Tastes

Nose - toffee, peanut butter fudge, buttercream frosting, mesquite smoke, vanilla, apple, orange blossom, honey, leather, cinnamon, nutmeg, pencil eraser, cherry, grape, sweet floral notes, grass, black pepper, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - lemon lime soda, cherry, ginger, chili pepper, butterscotch, vanilla, smoked meat, grass, honey, grape, leather, mesquite, sweet floral notes, cocoa, orange zest, pecan, clove, allspice, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with cherry, sweet citrus, and wood smoke flavors. This is the last of my three fairly new Lost Lantern releases and my first experience with Whiskey Del Bac. The nose is complex. The BBQ smoke note is strong, but there’s also some nice fudge, ripe red fruit, and honey aromas. There’s even a hint of flinty, pencil eraser that’s reminiscent of young Springbank. The palate arrives with a one-two punch of Sprite and cherry that reminds me of drinking Shirley Temples when I was younger. The flavors quickly turn darker and more savory, evolving into BBQ meat, leather, and prickly baking spices. Following the fantastic Ironroot Republic and Balcones single casks from Lost Lantern, I feel that this is a small step down. While the flavors are fully formed and rich, it tastes younger and hotter, finishing a bit shorter and less satisfyingly than the others. Regardless, this is great whiskey, and an experience that puts Whiskey Del Bac on my radar. In fact, I’ll be reviewing the Dorado release tomorrow.

Nose - coffee, black cherry, rich caramel, dark chocolate, vanilla, dusty corn, leather, black pepper, tobacco, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, clove, dense oak, plum, peanut, orange pith, apple, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - baked apple, dark chocolate, coffee, salted caramel, molasses, chili pepper, orange, lemon, leather, cornbread, vanilla, tobacco, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, allspice, rich oak, pecan, walnut, spearmint, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing long with dark chocolate, coffee, baking spice, and deep oak flavors. Well my Texas whiskey review series is sadly coming to an end. As you can tell from my ratings, Texas did not disappoint, and this Balcones single cask is no exception. The pour is extremely dark, foreshadowing the rich, decadent experience. Coffee, dark chocolate, massive baking spices, and rich oak lead on the nose. Dark fruits and nutty nougat are in the mix as well. The palate hits hard. Those dark notes are delivered in a thick, oily mouthfeel, with molasses, baked fruit, leather, tobacco, and a minty, peppery zing. What a wonderful bourbon! And at only two years old, its richness and maturity boggle the mind. I wish I had the Blue Corn Bourbon to taste side by side with this, but based on my recollection, this is rather similar. My main issue with it was the youthfulness on the palate, and this one doesn’t have that problem. This is another knockout of a single cask offering by Lost Lantern and par for the course with the quality I’ve come to expect from Balcones.

Nose - rich floral notes, butterscotch, grilled corn, vanilla cream, sweet dough, baked apple, fig, apricot, orange zest, lemon, polished oak, powdered sugar, coffee, grass, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, mint, macadamia nut, sweet tobacco, clay, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - apricot, apple, butterscotch, vanilla, chili pepper, rich floral notes, fig, leather, tobacco, cinnamon, grass, allspice, nutmeg, clove, dark chocolate, orange, lemon, pecan, walnut, spearmint, rich oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with ripe fruit, dark chocolate, grassy floral, and baking spice flavors. The nose greets you with a deep floral quality, followed up with grassy citrus and stone fruit aromas. There’s also a combination that reminds me of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies hot from the oven. The palate is extremely rich. More of those floral and citrus notes arrive with chocolate, baking spices, and nuts presenting through the development. The mouthfeel is thick and oily, leading to a satisfyingly long finish that doesn’t veer off in any unpleasant directions. Lost Lantern has delivered another stunner of an Ironroot Republic single cask with this one. I’m not sure whether it’s quite as good as the previous, but it’s pretty close. Like Texas whiskey in general, the Ironroot profile may not be for everyone. It’s rich, fruity, and floral, improving upon the Harbinger release in every way. At around three years old and 120.6 proof (@Distiller’s quoted ABV is incorrect), it’s surprisingly gentle and doesn’t taste particularly young, although I’m thinking the youth is masked by that fruity citrus and chili pepper zing. A bit more age would have probably improved it, but this is outstanding in its current form. Ironroot Republic is a distillery to keep your eyes on. And Lost Lantern continues to release truly exceptional independent bottlings from these lesser known producers. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be reviewing two more Lost Lantern single cask releases.

Nose - toffee, dusty corn, deep floral notes, sweet dough, grass, Turkish delight, vanilla, lemon, orange, berry, black pepper, candy corn, rose, buttered popcorn, dry oak, nutmeg, clove, earthy mint, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - lemon, tangerine, berry, rich floral notes, toffee, vanilla, grass, cocoa, marshmallow, black pepper, clay, mint, sour oak, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttered popcorn, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with deep citrus, floral, mint, and baking spice flavors. Ironroot Republic flew onto my radar after I tasted an amazing single cask bottling by Lost Lantern a few months back. Around the same time, I discovered that this Harbinger release was awarded “World’s Best Bourbon” by the World Whiskies Awards in 2020. After chuckling about the name of the award, as bourbon can only be produced in America, I set out to track it down. This proved difficult until recently, as some small amount of distribution has made it to the east coast. So is this the world’s best bourbon? No. But it’s pretty good. Ironroot produces some really interesting aromas and flavors out of what is essentially corn whiskey. Ironroot products seem to always have this really nice, deep floral quality, and this is no exception. There’s also a doughy attribute, not completely unlike Garrison Brothers’. Finally, I dug deep and found a powdery rose flavored Turkish delight note. The palate isn’t quite as good as the nose. Many of the aromas transfer over, but there’s an insidious sourness in the experience that holds it back from greatness. Overall, this is good whiskey that’s priced right at $50 a bottle, but it’s extremely far from being “the best.” Tomorrow, I’ll review the new single cask Ironroot release, which is significantly better than this.

Nose - rich caramel, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon bun, cocoa, marshmallow, powdered sugar, rich oak, graham cracker, brown sugar, sweet apple, candied pecan, mint, earth vegetal notes, clay, white pepper, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, baked apple, cherry, clove, nutmeg, sweet dough, vanilla, cinnamon, dark chocolate, mint, rich tannic oak, burnt brown sugar, pecan, walnut, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with salted caramel, sweet dough, dark chocolate, and baking spice flavors. With my final Garrison Brothers review, I’m tasting the 2020 version of Balmorhea. It’s rich and sweet, as expected. The nose has that characteristic cinnamon bun aroma, along with the standard caramels, vanillas, chocolates, and baking spices. There are some mint and spicy vegetal notes in the mix as well. The palate carries the sweet dessert flavors with some minty heat in the background. I’d be remiss if I didn’t compare this side by side with my bottle of 2021 Balmorhea. The noses are rather similar, but there are some notable differences on the palate. Not so much in the flavors, but definitely with the mouthfeel and finish. The 2020 is slightly brighter, thinner, and more tannic. The 2021 is thick and buttery with a longer finish that exhibits more pleasing dark chocolate notes as the flavors fade. So the 2021 version is a small step above the 2020, but this is great bourbon in its own right. Many thanks to @pkingmartin for the sample and for setting up this fun comparison.

Nose - salted caramel, burnt brown sugar, candied pecan, cinnamon bun dough, vanilla, peanut butter, leather, tobacco, frosted wheat, dark chocolate, toasted marshmallow, rich oak, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - rich caramel, vanilla, baked apple, cherry, coffee, brown sugar, chili pepper, dark chocolate, pecan, leather, tobacco, peanut, marshmallow, spicy oak, clove, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon toast, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing long with salted caramel, strong baking spice, chocolate, and candied nut flavors. After a fairly mediocre experience with Honeydew yesterday, we’re back to Garrison Brothers’ bread and butter with this ten-gallon hat of a bourbon. The nose is beautiful. It has all the aromas I want in a bourbon. Dark chocolates and caramels, candied nuts, huge baking spices, and rich, brooding oak. Very little changes on the palate. All the notes from the nose transfer over with a bit more fruitiness presenting, along with a buttery cinnamon toast flavor that jettisons me back to memories from my childhood. So is this just baby Cowboy bourbon? Is it equivalent to Cowboy for around $100 less? Well, I guess I’ll have to pour some 2019 Cowboy (for science!) and compare them side by side. Interestingly, this is slightly darker than Cowboy, even though it’s three years at 59.15% compared to Cowboy’s five years at 68.65%. Cowboy is somehow deeper, darker, and more brooding on the nose. The single barrel is much brighter with a powdered sugar effervescence. That same difference holds true on the palate. This one is fresh and almost light compared to Cowboy’s massively thick, oily, rich profile. The single barrel is also much hotter. It astounds me every time I taste Cowboy that Garrison Brothers was able to get nearly 140 proof, five year old whiskey to be so amazingly graceful. I could go on, but the long and short of it is that Cowboy is a masterpiece and continues to reign supreme over all other bourbon (really, almost everything) I’ve tasted. Nonetheless, this particular single barrel is fabulous and is most likely a better value at $150 than Cowboy is at $250. If you need me, I’ll be posted up here double fisting some of the absolute best whiskey America has to offer. And I’d be remiss not to mention that this is yet another amazing bottle that was most generously gifted to me by @pkingmartin, who it seems has been singlehandedly supporting my growing addiction to Texas whiskey.

Nose - rich honey, raw cinnamon bun dough, salted caramel, vanilla, brown butter, marshmallow, sweet oak, graham cracker, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - honey syrup, cinnamon bun, apple, salted caramel, frosted wheat, vanilla, sweet floral notes, candied pecan, melted chocolate, toasted oak, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with honey, caramel, and toasted oak flavors. I’m heading south from Waco to Hye, Texas for the next few days and reviewing some Garrison Brothers releases. My first thought was to wonder why I’m paying $80 for a bottle of 40% alcohol that’s not far off from a flavored whiskey. But I bought it anyway, since I’ve had extremely positive experiences with Garrison Brothers. This is an interesting experiment, and I think they pulled it off. The nose and palate are both dominated by honey and doughy cinnamon buns. There are other aromas and flavors, but they’re relegated to the background. I’m actually not disappointed in the low proof. It’s thick and rich as it is. This is good whiskey, but it’s not great whiskey. I wouldn’t buy this again at $80. It feels more like a $50 dram. I’m willing to shell out for the Balmorheas and Cowboys, but this doesn’t deserve the premium.

Nose - acrid peat, toasted barley, toffee, ash, burnt chocolate chip cookie, orange zest, sunscreen, peach, smoked meat, vanilla, apricot, fig, plum, brown sugar, rich oak, brown butter, mint, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vegetal and herbal notes, walnut, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - juicy peach, apricot, seared peat, barley sugar, fig, apple, plum, salted caramel, vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, dark chocolate, orange zest, tannic oak, sweet floral notes, spearmint, cashew butter, toasted marshmallow, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing long with sweet stone fruit, smoked barley, baking spice, and chocolate flavors. This is stunning whiskey. Yes, it’s young. It’s hot. It’s imperfect. But it’s absolutely outstanding. Of course, I love this Texas whiskey profile, so I understand why others may give this a low rating and call it overproofed, underaged, and overoaked. It’s probably all of those things, but it just burns so good. I’m not going to comment further on the nose and palate, because I just want to enjoy the rest of the dram. But it’s complex. There’s a lot going on, and it’s all fantastic. Balcones is crushing it, and I’m buying what they’re selling. A gigantic thank you to @pkingmartin for introducing me to this whiskey and gifting me my first bottle. I bought another, and I might even buy a third.

Nose - cheesecake, buttercream frosting, vanilla, orange zest, chocolate, apple, guava, pineapple skin, rich oak, grass, powdered sugar, pine, bell pepper, white pepper, creamed corn, floral and herbal notes, fresh agave, nutmeg, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - orange, chocolate, lemon, pineapple, dusty corn, brown sugar, caramel, rutabaga, apple, vanilla, grass, mint, anise, deep floral and herbal notes, white wine, cinnamon, rich oak, nutmeg, cooked agave, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with an assortment of citrus, vegetal, and confectionery flavors. Wow, where to start with this one. This whiskey is a shapeshifter. To call it complex would be an understatement. The nose is rich with aromas of orange, chocolate, tropical fruit, vegetal succulent, and cheesecake, which is likely the first time I’ve identified that on any spirit. The palate is a bit like eating one of those chocolate oranges you get at Christmas followed by a big bite of stir fry. There’s a rich sour quality, a bit like white wine, and some telltale cooked agave squeaks in as well. What a treat! I’ve never tasted anything like this before, and I doubt that I will again. This is great whiskey, however the weirdness is going to prevent me from rating this extremely high. It’s really tasty, but definitely something you need to be in the right mood to experience. A massive shout-out to @PBMichiganWolverine for sourcing this bottle for me! It’s one I’m going to cherish for years to come.

Nose - butterscotch, vanilla bean, dusty corn, funnel cake, caramel corn, honey, milk chocolate, baked apple, cherry, rich oak, orange zest, black pepper, sweet dough, nutmeg, cinnamon, leather, tobacco, floral note, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - caramel corn, butterscotch, vanilla, cherry, powdered sugar, apple, rich oak, chili pepper, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, dark chocolate, coffee, leather, tobacco, lemon, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing long with rich caramel, coffee, baking spice, and citrus zest flavors. Oh yes. I knew I was going to like this, and I do. Balcones does corn whiskey right, and this is no exception. It’s rich, deeply sweet, and powerful. And pours with an extremely dark, beautiful mahogany color. The nose has everything you want in corn whiskey. Caramel, vanilla, sweet fruits, and confectioneries, underpinned with rich chocolate, marked baking spices, leather, and strong oak. The palate is rather similar. Oily, rich, and brash. Did I mention it was rich? Texas whiskey just hits different. No surprises here. This is right in my wheelhouse. I was very close to giving this a rare 4.5, but it’s just slightly hotter and brighter than it probably should be. A bit more time in the barrel would likely have elevated this. But honestly, I kinda like that it’s so hot. It slaps you around, and sometimes that’s what you need after a long day. And what’s better? This is $55 a bottle! And what’s even better than that? It seems that the new batch just dropped. I snagged one online at a Total Wine near me. If you like bold Texas whiskey, buy one. I doubt you’ll be disappointed at that price. A huge thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for introducing me to this one. It’s a gem.