Tastes

The nose has a full scent of mild wood. It suggests sawdust and fruit-wise it's more on the tangerine side. There's definitely vanilla and some spice. I appreciate it in comparison with a scotch that has too much sulfur, but off the top of my head, it just smells like a mellowed out Elijah Craig Small Batch, not so much an aged one. Still, the nose does suggest a nice smoothness and there are still nutty scents of lightly toasted almond and pecan. The palate is drier than the nose suggests, but quite mild as it suggests, albeit in a different way. The palate is quite light and dry with more spice than expected and some numbing clove bitterness that melds into peppermint. It isn't very complex - or at least it numbs too quickly for the complexity to be detected. There are faint suggestions or orange and the sawdust character of the wood sure does come through. If that's showcasing its age, then congrats on that success I guess, but this is a pretty unimpressive drink. Compared with the popular melt-your-face bourbons though, this is quite approachable. I wouldn't really choose it drink it though, so I'm leaning a bit south of a 15 - maybe a 13 or 14. I think I'll settle on a 14 for now. Sadly, while the nose does suggest a mellower Elijah Craig 12, the palate is not rich or sweet enough to be there. Sure, the palate is less harsh, but it also has this overwhelming low-key mintiness and sawdust. I think I'd rather just drink Elijah Craig Small Batch (though I do think I've overrated that particular whiskey on past tastings).

The nose has quite a bit of spicy barrel, a lot like a bourbon. It smells like I.W. Harper 15, not at all like a malt whiskey. The palate is quite tart with some nice rich spice that doesn't have an overwhelming harshness and brings just the right amount of soft tannin numbingness. It has that I.W. Harper 15 sawdust flavor a bit, but this tastes more refined with some extra layers giving it additional complexity. There's not much sweetness here, but the mouthfeel is moderate. It has some nice vanilla too. It definitely isn't as strong and rich as I.W. Harper 15, but it's a bit better balanced with more nuance. The similarity in flavor between these two is quite remarkable. I get a little malt from this right after drinking I.W. Harper 15, but not a ton. This isn't excellent whiskey and it is certainly confusing, but it is quite good - better than I.W. Harper 15. This isn't excellent, but it's a bit surprising in a moderately interesting way. I like it better than most Japanese whiskey, though I do think it's largely a gimmick. It's kind of like I.W. Harper 15 mixed with Compass Box Spice Tree. Thoroughly sippable to the point of definitely being enjoyable, but not excellent.

This is quite rich and smooth for a rye with a lot of woody presence. It reminds me a surprising amount of Glenfarclas 25, but with some extra sweet tarts mixed in. That fruity-sour candy flavor is unusual but pretty fun in a low-price drink. There isn't a lot of complexity, but the flavors here are quite good for a rye, making this a nice sippable drink. The sweet tarts nicely make the minerals a part of the balanced character. There is a bourbony vanilla element here that adds to the floral nature and richness without exacerbating the minerals too much. It's smooth, but not terribly creamy, sort of like an American Single Malt. It's actually amazing how much this tastes like a scotch given that it is 100% rye. The brown sugar sweetness is nice and the barrel is well balanced. This would be a great mixer since it almost tastes like a cocktail itself. A bit less mineral and more complexity would still be appreciated, but this is darned good.

It smells really woody and rich but also dry. The palate is less forceful than expected and is a bit sweeter. It's kind of mild aside from this blaring spicy woody note, giving it this impression that it is wearing a mask of old age. There's some caramel mixed with floor polish (in a good way) and wood. There's some maple and plenty of vanilla. There isn't much in the way of fruit. There's a little tartness and some mineral, but both are subdued. This could be quite good if it were more complex and less weak. That assertive floor polish wood is actually quite nice. That little bit of spearmint is kind of frustrating though. I love that assertiveness and wish there were more of it. There isn't a ton of bitter alcohol flavors so this would make a good mixer. It falls a bit shy of being a sipper, but it isn't too bad.

This smells rich, woody, fruity (dark cherry), and a little like toffee. Essentially, it smells quite like Delord 1981. The flavor is rich and balanced with plenty of wood and dark cherry backed by a sharp bitterness. It's that sharpness to the bitterness that is the problem: this fascade tastes better than that of the Flagship, but it still tastes like old flavors are covering weak, young ones. This is no substitute for Delord 1981 despite its higher ABV, but it is pretty good. There's some alcohol coming through in the bitterness, but there's also rich coffee and chocolate. The amount of spice is just about right. The vanilla mixed nicely with the cherry and the minor minerals do not take over. It needs more complexity and richness, but it falls just on the right side of the sipper range. I enjoy this drink, but it wouldn't be my first choice given how weak and shallow it is. If it could solve one of those problems, it would gain a few points and move solidly into the great range.

The nose is sweet and woody with rich apples and vanilla. It has less of a maple syrup/caramel smell than Baker's does, but in exchange the more natural notes come through. The palate is sharp with a surprisingly present alcohol flavor. It doesn't taste underaged since it isn't overly sweet with odd flavors and the barrel with its tannins does show through (along with some cinnamon and a little bit of rich chocolate). There's plenty of rye character and some apple. It's spicy and it tastes like this could be quite good if the alcohol and light tartness (with a bit of grass) just got out of the way. If it weren't for the bitter alcohol flavor, this could taste pretty decent. As it stands, the flavor here is really undermined by it.

Compared with Amrut Portonova (a weird comparison, I know), this tastes weak. It's dry with a lot of cherry going on. It's very different from the Woodford Reserve Double Oak because it is kind of mild and very fruity and mineral. There's a bit of a fullness in there balancing it out, but it is not terribly rich. It doesn't have that usual young flavor, so that is nice at least. There is some rye tartness here but there is also some malted sweetness. That little bit of caramel and hint of smoke really help to round it out. This is quite drinkable even though it wouldn't make it high on my list. The wood is clearly there, but it is lightly present. This tastes lightly aged but it also doesn't pick up any bad notes from the wood. That fruity sweetness is smooth and refreshing. There's some vanilla and cherry Pepsi presence, but it is all tactful. A little Bitter alcohol comes through, but it is surprisingly mild considering the delicate nature of this drink. Yeah, it's good. The finely executed flavors are nice, but it just isn't my kind of drink.

This is kind of fun. The flavor isn't too harsh. There is some sweetness with bursts of tartness and plenty of fruit. I wish there were more going on here though. The drink is very drying. I really just wish it were richer and had more depth.

This has a nice rich, mellow flavor. There is plenty of fruit present, almost like a smooth brandy, but underlaid with rich caramel, brown sugar, and molasses. Some more variety throughout the drink would be fun, but as it is, this is a luscious drink. It's like regular Woodford, but more rewarding. Caramel, maple, molasses, and some wood immediately come through, mixed with some cinnamon. It's rich and sweet, sort of like a rum. There are some banana notes and the drink is smooth despite the moderately high ABV. Sweet and rummy with a nice amount of spice. Too much banana. There is plenty of rich wood, but it is not overwhelming. This is quite smooth. Leather is clearly here and there are hints of cherry, but they are less than the bananas. The vanilla is slight. The banana is a bit much, but the other richness is quite nice. If only it were more complex. This seems to take some inspiration from Blanton's with it's rich woodiness, but unfortunately the wood here tastes a bit undertoasted due to its raw notes and caramel that is loaded with banana. It has some sweetness, but it is actually very drying. I appreciate that it has spice, but that the spice isn't overwhelming. There is some nice richness in the finish that is not overwhelming in its bitterness, but the overall impression is still a little over the banana dude (and very woody). I really want to love this, but it tastes over-oaked and has too much banana. It loses the young harshness of regular Woodford Reserve, but it also loses the fruity brightness. The nose is great though and there's tons of vanilla here. It's so funny (disappointing) that I'm not a fan of this because I though I would love whiskey aged in heavily toasted, lightly charred barrels. Immediately, this has more woodiness than Gentleman Jack, so that's good. It also has more vanilla and (surprisingly) less banana. It's certainly darker and richer than Jack Daniel's Single Barrel, but it doesn't have as much complexity. I like the added oak, but it all still has a ton of vanilla and a fair bit of banana without the refinement of Jack Daniel's Single Barrel. I think I might up it to a 14. Nah, I'll down regular Woodford to a 12.