Tastes

Nose- Fresh raspberries; apples sprinkled with cinnamon; wood spice; floral sweetness; aged leather; rich vanilla; churros; caramel Palate- wave of honey sweetness; followed by floral spice; raspberries; vanilla; barrel char; sweet cream; burnt sugar Finish- Long, rich finish with a hint of spice; Vanilla bean; barrel char; nutmeg and cinnamon; dense caramel Four roses does it again. The nose is out of this world, the palate is fantastic, complex, and extremely balanced, and the finish is long, rich and flavorful. The nose reminds me of disneyland, with rich vanilla, sweet berries, and an unmistakable note of churros. One of the best bourbons out there, and even at secondary prices i’m eager to get my hands on one.

Nose- Earthy peat smoke; guava paste; beef jerky; sea salt; milk chocolate; lemon oil; dried apples; sherry sweetness Palate- Wave of tropical fruits (think guava, mangoes, and a bit of pineapple); Subtle peat smoke; a touch of tar; rich vanilla; waxy oranges; sea salt; dark honey; sweet oak Finish- Long, spicy and rich finish; Vanilla bean; earthy peat; nutmeg and cinnamon Well that was amazing. A first fill-sherry cask Lagavulin that’s 21 years old? How could you go wrong? The answer is, you can’t. Through and through, this is fantastic, and I don’t have a single complaint. I could drink it all day long. It’s drinks much more like 46% than 52. The list goes on and on with all the wonderful flavors this whiskey has to offer. The nose is insanely good, the palate is insanely good, and the finish is rich, long, and just the right amount of spicy. $1000 is $1000 though, I feel lucky to have tried this.

Nose- Floral honey; orange oil; deep, rich caramel; fudge; pine resin; spicy black tea; fig jam Palate- Spiced honey; milk chocolate; coconut; light caramel Finish- medium, thin but velvety finish; baking spices; honey; fudge That nose is to die for. Unfortunately it starts on a high note with the nose, moves down in quality steadily on the palate, and crashes and burns on the finish. For a $600 whiskey, this is thin, not complex at all, and doesn’t have a long finish whatsoever. Honestly, if I had highland park 18 blind next to it, i’m almost certain I would choose that. Disappointing. Really reaffirms that Highland Park’s NAS offerings really are not all that good.

1990 101 proof Nose- old, dusty books; old leather; sweet mango; caramel; vanilla bean; rich toffee; aged oak; cinnamon buns; molasses Palate- dusty, aged oak; old leather; vanilla bean; lemon oil; barrel char; molasses; herbal spice; caramelized sugar Finish- Long, rich finish; musty oak; molasses; leather; sugary sweetness Wow. Easily one of the best bourbons i’ve ever tried. From nose to finish, there’s an unmistakable aged/musty oak and old dusty library note that is fantastic. There’s leather, as well as some wonderful tropical fruits as well. The notes go on and on for the nose and palate... my list doesn’t do it justice. The finish is long, rich and extremely well balanced. If you have the pleasure of trying this, I consider you very lucky.

Nose- baked apple pie; gentle baking spices; dusty oak; honey; dark chocolate brownies Palate- Honey sweetness; apple pie filling; aged, dusty oak; dark chocolate; brown sugar Finish- Long, rich finish; baked apples; baking spices; rich vanilla; cinnamon Apple pie BOMB. I get baked apples dusted with cinnamon on the nose, palate and finish. It’s quite enjoyable. I heavily prefer the 20 year to the 23. This is just a fantastic bourbon, no two ways about it. You couldn’t ask for any more. Not to say it’s the best bourbon i’ve ever had, but it’s certainly in the running. Regardless, you can find pours just as good if not better for much, much cheaper, but if I were to find one at MSRP, it would be an insta-buy (and drink!). For $1500, there’s no way that this is worth it. If you’re going to pay secondary on a pappy, go with old rip van winkle.

Nose- Floral perfume; rosewater; butterscotch; aged oak; cinnamon; caramel; rich vanilla; dusting of nutmeg; milk chocolate Palate- rich, aged oak; cherries; baking spices; vanilla bean; dark chocolate; espresso beans Finish- Medium, rich finish; milk chocolate; espresso; aged, dusty oak What a nose. Beautiful, balanced, and floral. Just the right amount of oak and baking spices. The palate is enjoyable, but really nothing insane. The oak shines through, as well as vanilla, cherries and more baking spices. The finish unfortunately is not as long as id hoped for, but is full of rich milk chocolate and dusty oak. I would absolutely buy a bottle at MSRP, but for $2000? Absolutely not.

Nose- honey; sea brine; earthy peat; pineapple juice; oranges; rubber Palate- Earthy peat; cherry cough syrup; nectarines; blood orange; bitter walnuts Finish- Long, creamy finish; peat smoke; bitter oak; orange creamsicles Not my favorite octomore in the world, nor my least favorite. I would pass on buying this one, as the bitter oak note I get near the end of the palate is very off putting. Nose is quite nice, and has some terrific flavors otherwise, but can’t get past the bitterness

Nose- caramelized bananas; dark chocolate; vanilla; buttered shortbread; touch of rye spice Palate- initial wave of floral spice; milk chocolate; almond paste; macadamia nuts; banana bread; vanilla Finish- Long, drying and creamy finish; macadamia nuts; cocoa powder; bananas; sweet vanilla bean Wow. So unique. An amazing bourbon. The nose is balanced, has a ton of the quintessential banana brown-forman note, along with vanilla, dark chocolate and shortbread cookies. The palate is where this takes off though... an unmistakable note of macadamia nuts and almond croissants throughout the palate and lingering on to the finish. Wonderful vanilla and floral notes are intermingled, along with just a touch of spice. The finish is long, just the right amount of drying, and filled with more unique macadamia nut and almond notes. Fantastic.

Nose- Corn bread; maple syrup; honey; cinnamon sugar; toasted oak; bananas Palate- maple syrup; caramel; cherries; honey; sweetened black tea; rye spice Finish- Long, chewy and drying finish; caramel; black pepper spice; honey This is the first birthday bourbon that I can feel the heat. Still, it’s delicious. The nose has a remarkable corn bread and honey note. The palate is sweet and tasty, although the rye spice dominates at some point. The finish is long, drying and chewy at the same time, with a dab of honey, caramel, and black pepper. It’s enjoyable, but not my favorite birthday bourbon of all time. I would still order it at the bar or by the bottle for MSRP any day. EDIT: Tasted again in 2020. This stuff is amazing. Upping to 5 star rating from 4.5. Wow. So many tropical fruits on the nose, and the palate is to die for. An absolute joy to drink.

Nose- sherry sweetness; balsamic vinaigrette; honey; walnuts; peaches; allspice Palate- raisins; sweet vanilla; brown sugar; honey; faint herbs Finish- short-medium, oily finish; grapefruits; baking spice; green herbs Disappointing. If I paid more than $50 for this I would be upset. You can’t smell or taste the age and it has a surprisingly short finish. The nose is all over the place, with sweet and bitter notes. The palate is simple and could be better. I prefer the DW 12, CC14 and DW17 to this. Hard pass.