Tastes

Barrel 21-03012 Rick L-28 Bottled 4-1-21 125.7 proof 62.85% ABV Copper color. The nose is a cinnamon bomb, with ground cinnamon and Big Red cinnamon chewing gum, and faint notes of peanuts and cedar. Mouthfeel is lite; initially very hot but diminishes quickly. A lot of flavors explode across the palate but fade quickly: Cinnamon-flavored toothpicks, Dr Pepper cola, dried tobacco, new leather, an herbal gin-esqe note like juniper, both oak char and raw oak, and faint buttered popcorn. There is practically nothing on the finish. The only notes that stay for any period of time are a watery cinnamon and dry, tannic raw oak. I'm not a fan of Jack Daniel's and I came into this with pretty low expectations. The nose got me excited - I could nose this all night. Everything after that pretty much lived down to my initial expectations. There are things to like about the palate but they don't stay with you long enough to enjoy. The bottle says barrel proof but my palate says weak and diluted.

Golden honey color. The nose has notes of smoked meat, ocean spray, turpentine, dried sea weed and wet earth, with a hint of honey. The mouthfeel is hot and heavy. The palate has oven roasted bacon, sea salt, freshly laid asphalt, deep fried turkey skin, faint bandaids, and a light honey sweetness, with faint cocoa powder and dark cherries. The finish is long, hot, and smokey, with notes of brisket, campfire, oak char, and a very faint note of cherry cola. This is excellent and makes me hungry.

Caramel color. The nose reminds me of Christmas with a fragrant sweet and spicy wood note similar to potpourri, along with caramel drizzled over vanilla ice cream. Medium bodied. Lots of oak on the palate, with hints of that potpourri note from the nose that lends a somewhat soapy flavor. Overall, the palate is more spicy than sweet, with notes of raw cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and white pepper, with a touch of salted caramel. Finish is medium-length and dry, with more oak and baking spices, faint caramel with a mild but lingering grassy/tannic quality. Like most things from Maker's, it's decent but not something I'm going to reach for very often.

Amber color. Nose has intense vanilla and caramel apples with notes of bubble gum, maple syrup, cinnamon stick and honeysuckle. Mouthfeel is a little lite. Palate is a caramel bomb with fresh warm caramel and caramel candy dusted in powdered sugar, vanilla bean, maple sugar, sweet oak, Red Hots cinnamon candy and a little leather and ethanol. Finish is medium-long, hot and dry. The caramel note continues, with lingering oak, toasted grains and cinnamon apples. This isn't super complex, but if you're a bourbon fan it feels like home. I could drink this all night.