Tastes

Rating: 4.12/5 The bottle I'm reviewing is a barrel pick from Mammoth Liquors in KY. Tier 1. 10yr, 2mo. 107.4 proof. Bottled May of 2023. Nose: Red berry compote, blue berry, cedar, slight pine/evergreen, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar. Palate: Warm strawberry, cherry, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla. A lot of notes from the nose carry through to the palate. There is a light amount of rye spice as well. Finish: Red fruit, light oak, cinnamon, rye spice. Medium finish with a solid mouthfeel. Overall: Very fruit forward from the nose to the finish, with a subtle amount of oak and spice to make it a very well balanced drinking experience. There's not a whole lot about this bottle that I can fault, except that the mouthfeel/viscosity is just okay. I really enjoy this specific barrel pick and always have my eye out for OESO picks.

Rating: 4.10/5 Nose: Light caramel, powdered Nesquik, brown sugar, sweet oak, dried cherry, slightly nutty, hint of banana. Great nose for a 97 proof whiskey. Palate: Sweet syrupy oak, slight smoke, cherry, dried cranberry, aged oak. Palate is very rich with nice age notes. Finish: Leather, smoke, dried tart fruits, oak. Very coating mouthfeel. Overall: This is a tremendous example of a 10 year whiskey under 100 proof. Really nice age notes and mouthfeel. The Jack Daniel's profile in a 10 year whiskey is so distinct and delicious. If you haven't had any high age JD products I recommend at least trying a pour of this at a bar if you're able to.

Rating: 4.0/5 Nose: Dried stone fruit, peach preserves, peaches and cream, gentle rye spice, orange. Very sweet nose with just a touch of rye spice. Palate: Dried dates, caramelized citrus fruits, orange marmalade, creamy vanilla, subtle oak and rye. Finish: Caramelized orange and more dried stone fruits. Perfect amount of spice to counterbalance the sweetness of this rye. Overall: New Riff is doing awesome stuff with their experimental mashbills and malted grains and this malted rye is just the tip of the iceberg. For the price, this is probably one of my favorite sub 100 proof ryes. There is so much caramelized sweetness through the nose and palate, all while having enough spice to make it balanced. For $60 and under this is a buy every time for me.

Rating: 4.02/5 Nose: Very dusty, nutty nose. Reminds me of high age Beam products. Vanilla custard, caramel, cream soda, rye spice. Really enjoyable nose. Palate: A bit more muted compared to the robust nose. Peanut, caramel, vanilla, root beer, seasoned oak, Very thick, creamy mouthfeel. Finish: Dark chocolate, sweet and spicy oak, peanut, warming. Medium finish. Overall: I really liked this one. I feel like the nose outshines the palate a bit, however, the mouthfeel makes up for that. Makes me wonder where BBC sourced the whiskey as it reminds me of Beam or Heaven Hill. If you're a fan of higher age Beam/HH I think you’ll like this one as well. Rating: 4.02/5

Rating: 4.05/5 (9 Year, 9 month. 114.8 proof) Nose: Fresh fruity nose with some floral notes. Strawberry, apricot, cool mint, faint oak. Palate: Fresh strawberry and apricot follow through on the palate. Vanilla, rye spice, brown sugar, and a floral sweetness make this a really nice sipping experience. Finish: Red berries, brown sugar, and oak spice close this one out. Finish is lasting and rich. Overall: Perfect amount of sweet and spice with this one. Really great balance and body. It's a great example of Four Roses fruitiness and it's just delicious. Only knock I can give it would be the pricing ($90) of these barrel strength offerings.

Rating: 3.79/5 Nose: Heavy peanut, like a powdered peanut butter thing going on. Tobacco, light vanilla, sweet oak, light leather, dried cherry. Palate: Honey roasted peanut. Dried cherry, leather, tobacco carry through from the palate with a nice vanilla note. Solid mouth feel for 100 proof. Really enjoyable palate. Drinks lower than its proof point. Finish: It transitions with creamy peanut butter, followed by oak, tobacco, leather, and light pepper. Overall: I don't reach for this bottle as much as I should. Every time I have a pour I'm reminded how good of a Jim Beam product it actually is. It's becoming harder to find as well. I think for $60-$70 range it's a good pickup.

Rating: 4.10/5 (2022 release, 108.4 proof) Nose: Heavy brown sugar, leather, tobacco, and oak. Really enjoyable nose that keeps you coming back. Palate: Burnt brown sugar, baking spices, leather, tobacco, oaky. Perfect balance of sweet and spicy with neither overpowering the other. Finish: At first the finish was a bit dry, but once the bottle had opened up some that went away. Medium-long finish. Burnt brown sugar, caramelized oak, and rich dark chocolate closes this one out with a perfect hug on the end to let you know it's 108 proof. Overall: Pleasantly surprised with this one. The dark and rich flavor profile of this one really appealed to my palate. One of the better options for a barrel proof double oak.

Rating: 3.70/5 (10 year, 5 month. 115 proof) Nose: Really nice nose with notes of dried cherries, vanilla, light caramel, honey, clove, and cinnamon. Palate: A very spicy palate with notes of red berry, cherry, leather, tobacco, pepper, cinnamon, and oak. This has been one of the spicier Four Roses selections I have had. Definitely a tongue tingling pour that feels overly spicy considering the proof point. Very solid mouth feel. Finish: The finish is very long, and you guessed it, very spicy. The spice is followed by red berry and a dark/slightly bitter chocolate on the finish. Overall: I really wanted to like this one more than I did, but the spiciness of the palate and finish took away from the overall experience for me personally. I seem to prefer the profile of the OESV/OBSV/OESO recipes a bit more than OESK.

Rating: 3.81/5 Nose: Really nutty nose, reminds me a lot of powdered peanut butter. Followed with sweet oak and vanilla. Palate: Brown sugar, vanilla, caramel, root beer, the nuttiness/creamy peanut butter carries through from the nose to the palate. Has a nice even amount of spice that matches well with the sweeter notes. Good mouth feel for 100 proof. Finish: Medium finish filled with rye spice, some leather, oak, and nuttiness. Overall: I know many HM10 single barrels can be hit or miss but this specific barrel was really nice. Nuttiness follows this one from the nose all the way to the finish with a lot of other quintessential bourbon flavors following behind. If you're a fan of the nuttier profiles this one is definitely for you. At or around the $60 range this bottle is a good buy.

Rating: 3.85/5 Nose: Absolutely love the nose. Very strong aromas of banana, burnt brown sugar, sweet oak, toffee, caramel, and light vanilla. Palate: Has a very sweet entry with notes of that banana and brown sugar followed by sweet oak, vanilla and caramel. Finish: The finish is very warm, I would even go as far as calling it hot. It is long and warming with some cinnamon red hots. Overall: Really like this one, only knock I can give it is at times it feels like it has some sharp edges on the finish with the hotness. Otherwise the flavors are very robust and enjoyable and the $50-$60 price point is solid for a quality higher proof bourbon.