Tastes

Balvenie is one of my favorite distilleries. The profile is so crisp and clean just oozing quality. This is expensive for a 12 year yes but its worth the price of admission. Nose is fresh honeycrisp apples wrapped in caramel, rich malt and toasted oak. Some baking spices flare up to round it out. Wonderful juicy inviting nose free of ethanol just dive on in. Palate is more of the same bringing a dense sweet malt, sliced apples and pears in cream with balancing barrel tannins, nutmeg followed by wispy smoke. There may be a glimmer of a peat presence but its only inferred. Finish is long lasting fruity malt and polished oak fading to a raw vanilla with singed graham cracker crust. Truly delicious this is everything you want from a Speyside and more. The drinkability is very high with a smoothness and crave factor that anyone can get onboard with.......93/100.... Easy repurchase

This one surprised me as I had low expectations going in. Seen this on the shelf so many times and Im always looking for cheap decent bourbon so finally caved and bought it. Nose is butterscotch and nilla with some spice and oak. Standard bourbon smells- pleasant enough. Palate is spicy with the high rye zinging the buds. Melted caramel and plenty of barrel carry through as well. Its a little thin but flavors are solid. Finish is classic sweet caramel oak fade with the spiciness lasting the longest. Overall nothing groundbreaking here but worth the price of admission if you like a spicy(but not peppery) bourbon. I would still take WT101 but this aint too bad at all.......79/100......kinda like the bottle too. Makes me want to revisit the 1843 wheater again

Had the nas version before and found it ok but a little too hot. Was excited to try the 9yr age stated finally but its more of the same. Nose is lotsa oak and caramel with ethanol sting( to be fair it did mellow after bottle was open for a while) Some fruit spread and resin works itself in after resting a bit. Palate is beam funk with more caramel and some light apple. Then the charred oak bomb hits with heavy barrel and tar notes transitioning into tannins and an asphalt like quality. It drinks hotter than proof and reminds me a lot of the last JB SB108 I had. This did improve a bit as I went through the bottle and I know this is a fan favorite but it was just aight for me........76/10....cannot see how I will ever buy this again with what's out there

Rebranded Naked Grouse is what we have here. Poured neat, nose is malt, canned peaches, prune, buttery apple turnover with some barrel. Good mouthfeel brings on palate of malty sherried fruits, a pinch of ginger and charred wood. Its blended together well and provides a simple tasty blast. Finishes with fading dried red fruits, barrel woods, char and malty sugars. This is a wonderful inexpensive sherry finished vatted malt. Not super complex or deep but supremely enjoyable.....85/100........The value here is great and this is one of the top dog budget scotches. Better than Monkey Shoulder for sherryheads and a no brainer repurchase.....The Mac is strong with this one

The last sample from sooner. Thank you again OKC for the fabulous care package. This stuff is fantastic(shocking for a Balcones I know) with cinnamon, caramel, buttered cornbread and some Texas funk all juiced from the new oak barrels added to the cask strength corn whiskey. Deep pungent flavors with a long oaked finish. Willing to bet I will raise this score if I am lucky enough to score a bottle to explore. I will be on the lookout as this is an instabuy if you see it.....90/100

Another generous sample from sooner. This is wonderful American single malt. Balcones has totally got their shit together and are churning out high quality single malts that can compete against anything in their price range. This is kind of a combo malt. The Peated SM is out of this world and the sauternes finished Pilgrimage is amazing as well. This is a marriage of the 2 ...or is it. The Peated takes charge and sits above the sweetness of the sauternes but does not cancel it out. We are left with a delicious merging of the flavors. Sure if you want the succulent fruit bomb Pilgrimage gets the nod and the standard Peated beats them both for complexity and overall wow factor....but this still delivers in spades.......90/100.... If you see any of the 3 buy them, buy them all they are that good

If you enjoy the Balcones rye whiskey this will work for you. Plenty of the chocolate and baking spice but rounded with corn sweet notes. If you are looking for Buffalo Trace alternatives move on. Its solid enough on its own but shit man if you like this profile just get the rye and go all in. This is a compromise and not one you need to make. Its good enough as a stand alone offering I suppose but when you realize what Balcones has in its arsenal and factor price its all over........77/100.....thanks to sooner for the sample

Fantastic! This is what Garrison Small Batch should be. Many of the same flavor overtones as the vaunted Cowboy. Alas this is not in my area only North Texas. Insta buy if i see it. At SS's price of $51 its an unreal value. Sweet pipe tobacco/rich toffee/dark caramel. Pungent and deep flavors. Buttery sweet oak and dates with a pinch of raw cinnamon. Finishes orange peel and young barrel tannin. Must be the Texas winter wheat adding to the Texas funk as this one is 90% wheat and 10 barley. Another Texas must have whiskey........88/100....Thanks again sooner

This is the best WT product Ive ever had. Nose is grilled orange sprinkled with pepper, oiled saddle and waves of sweet charred oak. Deep and easy to pull in without ethanol fumes. I know with more time and pours this would provide a wealth of notes to devour. Palate is bursting with flavor. Buttery oak envelopes caramel apple, chocolate orange and toasted salted nuts. Powerful but refined. Again exploring a bottle will uncover much more. Finish is forever butterscotch and leather with fading barrel char/toasted oak. There is also a sort of aged dusty attic converted to an office vibe throughout. Magnificent bourbon in every way too bad its unattainable now. At standard pricing this is pass out on the floor value. Comparing to Cowboy this is a different approach. Cowboy is a chain saw this is a scalpel. Both are super elite bourbons imho.....95/100 ......thanks to sooner for the wonderful sample