Tastes

Nose - apple juice, brine, orange blossom, vanilla, salted caramel, cereal grain, pear, fig, honey, nutmeg, vanilla, lemon, white pepper, grass, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, vanilla, cereal grain, sour apple, mint, sweet floral notes, lemon, peach, honey, pear, allspice, white pepper, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with honey, salt, and orchard fruit flavors. For reference, this review is based on the old 43% bottling of the 12 Year. The nose is sweet, floral, and earthy with apple juice and orange blossom underpinned by honey, fig, and a strong briny quality. The palate is very sweet and fruity, almost cloying, with some marked graininess, more orchard fruit, and a heaping dollop of salt. Wow, this is salty. There’s a sensation of tannins on the finish, but I think it’s actually the saltiness drying out my mouth. Unfortunately, it has that cheap, spiked apple juice quality that reminds me more of a mid-level blend than of a single malt. Overall, this is average for me. It has many traits of a decent, sessionable sipper, but that saltiness ceaselessly builds with additional sips and quickly becomes oppressive.

Nose - toffee, vanilla, brown sugar, earthy herbal notes, anise, honey, apple, coffee, lemon, chocolate, hazelnut, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, vanilla, black cherry, clove, nutmeg, coffee, sour apple, dark chocolate, leather, rich oak, tobacco, orange zest, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, dark fruit, chocolate, and oak flavors. Apparently the name Stellum is derived from the Latin word for star. It also spells mullets backwards. Not sure if that’s significant, but I’m gonna leave it here just in case. The nose is classic bourbon, but the high rye mashbill is easily detectable. It’s dark with nice brown sugar, chocolate, and hazelnut notes alongside anise and a generalized earthiness. The palate hits those nice dark flavors, but unfortunately some insidious sourness appears. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s unwelcome nonetheless. Overall this is good bourbon, but nothing more than that. It’s not complex, but there are some nice dark flavors, and it’s a reasonably easy drinker for the proof. Still, it’s young, bright, and a bit sour. At $55 a bottle, I don’t think it’s a good value, but you could certainly do worse.

Nose - cereal grain, strawberry, raspberry, apricot, butterscotch, pecan, orange, vanilla, nutmeg, cocoa, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - raspberry, strawberry, bitter herbal notes, cherry, cereal grain, lemon pith, orange zest, vanilla, caramel, apple seed, allspice, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium short with jammy red fruit, bitter citrus, and cereal grain flavors. This one has received some recent attention here, so I thought it was time to throw my hat in the ring. First things first, I’ve never tasted pomegranate wine and don’t have much experience with the fruit in general. Oh man, this definitely lets you know it’s 60% ABV on the nose. I breathed in too deeply on the first nosing and had to catch my breath. It’s really grainy, but nice jammy fruits shine through, along with some butterscotch, baking spices, and hint of pecan nuttiness. There’s something slightly off about it too, not quite sulphuric, but maybe it’s a fungal note. Difficult to say. The palate brings the same heat and more jammy red fruits. There are some apple seed tannins and lemon pith bitterness leading to a short drying finish. This is a hard one. On one hand, there are some really nice red fruit notes, probably some of the best I’ve encountered on a wine finish. On the other hand, it’s super hot, grainy, bitter, and obviously young. Water helps a bit, but it also further exacerbates the graininess and thinness. More time in the barrel is desperately needed, and probably a lower bottling proof if the bitterness persists. Overall there’s a lot of potential here, but I just don’t think it’s quite ready for prime time. A big thank you to @PBMichiganWolverine for sharing! I’ll be very interested to try version 2.0 of this one.

Nose - anise, caramel, apple, bubble gum, powdered sugar, mint, stale bread, clove, underripe banana, hay, orange blossom, black pepper, vanilla, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - clove, mint, anise, caramel, vanilla, apple, black pepper, lemon pith, chalky oak, banana, bubble gum, cocoa, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with anise, baking spice, and chalky oak flavors. I’ll admit that I haven’t enjoyed any Crown Royal product I’ve tried in the past, save for mixing with some Crown Peach, but I don’t think that counts. While they strike me as cloying and bland, this one looks more interesting. I’m hoping the rye component will dampen the usual sickliness I’ve found with their standard offerings. So the nose isn’t too sweet. We’re off to a good start. There’s no doubting this is a rye, as mint, anise, and clove aromas are front and center. Behind them come banana, fruity bubble gum, and unfortunately some moldy bread as well. The palate is sweet for a rye, too sweet for my liking. There’s more mint, baking spices, and banana leading to a short, chalky finish. So this is definitely my favorite Crown product I’ve tried so far, but that’s not saying much. Even at a higher proof and with a 90% rye mashbill, they can’t seem to escape that cloying, dosed profile. I don’t think it’s terrible. It’s just not for me. Many thanks to @pkingmartin for gifting me his bottle!

Nose - butterscotch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnut, leather, cherry, bubble gum, floral notes, black pepper, marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker, rich oak, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - rich caramel, creme brûlée, cinnamon, dark chocolate, walnut, cherry, floral notes, orange, leather, black pepper, spearmint, graham cracker, allspice, marshmallow, toasted oak, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing medium length with caramel, cherry, baking spice, and toasted oak flavors. The last Buffalo Trace product I have in the backlog, and it’s a good one. I found this in a local shop for $90, which is significantly higher than the $50 MSRP, but even more significantly lower than the $300 they appear to be going for online these days. I wasn’t happy to pay the premium, but figured it was probably the best deal I’d ever find short of winning a lottery. The nose hits those classic Buffalo Trace aromas, but they’re much deeper and richer here than on any other BT product I’ve tasted in the past. Granted, I’ve never tried GTS or really any of the more mature offerings. I really like when I get a s’mores note on whiskies, and this one has it. The palate brings waves of delicious caramel, cherry, and oak. There’s a subtle nuttiness and a less subtle mintiness as well. The finish is really good, not too long, but the flavors linger nicely and don’t go sour or bitter as I had initially expected. When I opened this bottle a year ago, it was straight fire. I like high proof whiskies, but this one was borderline painful. Time has been very kind to it though. Actually, it’s probably the biggest transformation any of my bottles have made. The fiery heat has been tamed, and I can taste some of the nuances that were completely overshadowed previously by the alcohol. Long story short, this is great. It’s very close to being outstanding, but it’s just slightly too thin and bright to make the grade for me. If I had reviewed it a year ago, the rating would be at least one step lower. I’d say it’s worth the $90 I paid, but it took a year for me to think so.

Nose - caramel, cherry, anise, vanilla, floral notes, cereal grain, cinnamon, light oak, nutmeg, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, vanilla, cherry, cinnamon, floral notes, dry oak, anise, grainy corn, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with caramel, cherry, and sour oak flavors. Since I reviewed the Weller yesterday, I might as well knock out the few Buffalo Trace products I have in the backlog. This one appears to be discontinued, which might make it just a hair more difficult to find than the rest of BT’s stable. The nose is classic BT with caramel, cherry, and something floral, but it’s slightly drier and more herbal than the others I’ve tried. The palate is just about the same and generally unremarkable. There’s a dryness to the finish, not really tannic, but more akin to a chalkiness. This is about as average as average can be. It’s not bad, but it’s slightly sour, bitter, and thin. More time in the barrel, less dilution, blah blah blah. When this was available, it was $15 a liter, so I suppose you can’t really complain too much. It would be a great option if you were on a shoestring budget and wanted something reasonably palatable. Thank you to @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample!

Nose - caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, buttery cinnamon, sweet floral notes, cherry, baked apple, black pepper, spicy oak, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, vanilla, cherry, cinnamon, brown sugar, black pepper, dry oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with caramel, cinnamon, and dry oak flavors. It’s about time I review a Weller. On a recent trip to Louisville, I paid way too much to sample the Special Reserve, Antique, 12 Year, and Full Proof. I didn’t have much time to spend with them, but I remember liking this one more than the Special Reserve, but not as much as the 12 Year and Full Proof. The nose is classic Buffalo Trace, but expectedly softer from the wheat component. Caramel, cinnamon, cherry, and something floral. The palate ramps up the cherry note, but the others are still present. There’s a marked oak influence, not quite tannic, but drying on the finish. This is solid $25 bourbon, which is what the retail price was a few years ago. It’s probably slightly better than the Early Times BiB I reviewed yesterday. But at the current $50 retail price, there’s no value to be found here. And the $150+ secondary prices are total insanity, but we all know that. It’s above average, but not an iota better than that. Many thanks to @jonwilkinson7309 for providing the generous sample! At MSRP, the Full Proof is the only one I’d actually want to add to my collection, but I won’t be holding my breath.

Nose - caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, buttery cinnamon, cherry, light oak, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - caramel, banana, cinnamon, vanilla, orange zest, chocolate, dusty corn, cherry, lemon, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with cherry, cinnamon, and chocolate flavors. I’ve been interested in trying this one for a while. The general opinion seems to be that it’s a solid, value bourbon. Unfortunately it’s not one I can track down easily in my area. The nose is light and fruity. Classic, sweet bourbon aromas like caramel, cherry, and cinnamon can be found. The palate carries the same notes, but some banana, chocolate, and corn make appearances as well. As expected, this is a nice, mild, easy drinking bourbon. It’s not complex, but there’s nothing really wrong here. At under $25 a bottle, it’s a solid buy. More than that, and it’s up against some stiff competition. If I could find it here, I’d keep a bottle on the shelf for those nights I just want to do some mindless drinking. Thank you to @ContemplativeFox for providing the sample!

Nose - raisin, chocolate malt, vanilla, nutmeg, vanilla, apple, apricot, orange, light sulphur, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - raisin, lemon pith, orange zest, dark chocolate, ginger, apple, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, coffee, cola, black cherry, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with raisin, citrus, and baking spice flavors. Since this one has been a recent topic of conversation here, I figured I needed to thrown in my two cents from way back here in the peanut gallery. Wow, one whiff of this let’s you know there’s PX involved. There might be more PX than whiskey in this dram. This is like filling a bathtub with Sunmaid raisins, leaving it to fester for a month, and then diving in and rolling around. There’s also chocolate, baking spices, and something meaty which I’m interpreting as sulphur. Although it might just be a dried apricot note; I confuse the two sometimes. The palate is punchy and bright. The preponderance of PX downplays the youthfulness a bit, but it’s still there. More raisins, bitter citrus, chocolate, and coffee are in the mix as well. The finish is middling with those dark flavors lingering reasonably nicely. So I don’t hate this, but I don’t love it either. I like a good PX bomb as much as the next guy, but the balance is off here. I have an Edradour 11 Year that’s a total PX bomb as well, but the base distillate seems to stand up better to the dominant sherry influence than this one does. The bigger issue here is the youth and citrusy bitterness that pervades the palate. Still, it’s better than average for me and a really cool one to have the opportunity to try. A big thank you to @PBMichiganWolverine for providing the sample!

Nose - butterscotch, vanilla, anise, dark chocolate, peppermint, cherry, plum, clove, leather, allspice, orange, tobacco, marshmallow, toasted coconut, herbal notes, dry oak, walnut, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - clove, orange oil, allspice, dark chocolate, butterscotch, anise, leather, baked apple, rich oak, black cherry, vanilla, bitter walnut, lemon, peppermint, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with dark fruit, chocolate, toasted oak, and rye spice flavors. 100% Canadian rye? Check. 18 years old? Check check. 100+ proof? Check check check. With those stats, I know it’s a winner before even pouring a glass. But alas, a glass must be poured, so here we are. The nose is amazing, dare I say sublime? Butterscotch, dark chocolate, and orange aromas appear, underpinned by a woodsy, herbal quality. It’s like smelling a moss-covered Werther’s hard candy that you picked up on a forest walk. The palate is punchy, but not overly hot or youthful. Dark fruits, more butterscotch, rich oak, and nuts overwhelm the taste buds. The finish lingers beautifully without veering into any unpleasant territory. This is outstanding whisky and easily the best rye I’ve tried. It completely destroyed the latest Boss Hog in a side-by-side, which honestly isn’t saying too much, but it’s worth mentioning as they have a similar provenance. The only point I can possibly subtract is for the slight palate brightness. It’s not youthful, but just a tad more ethanol-forward than perfection would allow. So this isn’t flawless, but it’s very, very close. A huge shout-out to @pkingmartin for introducing me to this and providing the generous sample!