Tastes

I think the expert nailed this at an 85/100, and let me tell you why. I first drank this about 2 weeks ago and i couldn’t put my finger on where i wanted to rank this. Don’t get me wrong, i liked it, but in a world where whiskey is full of gimmicks and prices just keep rising, i feel the need to really share an accurate rating. So i drank more another night, still i was undecided. So 2 nights in a row, i put this bottle up against some of my favorites in back to back tastings: Thomas Handy, Pikesville, Peerless. Now handy and Peerless are a much higher price point but the key here is that they are all bbl proof ryes. The result, it can’t hang with the big guys, but if Handy is MLB baseball, this bottle is a starter in AAA, almost there. But this bottle is at the same price point as pikesville, and pikesville has a richness this bottle doesn’t. That along with the turpentine smell from the glass. So, i ended up at a solid 3.75 stars.

Its Pappy 7yr. Its really good. But like pappy 10, i would never pay over msrp, this bottle has gotten so over freakin hyped its ridiculous. I like it, $35 bucks makes it a great 107 proof buy. Over $4o a bottle kiss it! Leave that price for the yuppies.

So i have written a review on this guy before, but halfway through the bottle i feel the need to elaborate. Do you know that guy who says “well whats the best bourbon?” And then you go on trying to explain all the variations and categories etc etc and how its all about what your looking for...well, this is the bourbon i tell him ‘taste like bourbon.’ No harshness here, no rye spice, no wheat in the mash. This is corn mashed, 100 year old recipe, tried and true bourbon. This bourbon just taste like what bourbon should taste like, its rich and smooth. If you want complexity, well you came to the wrong place, because it has none. You want a crowd pleaser on the rocks- this is your bottle! If your crowd doesn’t like this bottle i suggest you get some vodka.

Delicious and fair price. It is not ‘just bulleit’ as some have described, its much better. The proof changes the whole flavor profile. I like it. It will remain a staple at this price

Awful. This is so bad. Whatever error garrison made with this batch should be learned from and advertised to the industry so no one makes it again. The nose is pure oak, the first sip is like chewing on an oak limb. If there are other flavors you can’t taste it through all the oak. It started to make me nauseous as i drank it. Mixed it in coke, couldn’t hide it. Just bad. I gave it one star because it whiskey.

So I was a skeptic. Jack Daniel’s, old no7, could this really be worth the cost? Well, i’m going to tell you, in a blind tasting, i would confuse this with George T Stagg. Its super rich and hot as a bbl strength should be. After a little ice melt it turns into a velvety smooth rich drinker. I have passed up Jack Daniel’s single bbl for years, that will end today.

On flavor, its really good, but when you take into account the price, its a great deal. I would go 3.5 on flavor alone, but price makes it a real winner.

I love it. Just a little smoother than the 3 year, but basically the exact same flavor profile. Its like candy meets pepper and they have a child named Willet rye.