Tastes

Rating: 2.97/5 Nose: Very light nose, slight oak, strawberries, and floral notes. Nose is a bit underwhelming. Palate: Honey, apricot, light oak, vanilla. Relatively thin mouth feel. Not super complex but satisfying nonetheless. Finish: Light oak and honey carries through to the finish, along with a slight warmth and some light fruit notes. Overall: If you're able to find this bottle sub $30 I think it's worth picking up. It offers a low proof point which makes for a good daily sipper and I believe a good entry point for new bourbon drinkers.

Rating: 3.04/5 Nose: Sweet nose with hints of caramel, light oak, and light vanilla. I felt the nose was a little underwhelming. Palate: Light oak, honey, vanilla caramel, cinnamon, and some pepper. The flavors are very subtle and not intense at all which is to be expected with an 86 proof bourbon. The mouth feel is pretty decent for the proof point. Finish: Oak, caramel, vanilla linger on the finish with a bit of light fruit to close it out. The finish is short but to the point. Overall: I think this is a solid bottle if able to find sub $35. I feel what is really holding it back is the proof. However, I think it is a very good starter bourbon for someone wanting to get into bourbon.

Rating: 3.5/5 Nose: Very sweet nose, light fruits, and rye spice. Palate: Caramel, vanilla, some tobacco and leather, has almost a cake icing thing going on. Not overly complex but it makes for a nice sipper. Has a nice thick mouth feel for 100 proof. Finish: Medium finish. Rye spice and those light fruits with a bit of caramel and brown sugar. Overall: I think this is a really nice straight forward simple pour and even more so with the $25 price tag.

Rating: 3.90/5 Total Wine pick. 9 yr, 11 mo. Nose: Dry cherry, tobacco, heavy oak, peanut. Palate: Really delicious mature palate. Dried cherry and leather follow through on the palate, followed by heavy brown sugar, oak, and that Jim Beam nutty. Very thick and oily mouth feel. Finish: Really long, warming finish. Oily and thick followed by those dark fruits and peanut. Overall: For $55-$65 range these are fantastic and a must buy. The tasting experience of these SiB store picks far outweigh their price point and are a inexpensive way to get into high proof bourbon.