Tastes

750ml poured neat in Glencairn at home. Nose has mild toffee, lemongrass, hint of banana. Mild and pleasant. Taste is more grain forward, with some leather and tobacco notes coming on, followed by a mildly spicy finish that does linger for a bit. This a very approachable mild Speyside. Already a value, I got it on sale for $26.99. While nothing really special, it is definitely worth every penny I paid, and more. 9/5/19

375ml poured neat into Glencairn at home. Purchased for 20% off at $30.89. Batch 29, Bottle 118, bottled 3/15/19. Nose has some black pepper, charcoal, smoke, mild clove. Taste has oak, banana peel, clove, mild spice. Finish is fairly short and dusty. Eh. 9/5/19.

375ml poured neat in Glencairn at home. Finally bought a bottle because 20% off at the VA ABC. Dipped in wax, but no opening tab, so it was particularly annoying to open. 2019 Batch 9 Bottle 525. Nose is corn, oak, mild cinnamon. Taste is more spice forward, then followed by some dry oak and corn, then finishing with some interesting basil and vanilla notes (really). OK, more interesting than good. 9/5/19

750ml poured neat into Glencairn at home. Nose is full of spice, with cinnamon, vanilla, clove, some heat. Taste is more spice, black pepper, red hots, mild oak, apricot. Lingering spicy finish. Maybe a touch too much spice interaction here, but not too hot and has a nice mouthfeel. Like. Add a couple drops of water: evens out the spices, really brings the individual flavors to the fore. Finish is till long and spicy, touch of heat lingers. Nice. 9/4/19.

Bought in a WV store, VA ABC does not carry it. $8.99, give it a shot. 750ml neat in Glencairn at home. Nose is grass, corn, grains, mild ethanol. A little dusty. Taste is similar, with some caramel and oak notes coming through the middle, then a quick touch of spice on the short finish. This is nothing great, but then at $9.00 a bottle, I did not expect it to be, and it is certainly worth more than the price. I can see this as a good mixer base. 8/25/19

750ml neat in Glencairn at home. After a few Kentucky Mules, I must admit. Nose: mild heat, caramel, oak, dry grains. Not musty, but definitely dry. Taste: some rye spice up front, followed by oak, mild caramel, and a touch of fennel. Lingering grains and spice. Not unpleasant, but far from ideal. 8/23/19.

750ml bought at Mike's Liquors in Forest Heights, MD today. Fun times, love the bulletproof glass. Maybe trusting Google reviews for "best liquor store in Maryland" is inherently a bad idea. Poured neat in Glencairn at home. Nose is nutty, toasty, spicy and has some heat. Taste has an initial harsh bite, followed by vanilla, oak, spice, grains. Long lingering nutty spice burn with a prominent bitter presence. Good, but I don't love it, and the bitterness is too much for me. Add three drops of water: opens up vanilla and caramel on the nose; spice is still strong, but the bitterness has softened with the caramel coming on. Much much better. Maybe my first bourbon where adding a little water not only enhanced the character, but nearly killed the off-note too. Meaning,for example, that adding a few drops of water to George T. can bring out some more complexity and soften the heat, but there were no significant perceived flaws to fix by adding the water (for me). Here, adding the water not only enhanced the character, but actually overcame the flaw. Neat: 3.5. Add 3 drops: 4.0 Rather than average the two, I will give the higher score because it was minimal water added. 8/14/19

Drink with sushi at the bar for happy hour at Yume Sushi in the FC. Neat in rocks glass. Very smooth, slight citrus under moderate spice, mild grains. Pleasant mild lingering aftertaste. Nice. I would have passed had I known it was $30 per 2oz pour before ordering, but what the hell. 8/14/19