and best part of this, but it also invites in a couple of unpleasant flavors.

The nose has something a bit savory and a bit sweet, but overall not a huge amount going on. I can sort of imagine I'm getting a bit of honey and pepper on the nose, but it's not terribly apparent. The palate is surprisingly thin and the flavor is surprisingly dry. I do get quite a bit of pepper in here, but not in an overly harsh way. It is certainly warming though. The herbal character of the pepper is a bit rich and goes well here. There is something sweet and oily as well rounding it out that I assume is the honey. It narrowly avoids tasting like rubber. I can't say I'm a fan of this, but it's interesting in a way that isn't just code for "bad" and it isn't a terribly challenging profile, so it's easy to imagine that it could actually be mixed into something. It's not terribly complex but the profile does generally work and it is vodka after all. It could do with a bit less harshness and a bit fuller mouth feel for sure though. Frankly, I don't think that I need a honey pepper vodka in my life. The herbal character is the most interesting and best part of this, but it also invites in a couple of unpleasant flavors.