Tastes

When tasting this all I keep thinking of is how it reminds me of a woody hefeweizen. The notes in the whiskey are a mix of hefeweizen-like notes combined with oak and musty old basement wood. While my preference is for spicy ryes this is certainly an interesting pour.

Tastes like a young bourbon blend. Not as complex as the the premier offering. Young wood whiskey is the primary note I keep getting.

While I'll admit to being a proof snob, this is a surprisingly good and relatively complex whiskey given the low proof.

Part of a whiskey row sampler pack, the nose starts out as a rich bouquet of sweet fruits, this transitions to a familiar Brown-Foreman smell, before fading the a little bit of ethanol heat. The fruit notes continue straight into the palate, just a hint of spice and oak, and a slight medicinal note. Through and through the fruit contiues long after a sip. While this isn't my favorite Old Forester offering, this is by no means a slight on the product. It's a very good fruit-foreward bourbon that I'm certainly happy to drink.

On closeout for a steal of a price. Enjoyed the single barrel expression I was previously given, so I had to buy it. For a whiskey that's only 2 years old, the Texas heat does wonders for it. The nose is a bit hot, but has layers of burnt caramel and dried fruits. The rich fruits carry over to the palate. This combines with a bit of heat and spice before rich molasses and a hint of oak comes through. The molasses remains long into the finish mixing with a little oak. Out of the small group of American single malt whiskey I've sampled, this remains my favorite.

Batch 001, purchased at the distillery. Very sweet light whiskey. Not a very complex nose or palate, but a strong sweet vanilla extract note runs through it. Interesting whiskey but I need to be in the right mood to enjoy it.

B'more Whiskey Group pick, Barrel 73 F1/R3. This carries the typical MGP notes but also has a bit of richness on the nose and palate. The nose is sweet, pastry-like, confectioners sugar, with a hint of MGP dill. The palate has just the right amount of rye spice, a hint of dill, some orange, and sweet rich mouthfeel. The finish is a tad drying but long. Very drinkable at 110 proof.

B'More Whiskey Group / Philly Warriors Hockey Pick. 118 proof, 4.67 years. Sweet fruit, pastry vanilla, and oak with a suble hint of grain on the nose. The palate continues with the same rich sweet pastry, cheery and raspberry, vanilla, and oak. It's got a soft mouthfeel but with rich and thick flavor that drinks well below its proof.

While i will admit, I don't know what makes a Pennsylvania style rye. Regardless, this is a nice sipping rye. It's an 80/20 rye/barley split which is funny because it tastes like it could be of a blend of 80% MGP rye and 20% Old Forester Rye. The nose has is a mix of sweet vanilla and spicy rye. The pallate starts off of the sweet herbal MGP 95/5 rye bouquet. Then the rye spice and cinnanon takes over finishing with sweet vanilla and cocoa notes.