Tastes

peppery. salty. grassy.

Tried semi-blind. This is a very pleasant rye. Sweet, balanced, warming baking spices & a hint of oak spice. Almost too easy to drink.

Pears. Slightly drying & bitter. Was given this in a double blind and it did not fare well.

Had this blind. Really fruity. Smells delicious. Thiiiiiiick. More please.

Cereal. Corn. Nuts. Who can complain about a sub-$15 bottle that you can drink neat without vomiting or going blind?

Apparently it's been at least six years since I last had this and it was a bottle that didn't have the 7 year age statement yet. Picked up a bottle to refresh my memory and was pleasantly surprised. It hits all the right notes: sweet vanilla, caramel, maple syrup, a bit of baking spices on the finish. It's fine neat or in an old fashioned. It also has the unique distinction of having an age statement added, despite being around for awhile. More importantly these days: it's ~$25 and not highly sought after so you can find it sitting merrily on the shelf. Not much I can complain about here; it's a good contender for your daily along with other solid whiskies in the same price range: WT101, BT, and OF100.

Given the fanfare of this bottle I was excited to try it but after sitting down with it several times it's just a muddled mess with grass clippings being the most prominent note. I'd like to see Maker's put out something that knocks it out of the park and, in theory, they should be able to but I have yet to find something that clicks for me. The playing around with staves feels like a gimmick more than anything and I'd rather see them do something simple like an 8-12yr CS of honey barrels similar to ECBP/Booker's/FR private select.

The nuttiness in this brings to mind Booker's more than it does Elijah Craig (I realize their shared yeast brings in the nuts). There's a sweetness there that is reminiscent of ECBP, but this is really just heat and nuts. It's not bad but, given my love for EC, is not nearly as good as it should be.

Sweet oak. Brown sugar. Slightly bitter. The nose promises a bit more than the palate & finish can deliver. I imagine some folks might be turned off by the amount of oak, and I wouldn't want to drink this all the time, but it's a pretty nice showcase of an old bourbon.

2017. peat. pepper. brine.