Tastes

BWG Private Barrel #6902174. 9 years old, 94 proof. On the nose: light sweet fruit, honey, and oak. Occasional floral note wisps. Some vanilla is present too. The palate is oak, cherry, and honey. Sometimes comes across as medicinal. The finish is a medicinal oak flavor that lingers, but isnt strong or cloying. This private pick certainly exceeds that of the standard self offering.

Thompson Select 2023, 8 year 4 month. Not much on the nose, a little heat and light sweet notes. The palate is where the whiskey comes forward with sweet caramel mingles with oak and rye spice. The sweetness lingers well into the finish. This is a very rich KC SiB Rye offering. Surprisingly there was no beam funk to be found.

BWG Pick, Barrel # 6902174 A light easy sipping Elijah Craig single barrel pick. The flavor profile is pretty similar to the standard offering with light caramel, suble vanilla, and the typical Elijah Craig oak notes. The finish is light, with only a light oak remaining.

Barrel number 23-06616, 128.3 proof. The ethanol is strong on the nose, but if you can get past it there are some hints of cherry and vanilla. First sip was a strong punch of cherry and vanilla. The next sip comes across with rich banana, vanilla, and creme brulee. They linger on for the finish, but the finish is not super long lasting.

Batch 12AK. This is quintessential Sagamore with the classic rye and dill notes from the mix of theirs and MGP rye distillate. The sweet oak mixes nicely with hints of tobacco. These fade to baking spice which leaves a little bitterness and tannic oak finish.

Luckie Champagne barrel pick: 7 years, 114 proof, MGP sourced. This bottle has a stark difference based on glass. In a glencairn glass the nose is fruity notes, almost brandy like grape, with weak oak, vanilla, and caramel. The palate. The palate starts as hot, brandy grape and fades to light oak and caramel. The light oak and caramel remains on the finish. When I've had this before in a rocking glass, the brandy/grape notes are gone and the oak, caramel, and vanilla are stronger with bits of maple also present. To my tastes, the rocker glass was better than the glencairn pour. Not sure I'd pay retail for it, but at the clearance price I paid it's worth it.

Light peat and minerality on the nose, and surprisingly hot for an 80 proof. Given the 4 different oak sources, the palate disappoints me. It's sweet, smoky, minerally, a hint of vanilla but kind of flat. The finish is short with some peat and mineral remaining. It's a fine whisky, just disappointing.

When I first cracked this bottle it had the typical Larceny profile, but with a big tannic oak bomb. Now it's had time to round out into an excellent pour. The oak is still very much present but not overbearing. The nose leads with oak and rich caramel. The oak, rich caramel contiue to the palate with cinnamon and baking spice. The proof and spice are present as it dances across my tongue. The cinnamon, oak, and caramel linger into the finish before some tannic drying comes in.

Got this as part of an Old Forester whiskey row sample set on clearance. The nose has a medicinal cherry flavor which continues into the palate. The palate also has caramel, light Old Forester banana and some oak, then some rich dried dark and light fruit flavors. The fruit flavors linger onto the palate. The second barrelling contribes a richness that makes seem closer to the flavors of a cask strength rather than a 93 proofer.

Not sure the age on this, bottle says at least 3 years. Got it on clearance at the ABC store. The nose is light young wood and sweetness. These continue to the palate adding in a mix of rye spice, some citrus, and generic fruit notes. The finish is short and pleasant. Not sure I'd pay retail for this, but at the clearance price it's a steal.