Tastes

Tasting this neat from a NEAT tasting glass. I'm tasting this side by side with the Dickel 8 year bourbon. It almost doesn't make sense for there to be two whiskies that are so alike and separated by only a dollar or so in price in my market (Tampa). I liked the Dickel 8 Year Bourbon quite a bit, especially at its sub $25 price point. Let's see how this expression compares. On the nose the Dickel 12 comes out sweeter with creamy peanut butter, caramel and vanilla notes. There's a bit of a perfume note & a whiff of latex paint in the fading notes if you really get your nose in there. In comparison the 8 Yr has more of a cake frosting sugar note, but its met solidly with barrel char, vanilla and dry oak tannins. On the palate the 8 Yr opens on a sweet note with caramelized sugar and vanilla followed by baking spices with a warming finish. The 12 is less sharp in its introduction of barrel sugars, is softer all around in focus and is less complex. The 12 feels just a bit thinner while also being a bit more homogenous in its flavor profile. It's like a lens just slightly out of focus and I can't really pick apart any details in the flavor profile. It's very tasty, but not at all demanding. I've enjoyed about half the 12 so far. It makes a very nice Manhattan and an equally good Paper Plane. It's completely acceptable as a sipper. But for $1 less in my market the 8 Year Bourbon is the better buy and the more interesting expression. I doubt I'll replace this bottle when its finished, but I'll most definitely replace the 8 Year. George Dickel No. 12 is a solid Tennessee whiskey. It's easy to enjoy on its own or as a mixer. It's affordable. It's not demanding and is a good choice for a drinker with a less adventurous palate. It just seems to miss that little bit of sparkle.

I've had the base Ezra Brooks and it was just fine for a sub $15 bottle of bourbon. The Ezra Brooks rye is a real show stealer for the price, but the bourbon was completely acceptable. What happens when both price and proof bump up? The pour is a brassy light caramel orange color and a swirl shows good sheeting with multiple small tears running back to the bowl. I expect a good mouthfeel from this whiskey, if not a thick oily one. I got exactly what I expected, the texture here is just a bit thin. On the nose this is white cake frosting, sugar, ethanol, vanilla, a whiff of latex paint, and faint oak. The aromas tell be this might be a bit brash or bright, but interesting. The nose is mildly to moderately complex and reflective of a sweeter, rounder bourboun. The taste comports with the nose, opening sweetly with ample sugar and vanilla cake frosting. The mid palate is dry and peppery and the finish is moderate and warming at the back of the throat with black pepper, ginger and cinnamon making an appearance. This is pretty much right down the middle of the bourbon lane in terms of flavor. It was interesting side-by-side tasting this with the George Dickel 8 Year Bourbon. Both bottles are about the same price. On the nose I found the Dickel the more interesting pour with significantly more barrel notes. The Ezra was sweeter and in comparison that cake frosting sweetness is very evident. The Ezra is also a bit fruitier and spicier with its slightly higher rye mash bill. Ezra Brooks drinks like a higher rye whiskey than claimed. The mashbill of this is 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley and the mashbill of the Dickel is 84% Corn, 8% Rye, 8% Malted Barley. The Ezra Brooks honestly reminds me a bit of Old Grand Dad Bottled in Bond but maybe even a touch sweeter and a bit less peppery. I would think this is a good bourbon for liquor-forward cocktails. Both the Ezra and the Dickel are eminently drinkable bourbons and very good values. I'm going to give a slight edge to the Dickel as a sipper for being richer and more rounded, but if your taste leans towards a sweeter profile you may opt for the Ezra. I feel like the Ezra might make a better Manhattan with its higher rye profile, and when I have a chance to make one I'll report back here. This is a solid bourbon for a very fair price.

I'm not a Dickel fanboy, but I could be at this rate. I really loved the Bottled In Bond series, and I've enjoyed the 15 year. I like the Single Barrel Select for a sweeter take on life. This release has been in my sights since it hit the market. It took way too long for me to grab a bottle. Tasted neat from a NEAT tasting glass from a bottle that's half full and a little more than a week open. A swirl of this coppery liquid shows ample, slow-running legs. I expect a rich mouthfeel and that's exactly what's delivered. On the nose this is caramel and vanilla, oak and leather, baking spices and fermenting sweet grain. It's not a terribly complex nose, but it's got a number of distinct notes and none of them are bad. This is quite lovely. On the palate this drinks a little spicier than I expected. There's a really nice sweet introduction that reminds me of the new Jack Daniel's Bottled in Bond. There is some spice here - cayenne pepper and ginger, white pepper and drying oak tannins that makes this a punchy bourbon. The sweet elements of this are beautifully balanced by the dry, spicy wood. It's rich with heavy cream, a bit of funk, and very light on any minerality. I'd have a very hard time pegging this as a Dickel line extension. For the going price, this is better than Old Tub or Buffalo Trace (I rated both as a 2.75). Its competitive with Wild Turkey 101, & Elijah Craig and more. This is absolutely a solid bourbon punching above its proof and price class and living in a sub $25 neighborhood. I can't ask for more than that.

This is my first recorded taste of an Oban whisky and my first ever taste of this expression. This is a first pour from a freshly opened bottle, tasted neat from a NEAT spirits tasting glass. The pour is a lovely brassy color and exhibits good sheeting and thick, slow legs drizzling back to the bowl on a swirl of the glass. On the nose this is absolutely delightful. I immediately get freshly sliced Honeycrisp and Gala apples. I'm also smelling demerara sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and baked apple pie filling. On the palate this is as gentle, smooth (I really don't like that descriptor, but damn if it isn't applicable here), silky, and rich as I could ask for. The mouthfeel of this whisky is exemplary. There is a sweet opening flavor that immediately brings association with apple skins, fresh baked apples, slight baking spices, brown sugar, and sweet grains. This is followed by other orchard fruits . I'm getting d'anjou and green pears, golden figs, and traces of ripe blackberry juice. Wow, this has a lot going on! The finish is long but very gentle A full minute after a swallow I can still sense the tingle of fresh ginger and there's a sweet coating left from mid to back palate and along the roof of the mouth. This is very inviting and its easy to want more. I purchased this at Costco for the princely sum of $38. As I understand it this is typically at $50+ bottle. This is an incredible bargain for a scotch whisky this refined. Even at $60 I'd be happy with this bottle. At the purchase price I found I've already put another trip to my local Costco on my calendar. I 'll be returning with a few more bottles of this!

I've never tasted Screwball. To my knowledge I've never tasted a peanut butter flavored whiskey. I am not a fan of flavored whiskeys as a general rule. I purchased this on a lark, a 50 ml bottled just to see if I've been missing anything. Have I? The nose is roasted peanuts in a sweet syrup. It smells nice but it's not complex at all. There's really nothing there except for the smell of roasted peanuts. On the palate this is sweet with a very silky mouthfeel. The flavor is sweetened peanuts with a little touch of something spicy at the back end. I wouldn't be able to tell you it was whiskey if I didn't know it was whiskey. I have no idea how any human being could actually drink this by itself. This is clearly not meant to be sipped neat from a glencairn. I honestly don't even want to put it on ice, but I imagine if I put some bourbon cream in this it would taste like a peanut butter cup. That would make lots of inexperienced and immature drinkers quite happy. At least until they throw up on themselves. This is definitely not my jam. Given my own devices I would rate this a one star, but that's not fair. It probably is what it's advertised to be, I would just never buy that product. So I'm going to say this is as average as average can be. I award it 2 stars and that's a gift. This is a liqueur, it is not a whiskey. This is 1980s cocktail bar sweet drinks Disco era nonsense. This is either a mixer to add sweetness and flavor, or a chilled shooter for those who have no idea how to enjoy whiskey. I'll pass. Anyone want the 25ml left in the bottle? I couldn't finish it.

Enjoying this one in a steakhouse restaurant that time forgot circa 1985. This is a perfect call for my current environ. Bananas! Smooth as warm butter on Sophia Lauren. Exciting as a 1984 Maserati BiTurbo in 1996. Wife now commands this review to end and I'll leave with this... this isn't my last Gentleman Jack. There's nothing wrong with that.

This bottle was a gift from my son via the Craft Whisky Club. This is the 3rd bottle I've received since the gift membership and all of them have been really good and very interesting picks. This one definitely continues down that path. Black Buttons is a new distillery for me, but one I'll eagerly keep an eye open for. In this whiskey they've blended four unique whiskey's (I'm assuming they distilled them, but I have limited info) consisting of 21.5% spice, 17.5% base, 35% oak, and 26% sweet distillates. I understand this is aged in rather small 30 gallon barrels and the mash bill is 60% Corn, 20% Wheat, 11% Malted Barley, and 9% Rye This is a spicy whisky with a prominent peppery notes that I like a lot. There's elements of dill, cedar, oak tannins, caramel, and vanilla on the nose. There's no lack for spice, with black pepper, ginger, an element of hard butterscotch candy and a trace of cumin seeds. On the palate this is both sweet and spicy. There's a hint of boiled peanuts, some corrugated cardboard, caramelized sugar, pepper, slight ginger, a wisp of butterscotch and rye spice. There are notes in here that are echoes of flavors I've picked up in both Joseph Magnus blend and in Lot 40. Interesting. I like this, but it might be a bit off center for some. This is definitely an interesting whiskey and one that will have me looking for other creative expressions from this grain-to-glass small distillery.

Spicy. Direct. To the point. Sweet. Lushious. A bit fiery at times. I can use any of these descriptors for this whisky. This is an easy one to like when you're ready for a 100% rye perspective. I get notes that remind me of cedar shavings along with the more expected mint, dill, vegetal and barrel notes. There's a nice wave of sweetness, ginger snaps and red hots. A lot's going on in the glass. This is a top notch Canadian rye that will be in my regular rotation for a while.