Tastes

So MGP as best I understand is putting out their own juice, about time! Nose - There's a green note, I'm not sure how to explain it. Often I get dill with rye but I'm getting the normal opening notes but it doesn't turn to dill. The sweet notes are pretty simple, not a cane sugar, a touch of caramel, it's clean and neat. There's a warmth of the spice but very little if any oak. Taste - Oh it's powerful. You get that rye flavor, then you get light gentle oak, vanilla, then back to spicy rye. This is rye through and through. There's a nice caramel coming in as well. It's weird, these notes outside of the spice are very much bourbon, but this is through and through rye. A bit younger than I'd like and I forget the price. I'd buy this for sure. It's a quintessential example of a barrel proof rye. As I've said before, I'm not a rye guy but this is a sold 3.0 and I might be underrating it. I just wish it was a few years older with some more oak notes, but that's I think more me.

Nose - pine tree, it's like nosing Christmas. I'm as always not an expert on spices but this is just anything you could imagine with a Christmas tree and Christmas spices that nutmeg and cinnamon and whatever else makes it up. Nice sweetness. Taste - SUPER spiced oak, vanilla, rye notes, Christmas cookies, some cookie dough, I wish I could nail this spice...not sure if it's ginger or something else. It's POWERFUL and there's a LOT of it. This is some young whisky but boy oh boy did they find some magical oak casks. I'm not a rye guy, full FULL disclosure. So I'm not getting another one of these, but I have really appreciated the uniqueness of this. This is going to be a niche product and it's going to kill it for people who want these notes. I'm going with a 2.0 as normally I'd score it lower because I think it's very niche but those who like it are going to really go for those oak and Christmas spice notes!

Batch 17 56.75. Full disclosure going in, I don't recall this being special or really anything to talk about, but reviews are done as I sample so let's see. Nose - First not was a bit of paint thinner. There's a bit of nutty notes. OK now opening up and I'm getting a lot of vanilla. Water gives me a lot more baking spices. A bit more oak too. I also get more caramel now and almost no vanilla. Taste - Nutty, bit of spice, oak. This has a bit of a beam note, not MGP oddly enough (this is MGP juice unless I've lost my mind, but I believe Belle Meade has a proprietary mash blend with them). With water I get a bit of cinnamon, maybe a baked apple (?). I'm getting another spice, something in the clove world. This is a much more complex whisky than I remember. It's much more on the spicy forward with a good amount of oak spice. Anyway, a nice bourbon, it's good, but it's nothing special. I'd love to try some of the other batches as I'm sure there are some exceptional ones but this one is a nice bourbon, I'm glad to have it on my shelf, I might even buy another, but it's nothing special either. OK so 2 vs 1.75 is rough. I want to give this a 2 but when I think of a 2.0 it has to be something that if priced well (cheap for me or whoever buys) I'd gladly get it. This is more I might maybe grab another one but I'm not excited about it, it's just something different to have.

Can't recall if this was 50 or 60 so I won't place a price but it's in that ball park. Nose - It's an incredible light nose. I get a bit of grass, lightly toasted oak, hints of vanilla. I'm getting that aspartame note I get often from vanilla and young oak notes. I'm getting a fruit note i can't place here. It's light, perhaps tropical, . Taste - This might be the least descriptive bourbon I've ever had. It's bourbon... It's light, touch of fruity notes maybe, some vanilla and caramel and oak...you know bourbon, but nothing is strong. The alcohol in my chest is actually the most noticeable moment in this and even that isn't much. The oak maybe stands out over the sweet notes to give you an idea of what this is. Overall there's nothing good, nothing bad, nothing bold, but it's not water. More alcohol kick than I'd expect on a 44% but again it's nothing off putting either. There's I guess enough oak where I can buy the 10 years but boy oh boy did this not get much out of the 10 years, it might have been better younger with a bit less oak to be honest. 1 star - it's bourbon. You don't want this but if someone pours it you'll have no problem enjoying it if you like bourbon. There's countless options cheaper and better. There's countless options better and more expensive. But it's 2019 while quality standards are down from the better years, very few people put out BAD whisky. So with so much decent bourbon why pay a premium for boring decent bourbon?

Why not review a few more affordable offerings? Nose - Dusty oak, nutty, super sweet, caramel. This almost reminds me of a peanut butter and honey sandwich with some really dry wheat bread, only with caramel vs honey. This is also a really oaky bourbon for the price, the 9 year age statement is gone but you can tell there's been some time in the oak here. Taste - Caramel turns to oak and finishes with peanuts. A bit of fruit, not sure what I'm getting here but there's a nice touch of fruit before it turns oaky and then goes to peanuts. Really dusty oak, think an old table without any finishing on it. Alcohol hits pretty hard at the finish, nothing brutal, but not refined either. For I think I paid 30 or 40 for this liter bottle, you really can't beat this if you enjoy oak and peanut finishing. So score is 2.25 I think. 2 being very good whisky but not something you chase down and 3 being really good (and I mean really good) whisky that you must get if it's in your price and wheel house. This is a great bourbon to have at the bar given the price but I only say that as I assume for most here this is well below what your price point is (might be wrong). I'm almost at a 2.5 as I like this one so much but that alcohol kick is keeping me at the 2.25.

So, I think I'll be doing a bottle kill week soon, though with dieting it might be more a month (trying to cut back on drinks during the week). Anyway this one is on that list with about 3-4 pours left (conservative pours). So lets get into this one, clearly I must like it if it's near death. Color - I tend to avoid this but as it's a a brand know for sherry...its' pretty golden. Now that said this one is a mix of sherry and bourbon with a bit more focus on the bourbon barrels from the label. So at least for me this was my second buy from Glengoyne and so far my two buys weren't sherry bombs (I have had the 25 which is and is amazing). So just a warning for those who might be expect their stuff to be all sherry, it isn't. Nose - vanilla and oak for sure. Pineapple and white sugars. A good swirl gives me a bit of berry. I get a bit of alcohol which I didn't expect at 43%. Taste - vanilla, tropical fruits, oak, some spice, some candy, more vanilla, baked goods. I really do think this is a quality whisky and it drinks much more full bodied than the 43% would indicate which is a huge win for me. I however really just can't justify another bottle for me which makes that this is in the kill zone a bit sad. This is quality whisky but at the same time a bit boring. I went into this one looking for sherry and I didn't get it. I came back looking for a great bourbon finish and I got the vanillas but I didn't get the complexity I want there either. This is a classic example of a 2 star whisky for me. Everything is good about it, but nothing is special. It's in some ways a good price for the age and the use of some sherry casks but it's kinda also over priced. I'll have to go back to them but I felt the 12 was more what I wanted from the brand. Anyway if this is your profile I think this is a reasonable buy if you want to venture into something new, but otherwise I'd not look for this one.

Woodford is an interesting brand. Back in the days where we could get Old Pogue for 40 bucks, Van Winkle Lot B was on shelves for 60, Rip van winkle was 27-32 (depending on abv, yes there were two abvs), EC 12 year was a thing and EC18 year was collecting dust on shelves at 60 bucks....well one of the most well respected and though of bourbons was Woodford Reserve. An NAS bourbon for 30 bucks (about the same prices today) was the non in the know bourbon drinker's idea of what was better than Makers Mark. At the time I turned my nose up at woodford as it was frankly below par bourbon, for 10 bucks I could get Ancient Ancient age 10 YEAR old and it was better. Sadly fast forward 15 years and the laughably priced woodford reserve is now actually a pretty good value and we no longer laugh at NAS bourbons as if they're a joke if they cost more than 20 bucks. I bring this up to start the context of a review for this new actual wheat whisky, not wheated bourbon. Woodford has effectively been a brand that has always been respected but has never been a great whisky maker either. They are consistent and put out quality all be it nothing special. Their prices have remained consistent and for all that, a brand I used to turn my nose up at, I must say, I've grown to really respect their pricing and consistency so bring on new expressions as long as they don't start asking for premium pricing with an age statement (lets not discuss their 130 dollar bottles). Nose - I know it's a bit silly but I smell wheat. Very sweet much like you'd get with a wheated bourbon. I get almost rock candy and golden wheat like notes. I'm getting zero barrel notes. Perhaps a drop of caramel. Really deep nosing and I get some toasted notes and a bit of alcohol. Taste - You get the woodford element right away, a sort of chocolate and just a classic woodford finish. The first notes are very sweet almost grape and vanilla. I do get a hint of nutty notes. I could see rasberry jam or something instead of the grape as well, maybe some apples or even pears. This a really fruity note. On the finish I can get some oak and wood, it's still pretty subtle. So in 2019 for 35 bucks, it's a gosh darn good whisky. Yeah in 2005 this would just sit on shelves for my money, but in 2019 woodford has really hit a winner. I'm giving this a 2.75. I can't say everyone will love this. If you don't like sweet whisky or you want more abv or you're just someone who wants aged whisky...this is not for you. If you however just want an easy drinker that's sweet. I can't recommend it more given that price point.

I've heard a few questions on better bourbons for the money when I've given some lower scores to some of the "legends". Well here's the secrete! Nose - Cherry wood, spicy oak, a bit of peanut butter (never got this before on this one), vanilla oak, i'm starting to get tobacco and hay. Just to point out I remember this being more sweet and old oak vs right now it's a bit more nutty. Taste - So I did have some scotch before this, a very vanilla and sweet one and it's odd but I'm getting so much nutty flavor here I've never gotten before. Old oak, spicy, candy, touch of nut, vanilla, caramel. Rebel Yell 10 is perhaps the best for the money wheater on the market. It's insanely good and for those who keep chasing price...this was 70 for me and I know you can get it for as low as 50. Of course, not barrel proof so the mouth feel suffers some, it's a touch more spicy and the alcohol is a touch harsh. So yeah lets not go crazy this is priced like a daily drinker (at least for us scotch drinkers I know bourbon guys want 30 or less for that) so don't expect to get blown away. Anyway giving this the same score at ECBP A119, 3.75. Just really hard for me to give a 4.0 to most bourbons, I just like more age and or finishing to get there. If you want a wheated bourbon, get this not weller. That's my advice at least.

Looks like some people are trying to manipulate the scores on this one. Maybe I've just never seen someone give 5+ tastes on a whisky that's had one batch with no review and all the same score. Nose - There's a dusty and musty note. Some oak. There's a clear red wine note. I get a bit of vanilla. The caramel I think is all mixed up with the red wine. There's a bit of spices (not great with spice notes). Taste - Intense, the abv is just perfect for this expression. The red wine perfectly mixes with the sweetness of the barrels. I don't get up front bourbon or wine, instead I get something new and unique. Sweet, fruity, not overly citrus, not overly dry, yet not so sweet that it is over the top. It's really what you'd most want if you wanted the wine barrels to really come front and center but not remove the feel and nature of bourbon. Following that you get the oak and the vanilla and a hint of caramel from a bourbon. Swallowing really brings back in some bourbon and the finish even lets some nutty bourbon character come through. I'm awful with red wine notes but trust me when I say we're really getting the best of these wine casks here. I so often feel that bourbon is the perfect spirit to be finished on secondary casks and for far too long bourbon makers have ignored this. It's a serious shame, especially today when prices are sky rocketing, bourbons are getting younger, quality is going down, and simple finishing can help these under aged spirits that we're seeing sold for excessive prices and help justify paying higher premiums. One of the most enjoyable bourbons not from MGP or buffalo trace I've had in some time. I think if they could have used some older bourbon and I know this is their thing but a bit higher abv wouldn't hurt this one at all. This is worth a splurge and a great example of what bourbon should be moving towards at least for my tastes.

ECBP was my white whale for so long. It was impossible to get. So A119 Nose - Caramel and oak. So sweet and yet it's a pretty simple whisky. Just those two notes in intense ways. Taste - More of the same. Rich and intense oak and caramel, the oak is wonderfully even in nature. Adds a bit of bitter but doesn't go to the extremes. Meanwhile so much caramel, truly intense. This is the perfect example of intense bourbon notes but while I get why people think of this as a perfect bourbon, it's not close. The oak is a bit young and yet 12 years give it an intense oak note. It's that weird we're not dealing with well aged bourbon but there's a lot of oak. Sweet beyond words. This stuff is every bit worth the hype at 60 bucks a bottle. But no it isn't "WOW" and it isn't all that special in the bourbon world. It's the result of in part a lack of high quality bourbon so we see it as amazing.