Tastes

I normally debate doing this more, but this is a pick, but it's a single barrel product. They're all effectively picks. This is barrel # 18-0715 and it is a 10 year old bottling. Warehouse F and rick 38. Nose - The nose brings with it a nice mix of sweet and savory. Peanuts, oak, caramel, a bit of honey comb, and based on sneezing twice nosing it....a bit of alcohol despite the good but not BP proof. Taste - The first thing to come to mind is a lot of peanut shell. This is turkey but it's a unique one for sure imo. Oaked peanut shell is paired with near aspartame levels of sweetness. The finish is this odd and yet pleasant mix of alcohol, some youth, vanilla, and that just intense aspartame sweetness. Normally, I use that aspartame note as a pretty negative one, but it's so balanced with the peanuts and oak and vanilla, I kinda find it interesting an inviting. Normally with a bourbon this vibrant and light in most of the tasting notes, i'd tend to expect more fruit. This isn't fruity though. Even with water where I thought we'd tease some out, I didn't get it. A balanced and yeah enjoyable pour. It's oddly one where I like it more when I'm just drinking and not thinking about it. Trying to dive into the nuances here is somewhat distracting me. Score - I'm at a 1.75. I like it, but I like whisky. If I took the 350 bottles I have and ranked them, knowing my bottles skew higher end and better, I'm not sure this would be better than the bottom 20. I'm glad to have it but I'd rather have a rare bread. I might actually much prefer that one.

ok this isn't fall of 2018 but I have no idea how they do this. I'll deal with this later 53.15% and based on details other than at least 12 years old, this is likely 13 years old. Nose - Rich caramel, rye spice, and awesome. Oak and spearmint and all kinda of sweetness. Taste - So off the bat it's a bit acidic and harsh. So I'm going right into some water. Ok so it's a very nice MGP product. It's spicy complex and sweet sweet vanilla and caramel. I get christmas trees and liquorish. So this is an assertive and intense MGP 12-13-14 year old bottle. It's so sweet forward with great spices. Everything just works. Intense explosive and I do get a grape like thing. Terrible review but the score is a 3 and I'd debate going to a 4. I'll re review.

So, I have said some bad things about this brand, but in my defense I've never said it about their official bottles. I actually think their official stuff is priced insanely well for what it is. the VERY little I've had. Nose - FRUITY PEBBLES! This is almost making me think of a suicide where you mix all the soda together and I don't think there's a nose to that but it's kinda like the whisky feel. It's got a kick of alcohol I wasn't expecting. There's that mineral note but it's so sweet and fruit that it doesn't bother me like it does on other bottles. The oak level is perfect, letting that fruity note dominate while it just hangs in there. Taste - more fruity pebbles and minerals and just sweet caramel covered fruits. This works because the oak is there, but the sweetness and minerals are more dominate and that sweet dominates. I think when the mineral notes and oak get together, it's a no go. OK I love this for about 40 bucks. It's one of the sweetest bourbons I've had while having a cool funky finish that doesn't bother me. But I love it for 40 and I think the price is a bit over 40. Add in no it's not complex per say. So my score of a 2.5 is crazy good imo. I really like this offering, it's unique and good. When it comes to value and unique get one man.

Cream of kentucky is one of these never ending older kentucky bourbons that seems to be coming out lately. It's proofed well enough. I don't know much about where it was sourced from. I do know it's got a good age statement and so far the releases have been good but not exciting. Nose - generic and classic bourbon. Vanilla, caramel, corn, very light oak to the point I could have forgotten about it. There's a nice amount of nutty oak elements but the balance here and the focus is really on that "classic" vanilla, caramel, and corn. Taste - The name cream of kentucky makes it impossible for me to not think cream when I drink this. It's creamy vanilla with a lightly spiced oak. The real showcase here is a very nice sweet opening that's not over the top. The finish is starting to show that 13 year old bourbon, and while this might be the lightest oaked 13 year ever, it's still there. Overall this is a pretty well made bourbon, it's full of flavor but nothing jumps out, it's creamy and thick without being 60%. Should you run out and buy this? I dunno about that. It doesn't really blow your mind in any way. It's just really balanced and well made bourbon. I'm at a 2.5 here. A part of me wants to go 3.0 just because I think this is in a way a perfect bourbon, but I need something a bit more to go there. 130 bucks is also an odd and difficult price. It's not EXPENSIVE, but I don't know a single bourbon lover who doesn't see 130 as really expensive...and yet I see weller's going for 200+ and by that this is a value. If you like the idea of a creamy mouth feel with vanilla and mellow bourbon opening with a nice oak spice at the end. Well then this is your bottle. For whatever it is worth, I bought 2 bottles so I was pretty pleased with it and I'll be happy to have this one down the line.

So I don't love reviewing peat, it's just hard to do it. I love it, it's my wheel house but words? Well meh? But now going back to an NAS ardbeg? Oh boy...will I like this still? nose - So getting some peat, oak, vanilla, I always go to some kinda sweet smelling baby and vomit or spit or something with that sweet milk thing, and at the end a very distinct sherry element. Chocolate and dark fruit smoked over an oak barrel seasoning sauce is kinda what this comes off as. It's very nice but simple. Going back but a clean menthol/mint note. Taste - So the flavor is a bit more direct and complex. You get that distinct ardbeg iodine and camp fire thing. I'm bad with these terms guys.But you then get a huge sherry note and then mellow vanilla oak and then a finish of a touch of smoke and clean islay malt. Going back - a bit more mint and medical supplies. I gotta say, I was worried I'd get all this crazy young terrible whisky which has become the ardbeg standard in their recently limited releases. This isn't anything like that. It's not old but it's not YOUNG. It's well made and there is even good sherry casking, not great, on here. Why are the recent limited releases more expensive and terrible? Guys....do more of this but better! 2.75, it's that stupid good. I'm adjusting this one down to 2.5. I over scored it.

Been reviewing all these americans lately, time to get back to the good good! Nose - apple, vanilla, custard, very nicely done light oak toast, berry's, orchard fruits, and just classic scotch from this region with a focus on sweet and balanced. Taste - Just an explosion of flavor with apples, pears, vanilla, oak tannins, European oak spices, nutmeg, toffee, dare I say all spice, and old leathery oak. The richness and complexity at all steps of the way here is amazing. But lets add water. Water lightens the sweetness up front, showcases all that spicy european and bodega casks and then the finish hits yo with this hard shift to baking spices and mellow oak and pastry crust. There's sherry here for sure but better bourbon casks I think. It's amazing use of recharted oak and a mix of young and older whisky. This is the 3rd time I'm coming back to this seriously judging it and I've poured it for 3 friends and send samples out to another. I'm loving this whisky as I seem to love EVERY diageo NAS over priced offering. I kinda hate myself for that, but darn it, their NAS stuff is really good. Anyway the abv and body so insanely rich and mouth coating. You do get some youth as there's some 15 or younger whisky in here and on a damn 600++ retail bottle I can see people being upset, but so well done. So complex. 4.25. I really like this bottle and I'd buy more at the 400 I paid. I'm really happy with this one. Thank you for the clearance price.

You know, I like to put prices....I didn't even ask or look. I have no idea what this cost. Nose - there will be a running theme here but this is a CLASSIC buffalo trace product. Nose is cherry and hence fourth (scotch test dummy shout out) Boofalo Trace oak profile. Alcohol is kinda playing a blocker on me here, it's not bad but I can't get all in there. Some sweet vanilla and lightly toasted caramelized oak. Non offensive, very middle of the road and I think this will go over well with hipsters who want their boofalo trace. Taste - and more of the classic boofalo trace cherry, but now that this has had a bit of time to open up, there's a rich creamy caramel now coming through. Again that classic boofalo trace oak ,which is sweeter and more mellow. It's more a toast vs char effect. I get some walnut nutty notes. The finish is actually where its the sweetest with more werther's caramels on the end. There is even with water and even a good amount of water still an oak bitter finish as well I should note. Overall I've always been a Stagg JR over ECBP in terms of my profile and I'm still there. That said the recent ECBP batches have been so far and away more complex that I don't want this score to confuse what I like with what is better in my mind in terms of grading whisky. So I'm at a 2.75 here. So hear me out. I LOVE boofalo trace's oak and cherry profile. Which is odd as I hate cherry in makers. But there's not a lot of nuance here. It's that oak that cherry and some other classic bourbon notes. I'm not getting a big transition, there is one on the finish. So while I'm a fan of the profile and if you are then this is going to be your jam, I don' think this drinks as old or as complex or as nuanced. I think the batch 12 is a step above and the batch 13 is a hair better too.

Nose - oddly refined and mellow. Light smoke over a gentle sweetness. I can't believe this is higher abv. When I let it sit a bit I get a nice sweet and warm caramel and peated and powerful note, but a second nosing and it's gone. This one isn't the most aromatic whisky out there if you don't let it build it, but if you do, it's rewarding. Taste - Well forget everything on the nose. Punch you in the face balcones single malt. Cinnamon, oak, funk, texas heat, caramel, vanilla, and well peat? OK so yeah I see some peat here it's subtle and hidden for sure, but at the same time it's overt and in your face. That's kinda the magic of this pour. If you've had balcones single malt it's a BIG BOLD whisky and this is even more so and in that you can miss what is actually a hell of a peat punch because it's hidden in the oak or the oak is hidden in the peat? I can't tell. However on the finish you really do get a nice lingering peat element...and cinnamon and oak..and texas. I'm doing it, a rare 3.0 from me. I'm digging the living hell out of this. Uniqueness is driving me higher but not for uniqueness but because I want more of this intense balcones sweetness and sugars and spice with peat. This is pushing 150 dollar bottle quality, get one of these if you can. I might have to workout a bottle shipment myself. Heavy water pour for science. It has been my experience that water when applied to CS can really pull out the flaws so lets see if this holds up to the higher standards. So the water has done ZERO to the flavor. It's just honestly it's not even thinner. The flavors are slightly muted but again the same. I added like 20% water here. There's a touch of mineral coming out but I think that's from the water itself as I didn't have a bottled water ready. Really REALLY well done balcones.

Nose - dare I say smoked bbq chips? Not enough salt or savory for meats but chips...yeah. Then a young and kinda funky oak is just barely there, you gotta look for it. Taste - So the big take away is a bit of a strang and kinda odd bitterness. I almost get a weird tap water element here. Now the big show stoppers of course are BBQ, mesquite for sure, some smoked meat notes (not salted or savory still), a huge brown sugar element, and the finish is oak and smokey funk. I have to agree with another tasting note, this is not a sipping whisky. This is a whisky to pair with smoked meats and frankly, I rarely have whisky that I think "I need food with this". I need for with this one. I'm starting to have a theme with a lot of texas whisky. It's not GREAT and some isn't even "good" (better than average), but it's unique and it has a time and place where it's the whisky to drink. This is just that. I don't really love this. Alcohol punch is over the top for me. The profile and flavors are intense but not complex. But with some bacon or BBQ or even some kind of smoked really anything, I think I'd be in heaven with a glass of this. I'm doing a 1.75 as there's no way I'd ever want this by itself as it's just not for me and I doubt it's what any whisky drinker wants just for a night cap. But if I had some smoked meats, I'd be on it and frankly I want a bottle for just that. I'm not sure I should score this higher due to that, but for me and for right now, yeah I gotta stick with this score. Very cool profile and I'm going to be bubbly and possessive for these unique younger but flavorful drams. I'm 100% into what they're doing. I'd much rather have a sub optimal whisky like this than 99.9% of the others out there that I'd score the same.

So as I recall the low abv one is pretty boring and candy corn. Nose - ok right away there's a huge kick of caramel and yes candy corn here. A lot of oak. Huge vanilla notes. Wow this is really working well. There's a richness that isn't in the regular and it's making a world of difference. Taste - There's oak and sweetness and corn frankly. It's puckering amounts of vanilla with spices and rich bakery notes. That said, it's pretty simple at the same time. Sweet, rich, big, bold, and vanilla corn. This is really well done and is the ONLY way the true blue should be showcased. I feel I'm getting biased on texas whisky but 2.25. Again thanks matt for the sample. And thanks to balcones who are putting out some killer stuff. Even this pretty basic and simple bottle is well good.