Tastes

Nose - pecan, apple, banana bread, cherry, vanilla, caramel, rubber, marshmallow, orange zest, leather, acetone, dense oak, black pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, cocoa, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - sour oak, brown sugar, rubber, apple, toffee, vanilla, clove, leather, lemon pith, allspice, chili pepper, cocoa, cinnamon, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium short with brown sugar, sour oak, and baking spice flavors. Wow, what an anticlimax! The nose is rather pleasant, greeting you with banana bread, juicy fruit, and a rich nuttiness. There’s a rubbery acetone note in the background, but it’s not overwhelming. I was really expecting to like this one. And then I took a sip. That rubber note starts to play a larger, more distracting role. There are still some good flavors that come through, but it’s just so hot and so sour. My mouth actually puckers while drinking it. It’s a bit like sucking on a lemon peel and a chunk of stained oak at the same time. It’s just really disappointing, because this could have been so much better if the quality on the nose continued onto the palate. Thank you to @pkingmartin for the sample, and for giving me an early warning about this one.

Nose - toffee, brown sugar, cocoa, vanilla, apple, mint, banana, cinnamon, nutmeg, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, vanilla, sour apple, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar, bitter herbal notes, light oak, mint, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with caramel, baking spice, and mint flavors. The nose greets you with some classic bourbon aromas, but there are mint and underripe banana in the mix as well. I don’t find the normal cherry note I usually get on wheated bourbons, but there is some apple fruitiness. It’s a simple, but solid nose. The palate arrives with caramel and vanilla, but there’s a general sourness that pervades the whole experience, which reads to me as youth. I’m the first to admit that wheaters aren’t my thing, and this is no exception. It’s above average for me, but the youthfulness and lack of depth hold it back from a higher rating. Thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for the sample. I’ll keep Wilderness Trail on my radar, but I think I need more age on wheated bourbons for them to excite me.

Nose - earthy mint, leather, tobacco, clove, butterscotch, dark chocolate, powdered sugar, lemon pith, dry oak, underripe banana, anise, cherry, apple, nutmeg, white pepper, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - mint, chili pepper, cherry, apple, banana, caramel, orange zest, vanilla, brown sugar, clove, anise, cinnamon, allspice, cocoa, tannic oak, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with mint, citrus zest, and rye spice flavors. This is how I like my ryes to taste. Big, bold, and spicy. Canada really shines with their ryes, if with not much else. The nose greets you immediately with strong rye spice, butterscotch, and an underripe banana note I find on some of its kin. It’s dry and tannic, but in a mouthwatering way. The palate is minty, spicy, and citrusy. Rye spice is in full bloom, and accompanied by orange zest, strong baking spice, and a chocolatey banana quality. I found it apt to pour this alongside my WhistlePig 10 Year store pick, which is slightly less alcoholic and likely more aged than this Alberta, but they’re close enough to be cousins. Before my mouth emancipated itself from the rest of my body, I determined that they’re equally enjoyable. The WhistlePig is thicker and more complex, but restrained. The Alberta is young and brash, a rollercoaster of an experience. It’s also $20 cheaper than my WhistlePig store pick, which is not a trivial difference. This is good stuff and worth buying if you like high-proof, high-rye ryes. The lack of complexity holds it back from greatness, but sometimes you just want to strap yourself in and hang on for dear life. A big thank to @pkingmartin for the pour. I’ll probably buy a bottle if I see one on the shelf.

Nose - salted caramel, black cherry, chocolate, coffee, leather, grape, orange zest, bitter oak, brown sugar, vanilla, clove, mint, fennel, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - mint, caramel, vanilla, licorice, black cherry, clove, grape, leather, brown sugar, chocolate, licorice, orange, tannic oak, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium short with mint, chocolate, and cherry flavors. This smells like a rye with more cherry and chocolate notes than you usually find with the category. There’s also a subtle grape quality that hints at the brandy finish. The palate is sweet rye and evokes cherry chocolate chip ice cream. The finish is fairly short and definitely the worst part of the experience. It’s like a flat soda, borderline cloying with none of the vibrancy on the arrival and mid palate. Overall, this is par for the course with Sagamore for me. It’s decent, but priced higher than it’s worth with some significant flaws that hold it back from greatness. Thank you to @PBMichiganWolverine for the sample. I’ll likely never drink something like this again, and will be sticking to my traditional Manhattans for the foreseeable future.

Nose - buttered popcorn, walnut, lemon pith, light caramel, fig, honey, apricot, raisin, cereal grain, white pepper, cocoa, vanilla, hay, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - orange zest, toffee, vanilla, dusty corn, cinnamon, cereal grain, milk chocolate, allspice, lemon pith, honey, walnut, fig, raisin, floral notes, chili pepper, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with cereal grain, citrus pith, and nutty toffee flavors. The nose is subtle. There’s a significant amount of graininess, followed by buttered popcorn and caramel. Dried fruit, walnut, and chocolate make the sherry component apparent, but it’s a very light touch. The palate is more boisterous, with the grain presenting as rather astringent. A bitter citrus pith note doesn’t help much either. Past that, there are some nice sherried fruit, chocolate, and nut notes, leading to a middling finish with some toffee and more bitter, sour graininess. I‘ve had minimal exposure to single grain whiskies, so this has been a great learning experience. The Cambus is reminiscent of Compass Box Hedonism, but I don’t like it quite as much. The aging must have been extremely gentle for this to be 27 years old. If it weren’t for an oily, full mouthfeel, I would have assumed it were a teenager. Overall, I like it but don’t love it. The subtlety of flavors and aromas combined with the pervasive grainy, sour, and bitter qualities doesn’t render the experience particularly harmonious or coherent. There are some nice nutty, fruity, and chocolatey notes, but they aren’t enough to overcome the downsides for me. Many thanks to @ContemplativeFox for providing the sample. Maybe single grain whiskies just aren’t my thing.

Nose - rich toffee, vanilla, brown sugar, roasted peanut, black pepper, carameized banana, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, leather, clove, cola, apple, cherry, tobacco, strong oak, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, peanut butter, strong oak, burnt brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, clove, dark chocolate, black pepper, apple, black cherry, leather, tobacco, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with toffee, creamy peanut, apple, and baking spice flavors. Is it Beam? Is it Heaven Hill? Is it Barton? Maybe we’ll never know. Who cares. This bourbon is tasty. Its old age is very present, with deep, rich oak dominating the entire experience. Those quintessential American notes immediately make themselves known. Caramel, vanilla, peanut, apple, cherry, baking spices. They’re all here and richer, more well integrated than in more youthful whiskies. The texture is full and luxurious, coating the mouth completely, leading to a satisfyingly long finish. This particular sample is pulled from Batch 8, bottled at 57.1%. If I had to find some fault here, I’d say it’s probably past it’s prime, with oak starting to play a more commanding role than it should. Also, there’s a bit of sourness on the mid palate and into the finish. It’s not off putting, but noticeable nonetheless. Maybe bottling at a higher proof or a younger age would make a positive difference. I poured this next to my current favorite ECBP, the B520 batch. I like the Elijah Craig better, albeit not tremendously. It’s punchier, fruitier, and spicier, lacking the slight sourness of the Doc Swinson as well. They share many of the same qualities, but the ECBP is a notch above in most ways. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the higher proof. Who knows. Overall, the Doc Swinson is great and will likely satisfy most bourbon palates. However, there are better bourbons for the money, at least for my tastes. A big thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for the sample. I likely wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try this otherwise.

Nose - jarred peach juice, grass, cinnamon, nondescript nuttiness, brown sugar, vanilla, mild ethanol burn. Taste - peach custard, vanilla cream, cinnamon, candied pecans, brown sugar, rich simple syrup, orange zest, mild alcohol bite, finishing medium long with peach syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon flavors. I agree with other reviewers that the peach aromas and flavors are stronger than the pecan. It smells very much like the syrupy juice at the bottom of a jar of peaches. The nuttiness is in the background and presents as candied pecans with caramelized brown sugar and cinnamon. Overall, it’s on par with other flavored whiskies, syrupy, cloying, and not suited for sipping neat.