Tastes

After a few minutes the nose is honey & butterscotch candy. Creamy mouthfeel, sweet, complex finish.

On ice, after having VOB. This is mellower, sweeter and similar to VOB only more bland.

1.5L First time try, on ice. Bold, spicey, creamed-corn, barrel char and subtle seeetness w a long finish. Not complex, and not bad!

Sweet and easy on the pallete. A nice sipper

Lovely fruity profile. Sweet melange of spices, concentrated stone fruit and a hint of menthol. This is an easy sipper that has enough personality to make crafting cocktails with it an exploration. I'll definitely be getting another bottle. Good value

My first impression after the pour is that this is going to be sweet and rich. The nose is sweet cream and candy nougat. The color is a beautiful polished walnut. I let it rest about 10 minutes and tasted neat in a glencairn. First sip is very impressive! Sweet and smooth with a beautiful finish. Great mouthfeel. The 94 proof is evident with its bite, but there's no "ethanol" elements to detract. Very suave. The contribution of the barrel is way more complex and complete than just about anything I've tasted in a 4 year old bourbon. There's no age statement on the bottle. This is a blended straight bourbon, but the base elements are all 4.y.o. as I understand it. This is an OUTSTANDING bottle! I can't wait to try their single barrel offerings!

Definitely smokier than Monkey Shoulder, and maybe a tad sweeter. More honey notes. I like this more than MS on ice or neat, nqa. MS *might* have the edge as a mixer as its personality is more neutral. MS won't replace JWBk on my bar anytime soon.

Well I didn't really care for it neat or on the rocks, and I stand by that, but it's not bad in a mixed cocktail. For national whiskey sour day I used this with my orange zest syrup, and fresh squeezed lemon juice and it made a dandy sour! I still don't think I'll buy another bottle.

I understand now why Monkey Shoulder has it's reputation. Solid malt flavor profile, some peatiness, strong enough to do justice to a mixed cocktail. I like it, but not more than JW Black. I'd put them on the same level. MS is the scotch equivalent of Bulleit bourbon 2/13/20 revisiting this. The pour is a very light brass. The nose is "scotchy" with hints of vanilla and honey, a little peat, malt, slightly fruity. Nothing jumps out good or bad. Pretty middle of the road... Taste is light, dry, slightly smokey and peaty with a mid-palette note of sweet vanilla. There's a little fruit mid palette, maybe apples and pears. Ethereal almost. Then just a blush of pepper and a slow warm finish. It's good, not great. Not my first choice to sip neat at all - but I know from past experience this makes a fine scotch/soda and Rob Roy (perfect or dry please, strong red vermouth ovrepowers this). It reminds me of a light Speyside. Not bad. Extra quarter point for value. Still a 3.5 star drink.