Tastes

Not my first taste, but my first recorded here. I'm a rye fan, full stop. I've generally passed by this expression in favor of the older and more sophisticated Pikesville. This is everyone's darling when it comes to mixing drinks. I can understand why. Allow me an analogy... In audiophile circles it's common to want as speaker with a crystal clear high end and a neutral, natural midrange. It's easy to fill in the bottom end with a task-specific subwoofer. This is the liquor equivalent. It has a beautiful mid-range palate and lovely fruity overtones. It does not have the foundation that it needs, but in a mixed drink like a Manhattan that would be supplied by a quality vermouth. This is flexible and an excellent mixer, but it misses the mark slightly as a solo sipper. I'd prefer the Jack Daniels rye for the same price to sip neat or on the rocks. It's just got a better balanced flavor profile top to bottom. But for a Manhattan, it's Rittenhouse all the way.

I like MGP rye, full stop. This expression is, as expected, really similar to Bulleit and Ezra Brooks being essentially the same liquid but aged a bit longer. This has a wonderfully fruity, easy to approach flavor profile that emphasizes the sweet over the spice. Quite nice across the boards although maybe lacking the level of complexity and impact of the very best of the style. For the price this is a very good rye although it could benefit from a higher proof.

I've been curious about this for a long time but I haven't had an opportunity to taste it. Tasted today neat from a double rocks glass. On the nose this is very delicate. Light ethanol, a sweet sensation, and some corn on the cob. There are some vanilla undertones also. On the palate this remains delicate. My first impression is dry corrugated cardboard. That may sound weird but it is not at all unpleasant. It's just the first flavor that worked with my memory. There is slight corn on the cob, corn silk, a bit of vanilla, very light. Quite nice. The obvious comparison is with Mellow Corn. That particular spirit has a much more focused flavor profile. I think I prefer it to this, especially at less than half the price. This is nice, but it's not going to be on my bar.

I've been very curious about this brand update since I first heard about it. Got the bottle a week or so ago and so far I've enjoyed a couple of Boulevardiers using this. This is my first examination of the expression neat. Sampled from a glencairn after a few minutes rest. The nose immediately hits me with a familiar though faint note. I struggled for a bit to define it. It was cola, but with cherry notes. Almost a cherry coke, but too faint. Then it hit me; a dried up glass of Dr. Pepper! There's caramelized sugar, light vanilla, faint oak and just a ghost of barrel char. The nose is pleasant enough. I compared this dram to Ezra Brooks bourbon, which is about the same price and proof. The EB is flowery, much lighter on the nose. Both are sweet, but I'll give the win to the EW. On the palate the 1783 shows less sweet than the nose implies. There's a sharp bit of dry oak and light ginger right up front which quickly evolves into cinnamon , cola, white pepper, and buttered biscuit. The finish is short, warming and unremarkable. There is a very slight bitter barrel note and some red hots left as a trace when all is said and done. This isn't bad, but it's just not aligned with my preference as much as its bigger brother Evan Williams Single Barrel is. Of course this is half the price of that already remarkably inexpensive whiskey. The EB is thinner and more watery that the Evan Williams 1783, but it is a bit sweeter and lighter. Both are balanced for their profile and I'd think that someone who doesn't like a strong whiskey would enjoy the EB while someone who's been drinking a bourbon mixer regularly might gravitate towards the richer and bolder 1783. This is a very good whiskey at $18 for a 750ml. It makes a fine Boulevardier and I think it would be all of that and a bag of chips in a sour, collins or highball. I don't think it has what it takes to stand in a Manhattan, but if your preferences run towards candybar richness I think this might be interesting in an Old Fashioned. Overall this is better than its 80 proof predecessor but not incredibly so. It's getting the same rating from me as I think its slightly "above average" but it's not something I'll pine for. If I could give it a 2.9 star rating I might, but this isn't as good as Elijah Craig Small Batch in my book.

Tasted neat from a rocks glass. The nose is very typical for an Islay. Peaty, smoky, sweet, and medicinal. On the palate this is kind of like an Islay scotch coloring book and whoever's coloring it has gone outside the lines. It's big, bold, colorful and has all the flavors I expect. It's not particularly refined though. For the price, this is a winner!

A stupid treat for myself after dinner at a trade show in Las Vegas. Tasted neat from a rock's glass. Right out of the gate the nose is not very impressive. Is this expensive? It sure is hell is here in Vegas! On the nose there is just the lightest whiff of coffee, honey and a bit of a floral note. It's a very subdued. I am immediately thinking about Japanese whiskeys. On the palate there's a lot of subtlety here. There's almost a coffee bean note. A white bit of cacao. Very light sweetness in the background. Maybe a bit grassy. Traces of honey. There is an ethereal quality to this. It's actually a pretty interesting drink, the more you poke around the more you get out of it. The finish is a bit disappointing. It's kind of watery and just dies at the end. It opens with this wonderful super-light promise at subtle complexity and then it just fails to deliver. I'm told this is $150 bottle. It's $50 for a glass. It's not worth it. Hard pass based on value for money alone. It's actually quite a nice whiskey, and I think it might be competitive if it were like $50 a bottle! My scale is very simple. A 1 = drain pour horrid stuff and 5 = a perfect example of the expression. This is a good whiskey but it is way overpriced. They're thoroughly proud of what they've done when instead they should probably be working a little harder to do it better. At least if they want to charge this kind of money. I have to take a half a point off just for the bullshit pricing. No there won't be a bottle of this on my bar.