Tastes

Ranger Creek 44 Rye Batch 26; Bottle 463; Spring 2018 17 months age; 94 proof; 100% rye This one is so fun and unique. If I could boil this down to a simple description; all you horse and cattle folks...the smell of sweet feed grain, get that in your head. This tastes like what you would imagine from the smell. Like someone distilled sweet feed into a whiskey. Sweet molasses and grain. Nose: rich butterscotch, hay, green grains, wildflower honey with lemon, black tea leaves, tea olive blossoms, fennel Palate: honey and butterscotch explode into peppery spice, fresh hay and green rye on the mid, herbal mint, then the secondary explosion of rye spice fills the whole mouth. Finish: Leather, sour honey, cracked pepper, bread crust. Definitely a young spirit but a fun and funky exploration. Not your typical rye, much more unique with that big Texas heat and oak influence.

Nose: apple, caramel, vanilla, cedar boards. Palate: carries from the nose with some oak barrel spice and honey. A slight touch of that banana note you find in Jack Daniels. Finish: sweet oak vanilla and orchard fruit. This is solid for the price. An easy sipper and I would never turn down a glass. That said, it’s a bottom shelfer and shows in youthfulness and lack of integration. The flavors kind of hit all over the place and shows no real complexity. But, it far exceeded my expectations and drinks sweet and no harshness.

Nose: dusty and earthy top note gives way to dried cherries and dark chocolate. A few drops of water brings out vanilla, honey, and black tea. Palate: all of the nose carries through on the palate. Almost like biting into a dark chocolate cherry cordial. The spice comes along on a slow fuse and builds and builds into this gorgeous long finish of rye spice and leather. Just an amazing rye and Canadian. Can’t wait to light a stick to go with this. A cask strength edition would kick a##.

Glenglassaugh Revival Nose: malted cereal and a smokey honey, grape skins and sugar, woody earthy peat. Palate: rich, dense, and sweet. Dessert whiskey. Malt cereal and honey like on the nose, port wine sweetness with a wisp of smoke and vein of funky peat intertwined with the rich sweet wine notes and malt. There’s a busyness to it but it just holds together. Very interesting and a unique malt. The finish is short, musty sweet, with a tickle of barrel spice.

Sometimes its nice to revisit simple classics. Simple can be good and this defines approachable whiskey you can enjoy without giving much thought, aka Background Whiskey. But, give it a little attention and there’s just enough there to explore and dig out some yummy notes...if you chose. Slainté! Nose: green apples, pears, faint all-spice, honey, lemon curd, vanilla bean, creme brûlée Palate: gentle on entry, mildly sweet. Honey, pear, lemon zest, pastry crust, almond cream. Finish: slightly drying with a faint oak spice, vanilla cream with an almond nuttiness.

Clynelish 14 Nose: on first approach there is a strong presence of over-ripe apples. But, as you begin to dig deeper there is a classic heathered honey note you expect in Highland malts, peach, and a little briney sea water. And then it happens. This lovely backbone of earthy peat. Not quite medicinal. More woody and earthy and meaty. Its not Islay or Campbeltown strong. Or even Talisker. But its there, like slipping on an old field jacket on a brisk Fall morning. Its soft, comforting, reassuring. With more time in the glass some dark fruit and sherry notes work their way out like wisps of smoke escaping from a dark caldron...slowly revealing its secrets bit by bit. Palate: Its medium weight on entry. Not watery, but not as oily as a cask strength. Some peppery spice tickles your cheeks and a little warm encouragement as it goes down. Wildflower honey comb, vanilla, beeswax, allspice, cinnamon, bitter orange, walnuts, raisins, and swirled inside is this vein of peat funk that delivers this cured meat savoriness balancing the honey and sherry sweetness. Think country ham smeared with grape jam in as far as that salty meat and sweet fruit strike this delicious balance that us true Southerners know 😉. Finish: lingers lovingly with dry leather splashed with vanilla, peach syrup and cream, baking spice, and a earthy wood note.

Knob Creek Single Barrel Select 14yrs 120 proof (store pick) The color is a rich mahogany...evident of the age. Swirling coats the glass with thick legs running down Nose: immediate is a massive hit of rich vanilla and maple syrup, oak boards at a lumber mill. My mind immediately goes to thinking “Stagg Jr-esque.” Neck pour, so I’m going to let it sit & breathe for 20 mins and come back. Ok, back at it. Cedar shavings & toasted oak notes dominate now. Layers of a sweet dusty corn, rich caramel, and buttered brown sugar float around under the oak notes. Palate: Rich, oily, sweet, hot and spicy, and a big Kentucky hug after the swallow. This is a big bourbon and it lets you know right away. Caramel, toasted marshmallow, brown sugar and butter flambéed over vanilla bean ice cream, mint, cedar, cinnamon red hots, all spice, sweet corn, grape sweet tarts. Finish: drying, cracked black peppercorns, leather, vanilla cream and mint, and boiled peanuts. The finish fades but the oak presence lingers on. In summation, this is a gorgeous big ass bourbon...esp for the price. A nice substitute for Stagg Jr if you can’t find it and at a better price point to boot. This possibly just shot up to my top 5 bourbon list. Will have to do a side by side with Stagg Jr and see if it supplants the mighty Stagg. I think it can go toe to toe. If you love big rich flavors and oak presence this is a whiskey for you.

Highland Park 12 Viking Honor Nose: rich and dense. wildflower honeycomb, heather, vanilla bean ice cream, citrus and ginger, scuppernong, immature peaches, malt cereal, sweet tobacco, maple smoked bacon. Palate: clean, sweet malt, floral honey and vanilla, candied ginger and earthy peat, rich sweet chewing tobacco, a tiny hint of campfire ash. Finish: medium and simple finish: vanilla and cured tobacco. Slightly drying.

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Barrel: 96; Warehouse: G; Rick: 22 Bottled: 4/26/16 at 50.5% Nose: sweet corn, floral honey, cotton candy, earthy grain silo, red fruits (strawberry, preserves), eucalyptus. Palate: honeyed vanilla, canned yellow corn, sweet tea, mixed berry jam, brown sugar, candied lemon rind, black tea, thyme Finish: drying leather and black pepper, spicy earthy tobacco.