Tastes

Many people recommended this before I could get my hands on bottle. Thanks to a nice little liquor store in town, I finally scored a bottle. It was not what I was expecting as I thought it might be more along the lines of a traditional bourbon since it seems so popular among experienced bourbon drinkers. The nose is crisp apple and a little corn syrup. The taste is fruity and light, perhaps more similar to I.W. Harper and Basil Hayden. There's not a lot of spice or alcohol burn, but everything is well balanced and rather smooth. There is a lot of complexity which you don't get on first taste because the first taste mainly anticipates the apple and leaves you wondering how it's going to hit you. The third and fourth taste is where you start to pick up all the subtle flavors of the caramel, wood, and slightly floral licks of clover honey. I wouldn't call this a "full-bodied" bourbon necessarily as that seems to me to characterize bourbons like Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve. Elijah Craig, etc. It has a nice body, legs are medium, so perhaps a little waterier than I expected. However, it has a really nice caramel color that seems to be more present in thicker bourbons. I don't know much about Blanton's except that it's popular. Whatever they do to barrel and bottle this stuff is masterful. It is more of a fruity & light bourbon in my opinion, and that makes it ideal for a regular drink. The price is outstanding if you buy one at regular retail, but it seems so many liquor stores are gouging prices on this product. That's where the drawback lies since you can get this in the $55-$60 rage normally, but stores who have a bottle or two on-hand charge $99 or more. Then you have to consider why you should pay $100+ for a $55 bourbon when you can buy a $100 bourbon. Therefore, I wouldn't say that it's so good that I'd go out and pay $99 or even $75 for it, but as long as I can get it around the normal retail price, it's an excellent buy.

I've tried this twice. Having gotten used to the Four Roses single barrel, which I like very much, this was a bit of an unexpected departure. It's a bit darker caramel color than my single barrel. The nose is strong with a sort of ether, wood, and maple. It hits pretty hard up front, but a little less in subsequent drinks. It's a high proof and that quality comes right through. The burn is there. It gives you a fair kick of spice, but it's rather short-lived. The alcohol is most present aside from a sort of maple syrup and woody flavor. It's not very sweet. Finishes with a little linger of orange peel and wood. Honestly, I like the single barrel better. However, for the experienced bourbon guys who like stronger, stouter drinks, maybe this is better in their opinions. An ice cube made a nice difference for me. The proof in this drink reminds me a little of the Knob Creek 120, which is a very good bourbon, but just a little strong for me to like as a regular drink. It's very good quality drink, but not perfectly aligned to my style. To me, this is kind of a more serious flavor. There is some complexity, but not much. It's not a playful, fruity drink. It's good in sort of a formal bourbon kind of way. Four Roses doesn't ring quite like an alpha male name, but this is an alpha-male drink.

Incredible bourbon here. Nose of vanilla, nectarine, oak. Comes through with a moderate alcohol burn and mild spice kick. Finishes a little watery, not leaving much of an oily coating, but a really nice finish that doesn't fade too quickly. The nose might suggest it's sweeter than it is, but everything is very well balanced. It sort of reminds me of Basil Hayden in the sense that it's not a stout bourbon, but a very balanced one with complexity and some delicate citrus and caramel flavors. Some people actually advised me against this, but I'm so glad I took the chance on Distiller's reviews because I love this bourbon. It's a real high quality bourbon in my opinion. It's great straight, but I like a single piece of ice in my glass. The bottle looks fancy, but what's inside is what counts. In this case, the bottle is indicative of the quality you're getting. I like everything about this bourbon.

Finally got my hands on this. Distiller's tasting notes is spot on. Nose is high proof, black cherry, brown sugar, a little bit floral, and vanilla. A little pepperier than I expected but very well done. To my knowledge, it's about 100 proof, but seems like 110-115 proof. Taste lingers nicely, a little oil, not much, rests pleasantly on the palate. It has a fair hit of spice and heat but nothing overpowering. It didn't strike me as particularly excellent right at first, but that changed after a few days. This is a real good drink. I will keep it as a standard in my collection.

This bourbon totally blew me away. It's so damned good man. The color has a perfect caramel and bronze tint. The nose is outstanding - strong of chocolate, malt, pecan, oak, a hint of orange and clove. On taste, the toasty oak barrel comes straight through riding a big chocolate-marshmallow pillow that lands comfortably on the middle of your tongue. Some cereal comes through, hits the back of your mouth with a fair amount of pepper, then the alcohol burns off in the finish, leaving an almond-oil residue coating your tongue. Everything about this bourbon is outstanding - the color, the nose, the taste, the finish. I usually prefer a little smoother, less spicy bourbon, but the taste comes together with the heat and languishes in an oily finish so luxuriously. I chose this over the Select Double-Oaked which was about $11 more, so if that is any better than this one, it will have to be nearly a 5 rating. I haven't been drinking bourbon long enough to say that I have found something to settle on except for Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. However, this is definitely a go-to bourbon. It's complex, but very together. It unleashes in stages: visually, nasally, taste, heat, and numbness. The flavors are so full, toasty, bold, peppery, padded by marshmallow, and soothing with oil. It's not too sweet either. The sweetness is very appropriate for the flavors. It's not too woody even though toasted oak is prominent. You cannot go wrong with this bourbon. If you love smooth bourbon like I do, it will manage to satisfy you. If you like a hotter rye kind of bourbon, it will also satisfy you. It will provide you with a rich and meaningful bourbon-tasting experience.

Great, unique bourbon here. The nose is kind of fruity and light, with strong toffee and a little wood. It is 110 proof, but the alcohol burn seems to have been quelled a bit by Maker's apparently masterful barreling process. At taste, it seems to have a little bit more body than the nose implies. The legs are not thick, but a little long. I don't know how many years this bourbon was aged, but I'm guessing it's a little less than 10 or 12 years. However, it seems to have some developed maturity. As far as I know, maturity is not necessarily dependent on age, so perhaps that could explain it. In any case, it's very nice overall. Perhaps it's not quite what I know to be "full-bodied" bourbon, but the body is substantial considering that it has a rather light, airy taste; not so much as say Basil Hayden, but perhaps something more along the lines of Russell's Reserve if that helps as a reference. It's fairly smooth overall and a subtle rye kick or something like that on the way down. It has some complexity, and I like how it blossoms with just a few drops of water. This bottle costed me $62 + tax. That's an OK price from what I've tasted, but I've only had a couple of drinks. Right now, it seems more like a $56 bottle, but when I get halfway through the bottle, that might change.

This is how bourbon should be made. Legs are pretty thick. The nose really draws you in and arouses the curiosity with heavy caramel and and some oak. The nose tells you up-front how great the taste is going to be, and when the taste comes on, it doesn't let you down a single bit. It has a full body, hits solid at the front of the palate. The flavors are strong, but not overpowering. Amazingly, at 133 proof, it finishes rather kindly; like a bro-hug. It's complex, and the flavors of caramel, oak, honey, and a sort of clove-like rye spice copulate like a foursome on your palate - not ending with a particular spike of anything, but like a climax with a mild grunt from the masculine flavors and "oohs" and "ahhs" of the feminine flavors. It's literally like that. You could sit in a recliner, wearing a red smoking jacket, sipping a glass of this stuff, as the lingering moans of a couple of exhausted broads echo through your marble-clad chamber... Like you just floored the whole crowd with your violin solo, stole the gaze of all the women, and walked out of the concerto hall as the orchestra humbly fades out with your shadow... Like your boss calls you in to tell you that you got the promotion, but you tell him "I appreciate that Bob, but I just came by to tell you that I'll be VP of Communications at XXX Co. starting Monday. By the way, I can recommend you a good secretary because Brenda will be joining my team as soon as my plaque is ready." This is the quintessential bourbon as far as I'm concerned.

This bourbon hits you at the front of your mouth and finishes smoothly. It has a very well-balanced sweetness, lingers a while, and everything is pleasant. There's nothing you can really fault this sub-$30 bourbon for. Compared to barrel proof, it has a little bit less body, flavors are a little less bold, and a little less alcohol burn. Overall, however, I wouldn't say it's necessarily inferior to barrel proof, just a milder personality. Still a little bit of spice kick. It's a very good bourbon and one that I will keep in stock as an everyday kind of bourbon. This is the best bourbon for the buck that I have found.

I bought this bottle based on the reviews here. Given that it was $1 less than Elijah Craig small batch, I'll draw a short comparison in what seem to be the best bourbons in that price range. This is what I would consider within the budget range. There is really cheap whiskey, cheap whiskey, and affordable whiskey in my view. This would be at the top end of affordable whiskey as I estimate that $35 to $40 is where you start getting into some pretty good stuff. This is full bodied, some nice legs. The nose isn't fragrant in anything particularly floral or spicy of note. It's sort of a a stock molasses, corn, with a little rye kind of nose. There is a bit of grassiness in the nose which is also present in the taste. I'd call this a stock bourbon. It's the kind of bourbon that's pretty good and reliable for general drinking, but it won't really impress anyone. It's not a sweet bourbon, not very complex, but pretty good overall. The first couple of tastes were pretty good, then got a little better by the third taste. A grassy sort of flavor starts coming through a bit letting you know it's a man's drink, not to be sipped from the glass with your pinky sticking up. It's a little more robust, less sweet, less smooth than Elijah Craig Small Batch. It's not a real high proof though. It's well-balanced, a little spice, a little burn, nothing overpowering or harsh. In all honesty, I like Elijah Craig Small Batch a little better, but that may be just because it matches my personal tastes a little more. However, I consider this bourbon just about the same level. I think that if you like a very good stock bourbon that's affordable, this is really hard to beat.

This whiskey has a nice nose, medium legs, good body, and some nice flavors included, but overall a bit disappointing. It's almost like all the good stuff is in there, but the heat and spice doesn't really kick in or finish in a way that I like. The flavors are solid but sort of flat and unremarkable, lacks complexity. It's not a bad whiskey, but just doesn't come together the right way for me.