Tastes

Wild Turkey is one of those iconic bourbons that is instantly recognizable, right up there with Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. The "high rye" mashbill is only 13% rye (75-13-12), but it tastes like a much higher percentage in my opinion. There is no age statement but many sources put it in the 6-8 year range. This whiskey puts the proof in the name, kind of in-your-face about the the fact that it's just a hair over 50% alcohol. It's an anomaly on the top shelf of the liquor store, sharing space with $40-60 bourbons, but only asking about $30 while definitely earning its place. The whiskey is a nice medium amber in the glass, producing nice thick legs. The nose is a little spicier than a typical bourbon with cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, and a slight alcohol burn. The burn is very slight considering the proof which gives credence to the 6-8 year age range estimate. Really nice. In the mouth it's no more Mr. Nice Guy! This juice hits you in the mouth like a runaway freight train. First there's the immediately noticable heat, followed quickly by sweet caramel and more rye spice. The sweet heat and spice battle for control of your taste buds with neither one winning. Just a beautiful flavor bomb in the mouth. The finish is long, fairly hot with more spice and oak char. It leaves a dry burn that just makes you want more, kind of like eating hot wings - hurts so good! This is the first whiskey I've tried with water that I have to say is really improved with it. Water tames the burn on the nose and the palate. The sweetness is deeper, richer on the palate, and the finish also becomes richer, warm instead of hot. Just beautiful. Considering the effect of the water I'd say this will be fantastic on the rocks. This is an excellent whiskey, even more so when you consider the price. Solid 4.5.

Having had the EW White Label BIB I had to try the black. At $17/liter (yes, liter, not 750ml) it's the cheapest whiskey I've tried. This is nothing earth shattering, just good bourbon. If this were sitting in the usual $25-$30 range, I would say pass it up. But at this price it makes a great staple bottle for mixing. And since I love me a Manhattan, this will probably be my go to from here on out. EW Black Label is bottled at 43% ABV. Kind of nice that it's slightly higher than the obligatory 40%. A dark amber in the glass, it has unimpressive legs. The usual oily coating has watery looking breaks in it. Since it's straight bourbon I know it's aged at least two years, but I'd say not much more. The nose surprised me with a very noticeable alcohol burn. Even after letting it sit in the glass for a while it was still there, a testament to its young age I assume. Beyond the alcohol there is vanilla, some caramel, and some green oak notes. Nothing spectacular, but not bad either. On the palate there is a strong sweetness with all the typical bourbon flavors: vanilla, caramel, some cola and some oak. Thick mouthfeel. Again, considering its ABV it came across a little hot. Kids... The finish is short, a little dry, and oaky. Nice after the sweet bomb in the mouth. Is this a 5-star whiskey? No. But it is a great bourbon at a great price, one that will always have a place on my shelf. Cheers!

Trolling the bottom of the shelf I was planning on trying out the EW black label but instead stumbled upon the EW White Label Bottled in Bond. This goes for about the same price here in Ohio as the black label, $17.00. So more alcohol for the same price I figured was a good deal. Being bottled in bond it clocks in at the requisite 50% ABV with no age statement. In the glass this is a medium amber with lots of long legs. The nose is of dark molasses, toffee, with a fairly strong alcohol burn from the ABV. After a while it reveals some cinnamon and vanilla notes. The palate is farily strong oak with a fair amount of heat. There is also a lot of corn sweetness and some spices. Although not noticeable at first, there is a nutty flavor that appears later that was really unexpected, but not unwelcome. The finish is medium long and mouthwatering, with strong oak notes. Overall this is a pretty decent whiskey especially when one considers the price. Definitely a good choice for ice or cocktails. An excellent bottle to keep around for company when you don't want to give away "the good stuff". 4.0/80. Cheers!

I first tried this whiskey last summer and really liked it. I've been wanting to get some more to give it a proper tasting and I finally did. It's even better than I remember. In the glass it's a nice medium amber honey color. It coats the glass well and produces nice thick, long legs. First impression on the nose is spice, oak, and alcohol. Letting it sit for a while brings out a grassy/floral tone with vanilla and maybe some lemon notes. Even more time in the glass reveals hints of caramel. The longer it stayed in the glass, the more sweetness came out in both the nose and the palate. In the mouth this dram has a big, bright rye spice character that was immediately noticeable. Like the nose, the palate benefits from time in the glass, with vanilla, cinnamon, and hints of caramel coming out after some time. It has a fairly thick mouthfeel. The finish is warm, fairly long, sweet and peppery. This is a very drinkable rye whiskey that is enjoyable any way you like: on the rocks, neat, or in cocktails. Add in it's $20 price tag and you have an excellent value as well. Solid 4.0/80.

​ This is one of three samples of my latest sampler from Flaviar. Santis is a Swiss brewery/distillery that has very old oak beer barrels that they have turned to aging a peated single malt whiskey. This sample is the Dreifaltigkeit Edition of their whiskey which is dried with peat from a local moor. A quick look at winsearcher.com shows it is not available in the US. I gotta say, this is a pretty incredible dram! According to the literature with the sample and the info I was able to find online, this is an NAS single malt whiskey aged in oak beer barrels. It is bottled at a very respectable 52% ABV. In the glass it is a gorgeous dark amber, almost mahogany color. Swirling gives a thick oily coating that produces nice thick legs. On the nose the smoke is certainly noticable, but not overpowering. There is none of the Islay/Laphroaig "band-aid" smell. I got a fairly strong smoky oak, with some sweet vanilla notes. After a while I could pick up smoked meat, dried fruits, and spices. Really great nose. The smoke was moderate on the nose, but really hits hard on the palate. First impression in the mouth was of smoke and ash, with a slight malty sweetness. It has a slick, full mouthfeel. Considering this is over 50% ABV, the heat/burn was minimal, really smooth! But the finish is where this whiskey really shines. It is long and smoky with BBQ, smoked ham, and vanilla tones rounding it out. It just hangs on forever, making you want to go back for more. Overall this is one of the best whiskeys I have had. Solid 4.5/90.

Elijah Craig Small Batch is a pretty great bourbon from Heaven Hill. This "Small Batch" release replaces the former 12 yr. release with a blend of 8-12 year old juice. While my impressions of this bourbon are very good, judging from the various reviews and comments I've read about the 12 yr. it must have been pretty special. The nose of this is pretty complex in my opinion. First impressions are of caramel, but a fairly strong alcohol burn prevents getting much more until it has set in the glass a while. It took a good 20 minutes for the alcohol to fade. When it did it revealed spicy oak, dark fruits, mint, and an odd bright floral tone I can't quite put my finger on. The palate is simpler and a little hot with oak, spice, caramel, and vanilla. It has a thick mouthfeel that gives way to a fairly long, dry, oaky finish. Overall this is a very good bourbon especially considering the sub-$30 price. It's an nice sipper and strong enough to handle some ice. Also makes a damn fine Old Fashioned. 4.25. Cheers!

This is my first Four Roses bottle and it certainly won't be the last. Four Roses has a couple of things going for it right out of the gate: they actually distill their own juice, and they have 10 distinct bourbons that can be batched in a myriad of ways. The fact that they distill their own juice is a big plus in my book. So many big labels now that buy their distillate from the big producers like LDI and then slap their own label on the bottle. Anyone that has their own distillery is unique, apart from the rest. This whiskey is a blend of four of Four Roses recipes using two distinct mash bills. The first is 60% corn, 35% Rye, 5% malted barley. The second is 75/20/5. This results in a fairly high Rye bourbon and you can definitely taste the Rye influence. In fact my first impression of this dram was that it was more like a Rye whiskey than a bourbon. Four Roses Small Batch is an NAS bourbon bottled at 45% ABV. It's a medium amber liquid that coats the glass with an oily slick and produces sparse skinny legs. The nose is full of spicy honey sweetness. There are some light alcohol phenols that fade with time and/or water. Water opens up the nose slightly revealing cinnamon and cloves, but does nothing for the palate. The palate is more of the same, with the spice from the Rye competing with a sweet, smooth oak. The finish is a medium length dry, peppery char. This whiskey is equally good in a Manhattan or neat. Overall a really excellent bourbon, especially considering the price. 4.0. Cheers!

​ The whiskey is a gorgeous dark amber color in the glass, almost reminiscent of maple syrup. Swirling leaves a nice thick coating on the glass with long lasting legs. The nose on this bad boy is oak, oak, and more oak! There is also some cinnamon spice and a fairly strong alcohol burn. After about 15-20 minutes in the glass the alcohol burn fades somewhat revealing some caramel notes. The taste fills the mouth with an amazing toasted oak flavor. There is also some pepper and hints of burnt sugar sweetness. A bit of water tames the rough edge of the alcohol but doesn't really change the profile much. The finish is fairly long and dry with some charred oak notes. This is a fantastic bourbon, especially when you consider the price. I paid $33 for this but I'm sure it can be had in some cases for under $30. 3.5. Cheers!

​ This whiskey has no age statement and is bottled at 40% ABV. That being said, I have seen several reviews that put it between 2 and 5 years old. That seems about right to me considering the color and the taste. The whiskey is a nice golden amber and sticks to the glass when swirled, with the legs developing slowly. The nose was very unexpected. I got a light aromatic, floral quality that was oddly almost Scotch-like, along with some spice and oak and light honey. The palate is much more what I would expect. Lots of peppery Rye with some light vanilla sweetness. The finish is medium length with more Rye, ending with a nice charred oak. Overall, this is a pretty good whiskey, but not quite what I'd expect of a Rye. It's much softer than most, maybe due to its relatively low proof. If this were 90-95 proof it might have a little more bite. That doesn't make it bad, just different. 3.25. Cheers!