Tastes

I like this one. It smells of under ripe pears and sourdough. The taste has light oak, pears and a bit of orange zest. There are underlying notes of sunflower seeds and raw dough. The finish is sweet and peppery with a touch of fresh whip cream. This whiskey makes me think a lot of spring time.

This is one of my favorite whiskeys, and is one of the first ones I ever tried. It starts with the scent of sweet cream, a bit of vanilla extract and icing. The taste gets sweeter with white chocolate and pound cake. It's kind of like a confectioners dream. The finish tastes presently of nutmeg and vanilla milk.

A generous taste courtesy of Pie Chef Guy. This bottle is a store pick and is cask strength. To start off, I like the nose, but the taste and finish were underwhelming. The nose is short and strongly laced with fresh berries and light perfume. The taste is very grainy. There is a strong note of wood shavings and a citrus cleaner (lemon pledge?). It's also a bit salty which I don't find works with the sweet citrus note. The finish takes an odd 180 leaving behind a peppery note of being kicked in the teeth by an old wooden clog.

One of our local liquor stores accidentally got small 100 ml bottles of this whiskey. I want a full size bottle of this magical elixir. The best part for me was the nose. Brown sugar, toffee and chocolate caramels dominate the scent. It's kind of like the smell of a family owned candy shop hidden just off the beaten path. The taste is even more of an elegant candy shop than the nose. I got heath bar, roasted pecans, butterscotch pudding with a bit of salt, and buttery Belgian waffles. (I think I'm making myself hungry.) The finish just gets better. It's creamy a sweet kind of like creme brulee with fresh pralines. There is also an odd, but very subtle smoke, kind of like incense. Once the finish was done I wanted more. I wonder how this would pair with deserts?

One of our local liquor stores accidentally got small 100 ml bottles of this whiskey. This one starts of with the scent of dried blueberries, dark chocolate pudding and honey. The taste is very soft to the pallet tasting of roasted bananas in a nutty banana bread and a fresh cream. The finish took a 90 degree turn for me to sweet cloves and honey with the tiniest hint of ginger root.

One of our local liquor stores accidentally got small 100 ml bottles of this whiskey. The most standout part of this whiskey for me was the nose. It ranges from a really nice Werther's Original butter caramel to a sweet wafer cookie. There is also a bit of raisins in there too. The taste is super smooth. Dried berries and blackberry preserves are the most apparent flavors. The finish is more of the same with a touch of honey.

A generous taste courtesy of Pie Chef Guy. I'm going to start by saying I really like this. The nose is quite decadent with notes of vanilla custard, nutty tapioca and just a touch cardboard (and I mean that in a good way, kind of like the smell of a pizza box without the pizza). The taste is just amazing. It's very smooth and reminds me of a blackberry cheesecake with an undertone of oak. The finish is brief, consisting of a sweet berry-like fall off.

A generous taste courtesy of Pie Chef Guy. This bottle is a Total Wines store pick. The nose starts off with fresh piña colada, strong coconut and a sweet touch of caramelized whip cream (flambé anyone?). It does smell great, but after that, it gets strange. The taste is very sharp. Coconut lotion, medicinal bandage, salt and nylon. It's like chewing on a band-aid from a pool used by elderly body builders. This whiskey kind of goes down like a well oiled bike pump. What on earth did I just drink?

A generous taste courtesy of Pie Chef Guy. I had always thought you'd have to do something along the lines of battling a dragon in order to get a bottle of this. Somehow Pie Chef Guy got one. That in and of itself is impressive, but I digress. This is the penultimate granddaddy of bourbons (metaphorically speaking). The nose is full of salted caramel, sweet chocolate and peanut brittle. A bit like walking into an old family owned candy shop. The taste is even better. It tastes just like fresh baked sugar cookies from grandma, apple pie crust, and light vanilla with just a sprinkle of unicorn blood. The finish lasts with wonderful flavors of vanilla, honey and warm apple cider. Simply put, this is easily one of the best bourbons I have had the pleasure to drink, or be in the same room with.

This bottle is a Total Wines store pick. I found this to be a very interesting experience. From the nose, to the taste, to the finish, each part changed from the last. It starts off with a light scent of wood musk, dried plums, dark chocolate and almond skins. The taste evolves to a sharp, sweet orange zest. It's peppery and has an underlying note of toasted wood shavings. The finish gets even more interesting. Its like a peppery custard with a bright pop of salted butter. I really like it.