Tastes

Distilled Spring 2015 Bottled Fall 2019 Copper color. Sweet on the nose, with lots of vanilla and notes of cinnamon apples and burnt caramel, and a hint of wood chips. Quite a thick, velvety mouthfeel. Palate is sweet but complex, with lots of chocolate and coffee, cinnamon and cloves, green apples and charred oak. Finish is medium-long, with notes of roasted peanuts, more chocolate and coffee, cloves and slight hints of anise, but not enough to put me off. An excellent bourbon, and I really want to find the barrel proof of this!

Deep amber color. Nose has intense cinnamon, vanilla and maraschino cherries, with oak and notes of sweet tea. Thick, oily mouthfeel, followed by fireworks going off in your mouth. Palate is a continuation of the nose with lots of cinnamon, vanilla, cherry cola, buttery toffee, and hints of sweet tobacco and oak char. Long, hot finish with more cinnamon and vanilla, lots of spicy oak and black pepper, and subtle hints of coffee and campfire. This is a very good bourbon that has all the notes you would expect in a very good bourbon. If anything sets it apart, it would be the intensity with which you find those characteristics. Everything seems concentrated. Not worth the price I paid, but it was a birthday treat for myself, so no regrets.

Barrel 6818 Bottled 5-23-09 Deep copper color. Nose has cinnamon spice apples, cherry cough syrup, rye bread and vanilla extract. Creamy mouthfeel. Cinnamon apples continue to the palate, with hints of vanilla Coke, leather and oak tannins. Finish is medium in both length and dryness, with more cinnamon, vanilla, leather, hints of dark chocolate and lots of oak.

Rich honey color. Nose has hints of cherry cola, cinnamon and freshly baked bread. Palate has charred cinnamon sticks, freshly ground nutmeg, toasted rye bread, dill, and hints of vanilla and spearmint. Light mouthfeel with a medium finish, with baking spices and toasted rye. Good bang for the buck, and a solid daily sipper.

Batch 010 Bottled January 2018 Rich honey color. Nose has the strong peat aroma you expect, but it actually seems less peaty/band-aid-like and more sweet than the regular 10yr. I pick up the sea breeze, the smell of dried seaweed, and an earthy smell like potting soil, but also caramelized brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger snap cookies. On the palate, there are the intense peaty aspects you expect: band-aids, iodine, briney wet earth, something like freshly laid asphalt, but again less so than the regular 10yr. I also find a strong, lingering cinnamon, vanilla, spicy oak and sweet red apples. Mouthfeel is full-bodied and dry, with a good amount of alcohol burn. Finish is long, hot and dry, with a lot of peat smoke and cinnamon, salt water, and charred sugar cubes. I thought I liked the regular 10yr, but this takes it to another level. The higher proof brings out far more complexity and depth, creating a dram that is both more intense and somehow more approachable than the proofed-down version, with smells and tastes that should not make sense, but work oh so well together.

Deep, ruddy copper color. Tasted neat in a Glencairn after a few minutes rest. Nose it carefully and behind the ethanol you find vanilla and cinnamon, caramel chews, and a hint of buttered popcorn. Full-bodied, thick and dry mouthfeel. Palate is a spicy cinnamon bomb with lots of charred oak, fresh apples on the back palate, with hints of dark chocolate and cherry cough syrup. Finish is long, hot, peppery and dry. Lots of oak, cinnamon, black pepper, and a little mintiness that leaves your mouth tingling.

Barrel 6403 Gordon's Private Barrel Selection Color is ruddy copper. Nose is like Sunday brunch, with cinnamon and brown sugar, maple syrup on waffles, a soft vanilla like condensed milk, and a gentle rye spice in the background with something like bubblegum. Lots of heat on the palate, rye spice comes to the forefront, accompanied by more baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger), and charred oak. Less sweetness on the palate, but hints of vanilla, caramel and cherry cola. Full bodied but somewhat dry mouthfeel. Long, hot, dry finish with lots of charred oak. More baking spices and a light sweetness like a drizzle of honey on toasted rye bread. This is an amazing rye, and top notch barrel pick.

Honey color. Nose certainly brings the peaty, iodine character of Islay, but a bit more subtle than the Ardbeg 10yr, with far more complexity. I get ocean spray and drying seaweed, along the sweetness of honey and vanilla ice cream. Not much ethanol on the nose for such a high proof. The palate is just as complex as the nose, rich and smokey with the sweetness of stone fruits dried over a campfire, and a subtle meaty note on the back palate. Mouthfeel is thick and oily, with more ethanol burn than was hinted at by the nose. Finish is very long and warm. The campfire flavor stays with you for a long time, with some graham crackers and a very light, fruity sweetness. This is just about a prefect dram.

Bottle 227 Dumped on 5-16-19 Barrel 516 Warehouse H Rick 37 Color is rich amber. Nose is warm and inviting, rich cinnamon, vanilla, tobacco and bananas caramelized in maple syrup. More cinnamon and vanilla on the palate, subtle notes of boiled peanuts with a light saltiness that perfectly balances the sweetness, hints of charred oak. Smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Long, slightly dry spicy oak finish, with a return of that caramelized banana on the back end that leaves you longing for the next sip.