Tastes

Great Irish. This guy takes the 12 year’s amplitude and kicks it up a notch. Less toffee, more dark fruit, like plum or cherry, more alcohol. But here’s the thing, I can’t tell that the alcohol is there as much as the 15 year, which is the exact same proof. And that’s a positive in my book. The linger is almost as long as the 12 year, and nose is more fruity. Combine that with the slightly amped up body and presence of the sherry butt and his guy grades out right alongside the 12. Afterthought: man I love how that dark fruit washes over my palate and just sits there.

I enjoy this boy too, but the 12 is better by a decent margin. Whereas the 12 is slow and steady wins the race, keeping the palate consistently full from sip to finish, this guy is like a bottle rocket; it hits you harder than the 12 with alcohol and sherry up front and then drops off. I’d need to sip it pretty consistently to keep up the savor. On the nose, it’s floral and metallic, like the tinge of well water. Copper sits with me on the quick finish.

Oh, Redbreast. If I were a poet, I would write a sonnet about you. But I’m not, so here’s an average whiskey review. This Irish is more full than most, but not robust, by any means. Pleasantly sweet, but refreshingly not suuuper sugary sweet. I could actually drink this for an extended period of time. Heavy on the toffee, but I’m perfectly fine hanging out there. Sherry character is pronounced, and it avoids the sulfur follow-up characteristic of some other sherried whiskeys I’ve had. Can barely taste the alcohol, and smooth as all get out. The finish lingers. Fantastic Irish.

Corn. Vanilla. Wood. Alcohol. It’s a bourbon.

Another edit: I had it again toward the bottom of the bottle, and it was super herbal, especially mint. Not bad, but not the bready, briney beast I remember. Bumping down to 3.5. Second taste edit: had it again and liked it more, bumping this bit up yet again to a 4.0. I’m a fan of this unique bourbon. Wood spice is pronounced. It’s not as much like licking a salted barrel as the Bunnahabhain, but it’s great and briny in a different way. This certainly has hints of salted caramel, but moreso, I get salted soft pretzel, which anyone who knows me knows is one of my favorite things. The nose gives me freshly baked pretzel. Light fruit flavor and the finish is pretty quick. Fearfully and wonderfully made, this whiskey.

The nose and palate are very similar. Reminds me of gold medal ribbon from Baskin Robbins, that beautiful vanilla ice cream laced with caramel ribbons. It sticks around on my tongue, but the thing that lingers most is ethanol. Kinda thin otherwise. For $50, there are much better bourbons, but I enjoyed this boy.

On the nose, I get wood, chocolate-covered cherry and Nilla wafers. The wood is oaky, but I also kinda get a twist of sandalwood. On the palate, wood and caramel, and immediately clingy mouthfeel. Cherry is strong on the finish, but mixed with the ethanol, reminds me of NyQuil. It tastes like it’s higher than 100 proof, and that’s not necessarily a good thing in this case. Reminds me of the 1792 full proof in how harsh it is. I added a couple mils of water and it smelled more floral. More enjoyable palate too, more butter and caramel came out. Overall, this is a solid bourbon that doesn’t quite live up to the hype.

Second taste edit: this Knob offering makes me never want to buy a Booker’s again. It’s so rich and nutty and full of brown sugar. Cinnamon spice and everything nice. These are the bourbon notes I want, turned up to 11. Upping this guy to 4.5 in 2021. I definitely get a lot of ethanol on the nose of this high-proof juice. Hear me out on this: I also get a little strawberry Twizzler. On the palate, bourbon: light cinnamon, oak and vanilla. It’s just more full than most bourbons that have a similar flavor profile. The Belle Meade was more complex tonight, but this is a heck of a sipper.

The nose is super satisfying. It’s definitely got some ethanol in there, but cherry Dr. Pepper is kinda what I get, just with less sugar. Cinnamon and oak are prevalent on the palate. It is rich. It is full. Maybe some light chocolate overlaying some dark fruit as the palate develops. The finish is long and full of oak. Extremely smooth for a high-proof bourbon. Complexity is great, I’m a fan.

The ethanol pokes right through throughout. Tasting notes from Distiller say heavily toasted bread, vanilla, and oak spice. Dead on. Soft caramel comes through as I drink it more, but that ethanol is still sticking its head up. Disproportionately sharp for a 45%. Last sip had some good amylose finally, but man that alcohol is in the finish.