Tastes

Nose - roasted peanut (bordering on peanut butter), burnt caramel, brown sugar, strong oak, vanilla frosting, corn, dry spiciness, subtle grape, high ethanol burn. Taste - peanut, rich salted caramel, vanilla frosting, chili pepper, oak notes, slight citrus, strong tongue-numbing alcohol bite, finishing long with lingering peanut, pepper, and spiced vanilla flavors. Overall I really like it, but not quite as much as ECBP or the Bookers Shiny Barrel Batch release. However, I’m writing this review based on the neck pour of this bottle. I have a feeling it will mellow out and improve in a month or so.

Nose - corn sweetness, burnt oak, allspice, brown sugar, vanilla frosting, banana pudding, Nilla Wafer, high ethanol burn. Taste - dusty corn, brown sugar, caramel, burnt oak, allspice, vanilla spice, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing with a medium length hint of brown sugar, vanilla, and burnt oak. By the nose, I would’ve pegged this for a JD or Canadian whiskey. Fortunately, the taste is better, about on par with Very Old Barton 100 and around the same price at under $20 a bottle. I’d like to do a head-to-head of these two, as they’re both solid budget bottles that I wouldn’t mind stocking up on.

Nose - the word BIG comes to mind, strong vanilla, caramel, cherry, butterscotch, leather, strong oak, roasted peanut, chocolate, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - deep, rich vanilla, caramel, cherry, strong oak, cinnamon, bubble gum, BOURBON cranked up to 12, finishing long, sweet, and woody. I can feel my taste buds sizzling and screaming in agony. Like I licked a stick of old spice...but in a good way. Raging, angry, raw bourbon flavors. Very hot, but delicious nonetheless.

Nose - banana, cinnamon, rye spice, dry vanilla, clove, bubble gum, eucalyptus, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - eucalyptus, licorice, bubble gum, dry rye spice, oak notes, clove, black pepper, banana, vanilla, menthol, moderate alcohol bite, finishing fairly long with oak, spicy rye, dry vanilla, and banana flavors. As anticipated, the reality doesn’t quite live up to the hype. However, for $40 (if you can find it for that), it’s a really solid high rye bourbon. In a blind test, I’d probably peg it for a high corn rye, similar to Pikesville. As many others have said, don’t pay secondary prices for it, but if you happen across it at or around $40, I think it’s worth the price.

Nose - apple juice, honey, grape, oak, musty vanilla, oily moist notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - honey, apple, creamy vanilla, funky oiliness, slightly bitter oak, light alcohol bite, finishing quickly with fading apple and bitter oak flavors. It’s serviceable, but not great. I’d compare it most in flavor profile to JW Red, particularly with the lingering bitter oak notes on the finish. I think it’ll find it’s home as a mixer on my bar.

Nose - strong, peaty campfire smoke and smoldering ash, burning rubber, iodine, charred meat, tennis ball (ripped this off another review, but it’s totally there), pear, plum, grape, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - peaty campfire smoke and ash, pear, peach, plum, raisin, dark chocolate, peanut, rich salted caramel, dense spiced vanilla, moderate ethanol burn, finishing long with beautiful smoky, salty chocolate and rich peanut and vanilla flavors. It’s great stuff. At first, I thought it was too smoke-heavy, obscuring the more nuanced flavors, but give it 20 minutes or so to off-gas and it really opens up to showcase the deep fruitiness and rich, savory flavors hiding beneath the fire. It’s like standing around a bonfire, roasting s’mores, drinking peach tea, and watching a beautiful lowcountry sun set over the May River.

Nose - light peat smoke, pear, green apple, spiced peach, brine, salted caramel, sherry undertones, light ethanol burn. Taste - briny caramel, mild peat smoke, apple, grape, and other spiced fruit, allspice, toasted nuttiness, black pepper, light alcohol bite, finishing quickly with fading salted caramel and spice flavors. Overall, this is a tasty, easy drinker. I read somewhere that Blue Label is delicious whiskey for people who don’t drink whiskey. It’s unchallenging and unassuming and a bit watery, but pretty decent. However, to me it’s not worth even a third what they charge for it. I like Green Label better and it’s about a quarter of the price.

Nose - cherry, apple, spiced vanilla, banana, pecan, caramel, allspice, light ethanol burn. Taste - cherry, muted chocolate, raisin, mild banana, vanilla, caramel, young and bright, but light alcohol notes, finishing quick with fading cherry, caramel, and young alcohol flavors. Overall, a solid budget bourbon. The nose is really nice, but I feel the flavors muddle together and are difficult to distinguish. ER is definitely the better bourbon, but I’m happy to have tried its younger brother.

Nose - honey, pear, grape, buttery vanilla, green apple, white wine, subtle nuttiness, sherry cask definitely comes through, light ethanol burn. Taste - honey, creamy toffee, vanilla, pear, green apple, mild but young, bright alcohol bite, finishing quickly with fading toffee, honey, and bright ethanol flavors. Overall, it has a nice nose and pleasant flavors. The quick finish and young, bright alcohol flavors are the biggest complaints I have.

Nose - cherry, apple, bubble gum, cinnamon, spearmint, allspice, caramel, light vanilla, oak notes, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - strong oak, cherry, caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, spearmint, allspice, apple, burnt brown sugar, cola, bubble gum, rye spice, moderate alcohol burn, finishing medium length with brown sugar, caramel, and slightly minty flavors. Overall, it’s pretty good. Definitely better than the standard 10 year. However, I think the overpowering oak notes obscure some of the more nuanced beauty of the palate.