Tastes

"Originally posted on Barreled 8/10/18 Bought this bottle back in May but just now getting to reviewing it. Rabbit hole is a relatively new distillery in Louisville, KY. This bourbon is a somewhat unique mashbill of 70% corn, 10% malted wheat, 10% honey malted barley, and 10% malted barley. The honey malted barley is primarily used in beer brewing. It’s bottled at a respectable 47.5% ABV and has to decent legs when swirled in a Glencairn. On the nose this bourbon is all buttery brown sugar, caramel, cinnamon and some dark tones of tobacco and leather. No alcohol burn at all, the nose is like sticking your nose in a warm cinnamon roll. Just beautiful. The palate is more of the same with some added pepper and baking spices. It’s a little drier than the nose suggests which is welcome; it’s sweet enough as it is. The finish is medium, warm, dry, with pepper and baking spices. There’s a new note that I can’t quite place: kind of green and bright in contrast to the rest of the dark, sweet, spicy notes. Green bananas maybe? It appears well after swallowing and hangs around quite a while. Not unpleasant, just very different. Overall this is a very good bourbon, very sippable neat. This was good enough I never bothered trying it in any cocktails; seems like it would be a waste. I think this was about $60 locally, a pretty decent value. 4/5. Cheers!"

Pre-mixed egg nog and Evan Williams whiskey. You can definitely taste and feel the whiskey; leaves a nice warmth in the belly. Not bad for $10.

I had been wanting to get hold of OGD 114 for some time. It’s not available locally so when I found it online a while back I had to jump on it. This review is based on a bottle that has been open for about a month and a half, tasted neat in a Glencairn. OGD 114 is the big brother to another favorite budget bourbon, Old Grandad BiB. This is a Beam Suntory product with a high rye mashbill of 63/27/10 corn/rye/malt. As it’s name states it’s bottled at 114 proof, 57% ABV. It pours a beautiful dark mahogany and leaves nice thick slow legs in the glass. The nose has very little alcohol burn for the ABV. There is corn, baking spices, some caramel, and brown sugar. Really very nice. The palate is similar but the corn sweetness is tempered by the rye content. Cinnamon and baking spices dominate with the usual caramel and vanilla taking a back seat. The ABV asserts itself and occasionally gets in the way, but the heat is really manageable. The finish is fairly long with lots of rye spice, pepper, and some hints of leather. The warmth settles into the belly and wraps around with a nice Kentucky hug. I found this online for the absurdly low price of $28. This is a high proof, full bodied, high rye bourbon for under $30. This should be on every whiskey shelf/bar in the country. If you see it, get it. 3.75/5. Cheers!

This is a review of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batch B519. These notes are taken from several tastings over the past three months. This is one of (if not The) best bourbons I have ever had. ECBP is a 12 year age stated bourbon from Heaven Hill. This batch is bottled at 61.1% ABV. It pours a gorgeous dark amber and leaves a thick oily coating and long slow legs in the glass. The nose has dark molasses, brown sugar, chocolate cherries, caramel, vanilla. A veritable explosion of dark sweetness. Very little alcohol considering the ABV. Water has very little effect on the nose. In the mouth there’s more of the same plus dark chocolate and burnt sugar. Mouthwatering. A sweet bomb. Heat on the back end but not overpowering. Water makes it richer, more buttery. Just fantastic. The long finish has notes of chocolate covered cherries, oak char, tobacco, leather, and black pepper. Water brings out more baking spices. Either way you get a big Kentucky hug. Like I said, this is one of, if not the, best bourbons I’ve had. I really can’t find anything wrong with it. The only one that comes close to this is Bookers. The only Bookers batch I’ve had had an odd note of green oak, so this definitely has the edge. On top of that this bottle was a mere $55 online which makes it an absolute steal. I’m giving this 4.5 plus an extra quarter point for value. 4.75/5. Cheers!

Had a couple of pours of this at a restaurant/pub tonight on the company dime. First time trying a WP product. I gotta say it was pretty damn good. This is a 100% rye aged in new American oak and finished in used bourbon barrels. It’s bottled at 50% ABV. This tasting was a neat pour in a rocks glass. The nose was sweet and spicy. Hard to get much more out of it but there was almost no alcohol burn. The palate was light caramel, honey, and baking spices. The finish was fairly long with lots of rye spice and oak char. There was a faint hint of dill in the finish long after the sip. Very easy drinking for 100 proof. This bottle can be had for $65 online. Based on this tasting I’d say that’s reasonable, but I wouldn’t pay much more. I might have to think about getting a bottle of this one of these days. 4/5. Cheers!

A few weeks ago I found this online. I had always wanted to try it and more so, to try making a Sazerac with it, so I jumped on it. Unfortunately just about everything about this whiskey is disappointing. Sazerac rye is produced by Buffalo Trace. It’s a barely legal rye at 51% rye, 39% corn, and 10% malt. It’s bottled at 45% ABV, is a medium amber in the glass, and leaves poor skinny legs with lots of water droplets when you give it a spin. The nose is light and spicy and fruity, like a spiced cider. After some time in the glass it gives off some light caramely sweetness. Very underwhelming. The palate follows the nose; fairly light for a rye. Light baking spices, hints of honey. Thick mouthfeel. The finish saves this whiskey from being a complete loss. Black pepper, spices, oak, leather. There’s an interesting anise/licorice note after everything else fades. Overall this was pretty disappointing despite the $26 price. I guess I was just expecting more from a BT product. And as for the Sazerac cocktail, I was disappointed in that as well until I made it with some Knob Creek rye. Guess I’m something of an anomaly here; I just can’t really recommend this one too much. 3/5. Cheers!

Up until this bottle, Campbeltown was the only scotch region I had never explored. Partly because it’s so small and the number of offerings so small compared to the other regions. Springbank’s bottles always seemed too pricey for my budget. When I found this online for $58, I jumped on it. And I’m definitely glad I did. Kilkerran is a recently revived distillery in Campbeltown. This twelve year old is their first “finished product” after having released a number of “works in progress” over the last few years. This whisky is a blend of 70% matured in ex-bourbon and 30% ex-sherry casks. It’s NCA and NCF and bottled at 46% ABV. It pours a pale gold in the glass and produces quick skinny legs with a few water droplets. The nose has strong barley, light smoke, brine, citrus/lemon rind. Water tames the slight bit of alcohol and adds a richer tone, like dark malt or honey. Compared to the Islay peat monsters of Laphroaig and Ardbeg this is muted, with just a light smoke and none of the phenols that characterize those drams. The palate is much more assertive than the nose. There’s light honey sweetness, hints of biscuity malt, and moderate smoke. Really nice, this is very well balanced. There is not much change with water. The finish is moderately long with rich smoke, pepper, and BBQ meats. This is where the 30% sherry finish makes an appearance with lingering hints of dark chocolate and fruits. Unfortunately even a small amount of water almost kills the finish. The finish is the best part of this whisky in my opinion. Skip the water, it really doesn’t need it. This is an excellent dram. Nicely balanced between sweetness and smoke and hints of sherry. At $58 this is a fantastic value. I would say this is reasonable up to about $70. Get it if you can. 4/5. Cheers!

This is my third Tomatin expression following the Cu Bocan and the 14 yr Port finish. I enjoyed both of those bottles so let’s see what the base expression has to offer. The 12 year is aged in both ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels. It’s bottled at 43% ABV and is a bright gold in the glass.Not sure about coloring or chill-filtering. The color makes me think it’s not colored. Tomatin is a distillery that was built specifically to produce malt for blends. When the current whisky boom hit, they began to bottle their spirit as a single malt. It produces quick skinny legs when given a spin. The nose is primarily sweet floral barley. There are also subdued notes of raisins, figs, and orchard fruits - apples and pears. Nice, but nothing special. The palate has light honey, and the orchard fruits carry over from the nose. Some biscuity notes make an appearance on the back end. There is a thin mouthfeel that some reviewers have described as “silky”. I’d have to agree with that characterization. The finish is moderately short with cinnamon and cloves, dry oak tannins, and just a wisp of smoke at the end. For $33 this is not a bad value malt. It won’t change your world but it will make you happy. 3/5. Cheers!

Originally posted on Barreled 11/10/18. There’s a lot of hype surrounding Weller these days. It seems to be at the center of a “perfect storm” of price/quality, popularity, and being the poor cousin of the fabled Pappy van Winkle. Until recently I had never seen any at my local Kroger liquor store. Then about a month ago it suddenly appeared with signs proclaiming “One to a customer”. For $27 i had to give it a shot. Now I understand a little better. Weller Antique 107 is a wheated bourbon produced by Buffalo Trace. It has no age statement but is rumored to be about 7 years old. It’s bottled at 53.5% ABV, is a medium amber in the glass, and leaves nice legs. It shares the same mashbill, warehouse and proof as Old Rip Van Winkle 10 yr - 70% corn / 16% wheat / 14% barley. On the nose there’s spicy vanilla and caramel with hints of cinnamon and oak char. A slight alcohol burn, but nothing unexpected for a 100+ proof whiskey. Pretty nice. The wheat makes itself known on the palate. There’s sweet cinnamon, oak, and mint. The peppery spice that comes from rye in most bourbons is replaced by a touch of mint. It has a thick mouthfeel, rich and sweet. A little heat but not overwhelming, just enough to remind you you’re drinking a near barrel-proof bourbon. The finish is decent - warm and spicy with oak and pepper. Some lingering baking spices and brown sugar. Overall this is a really enjoyable dram. And for $27 it’s downright amazing. I thought I wasn’t a fan of wheated bourbons, and I definitely still prefer rye in the mashbill, but this whiskey makes me a believer, if not a convert. Edit: since posting this review last year the retail price on this bottle has risen to $50. At that price it’s a hard pass for me. It’s good, but not $50 good imo. 3.75/5.

Review originally posted on Barreled in January 2019. Beam/Suntory releases four batches of Bookers throughout the year. This is a review of Bookers batch 2018-4, “Kitchen Table”. This bottle is 64% ABV and was in the barrel for six years, eight months, and seven days. I tasted this whiskey at full strength, and watered down to approx. 100 proof and 85 proof. The 100 proof version was my favorite. Bookers is a dark amber/mahogany in the glass. Right out of the bottle I was amazed that the nose didn’t burn up my sinuses! Full strength the nose has dusty, musty oak and cocoa. Light vanilla sweetness, but much less than most bourbons. After some time in the glass, cloves and cinnamon. Watered down to 100 proof there is more caramel/vanilla; more like a standard bourbon. At 85 proof I got cherries; first bourbon I’ve had where I really got cherries. The full strength palate has buttery caramel and toffee. Cinnamon. Vanilla. Thick viscous mouthfeel. Lots of heat, but what did you expect? At 100 proof there was not much change, just a more manageable/pleasant heat level. At 85 proof the cherries from the nose came through on the palate. The full strength finish was long, with dusty oak, leather. Strange aftertaste, can’t quite put my finger on it. Green oak? Something green and musty. The finish at 100 and 85 proof was about the same: a little shorter, still some of the “green oak” but not as strong. This is a very good, bordering excellent bourbon. At 128 proof in the bottle you actually have the opportunity to dilute the whiskey to your taste, and even stretch a 750 ml bottle further than normal if you would like. This is definitely more complex than the basic caramel/vanilla bourbon. There’s not much variation on price for this bottle: $70 is what I paid and it’s rare to see it even a few dollars less. At that price it hits the “special occasion” category for me, but still something I would enjoy sharing with friends and family. Solid 4/5.