Tastes

Green River Full Proof is a NAS blend of five-to-seven-year barrels (mashbill 70% Corn, 21% Rye, 9% Malted Barley?) from select warehouses at Green River’s Owensboro, KY distillery. This bottle, bought in March 2025, is 118.1 proof, $50. Tasting neat. Chestnut color and rather thin coating legs in the glass. Classic aroma of vanilla, caramel, and oak make up the foundation of this bourbon's nose. Classic flavors on the palate as well. Burnt sugar caramel, oak char, cherry, and an ethanol bloom that is quite reasonable. Dark dried fruit, vanilla oak, and grassy rye spice. Mouthfeel is thin but feels more oily as you slide into the finish--spicy and barrel char, then mint and a hint of sour. Ice rounds out the ethanol and gives this a richer flavor. Classic bourbon flavors in this bottle. Not that complicated, but solid, full proof, 7-ish years and $50?! That's a great buy for this quality bourbon, and adds a quarter star to my review. Will revisit this as I enjoy the bottle.

A straight rye whiskey, pot distilled, rested 6 years in charred fine-grained American oak. Technically, it's a single malt (single distillery, 100% malted grain [rye in this case], and pot distilled), but not listed as such on the bottle or the company website. Distilled and bottled in San Francisco at 48.5% ABV, $65 for 700ml. Tasting neat. Color is copper with average coating legs in the glass. Aromas of sweet grass, spearmint and pine, butterscotch, and raisins. The palate is unusual. Sweet malted grain, vanilla caramelized sugar, cardamon, white pepper, and a touch of bitter melon. Mouthfeel is soft and coating. Ethanol bloom starts the finish that brings the rye spices and turns dry, with menthol, citrus, brine, and sour grapes lingering. Light milk, then bittersweet, chocolate hangs around. Been 20 years since I first tried Old Potrero in its 18th century format. I know Anchor was a distillery that followed(s) its own path. And yet... the palate on this still caught me by surprise. But the more I taste it, the more I like it for its unusual flavors. Not your typical bull-in-a-china-shop rye. More of a muted malted rye that turns a little saline and sour instead of spicy bomby in the finish. But there's mint and chocolate in there too. Enjoy this as a sipper, not a mixer. An ice cube thins the mouthfeel and shortens and mutes the finish, but it's still fine. Will revisit this with some time.

Stagg Jr, Batch 15, 131.1 proof, uncut, unfiltered, aged over eight years. This has been hiding (from me!) in my cellar since 2021. Since I scored a Stagg (no longer "Jr") Batch 24C last week, it's time to air this "Jr" Batch 15. Tasting neat. Brown copper color and strong coating legs in the glass. Nose is full of sweet grain, creamed corn, cherries, and vanilla oak. Not getting any ethanol. In the mouth, sweet salted caramel, cherry, baking spice, cinnamon, and vanilla oak. In the back, the ethanol bloom shows up, but it's NOT overpowering for 131 proof--just nicely warming. Mouthfeel is viscous, lightly oily yet clean, not cloyingly sweet. Finish shows the tannic oak, pepper, and dried sweet grass. Mint tingle holds the sweet (and it is burnt sugar sweet) in check. Long finish, hint of cherry, but not sour. An ice cube tames that finish to a degree, maybe improving it? Maybe not. Maybe yes? which is my predilection with many barrel proof whiskies. I recognize and appreciate all types of bourbon profiles. I'm drawn to rye and high rye whiskies. But there's something about the depth of these Stagg barrel proofs that really sings to me, time and again, even separated by years between tastings. They have forceful flavors, and while strong, I've never found them ruined by an overwhelming ethanol or sweetness, or vanilla oak for that matter. Ok, ok, I hate the bottle shape, and even the name "Stagg." There! Wish it was like the G.T. Stagg bottle--tall and thin neck, better for pouring (which, apparently, I need no help doing 😄). But... there is something about the Stagg bourbons (beyond their scarcity) that makes them great, consistantly. They are, as a whole, underrated rather than overhyped. At least on my pallet.

Malted Rye Whiskey, bottled in bond without chill filtration, made with 100% malted rye grain and aged six years (distilled Spring of 2018). Tasting neat. Light brown copper with good coating legs in the glass. Nose is malt, cherries, and orange chocolate. Quite light nose for a BIB 100% rye mashbill. In the mouth, WHOA! I thought this was rye!😄 Floral fruit, cooked malted grain cereal, oak and maple sugar, chocolate, and then a burst of rye spice. Not much ethanol, but it's there. Mouthfeel is oily, rich, and dry sweet. Like a single malt, but rye! Finish is dried sweet grass, light sour cherry, with tingling mint, clove, and white peppercorn spice that goes on and on. Pleasant sweet flavor lingers, unlike the sour aftertaste of some ryes. This isn't your typical rye by any definition, although those spicy rye traits come through in the finish. The nose and mouth are softer and rounder, like an unpeated single malt American whiskey. There's no rye explosion in the mouth. It's more fruit and light maple syrup sweet than brown sugar or caramel. It's got plenty of spice in the finish, but it's not a rye bomb. Yet it's 100% malted rye! It is more complex and interesting than those 51% rye mashbills whiskies masquerading as rye. And I even like it more than the other NR Straight BIB Rye I had last year which was brawnier and brasher--good, but less complex, and nothing that pushes the definition of a rye whiskey like this does! An ice cube flattens this whiskey, especially the spicy finish. Becomes sweeter. Can't see wasting this mixing cocktails-- they'll just hide that unique malt flavor and mouthfeel. This is a sipper for sure. An American single malt... but rye. I quite like this first taste, but will revisit it over time. The "unusual" taste profile of this malted rye needs more thought, but count me impressed by the result.

Single malt whiskey, cask strength 125 proof, purchased in Washington State, June 2024, $115. Tasting neat. Brown copper color and strong coating legs in the glass. Nose is chocolate malt, dark stone fruit, vanilla, and a whiff of ethanol in the far back. In the mouth, tannic oak and leather open the taste, with stewed fruit, vanilla, raisins, cocoa powder, graham crackers, and sweet malted milk. An ethanol bloom follows, but is modest for the proof. The mouthfeel is rich and coating. The finish turns dry spicy and orange citrus, and leaves a long-lasting tingle, and then later a sweetness that overwrites the sour. Ice tames the tannic/ethanol profiles and heightens the grain sweetness, making this more typical of other single malts. An interesting flavor profile, more tannic and dried fruit than grain and sugar sweet, but consistent with the malted barley, beer, and new charred oak barrels that are the production profile of this distillery. Distiller reviews indicate polarized opinions. I'm a fan of what Westward is producing, and the unusual flavors of this cask strength version of their single malt. Complex enough to give you something to think about while sipping. Went back to check reviews of this bottle. Whisky Advocate rated it #5 in their Top 20 of 2022, and BreakingBourbon gave it a 4/5 very good rating.

Distilled Fall 2016, bottled 9 March 2023, 6+yrs. DSP MO-5, Rickhouse C, 10% 4th floor, 68% 3d floor, 22% 2d floor. Tasting neat. Dark rose copper and very light coating legs in the glass. Nose is light-- vanilla, dry grass, caramel. In the mouth, thin and sugar sweet. Little depth, some cherry and vanilla, and oak shows up late. Little ethanol or oak tannins. Watery mouthfeel. Finish shows more oak and spice, and a tingle lingers, but thin sweetness. An ice cube kills what flavors are there, leaving this thinner and sweeter. Smarties! Have had the Holladay BIB wheated and wheated rickhouse proof. But this falls short of those. Drinkable, mixable (maybe), but way overpriced. I like the bottle, the label info, and I actually appreciate the metal screw cap. Keep it simple! They're doing things right in this distillery by making their own and being patient and transparent, but this bourbon needs more time in oak, or to be mixed with barrels from higher rickhouse floors. It's a lower floor bottle. Disappointing. As always, I'll update over time... bottle flavors and my tastes do change.

Splurging at the Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog in NYC. Can't get Blue Spot in Utah, so... dont judge me! Tasting neat. Golden straw in the glass, good coating legs. Nose is floral fruit, sweet vanilla, banana and tropical, light and inviting. In the mouth there's a burst of ethanol moderated by sweet grain, raisens, and floral vanilla honeysuckle. Butterscotch everywhere with oak and cocoa powder underneath. Creamy grain mouthfeel, soft, sweet, and warming. Spicy grass and oak comes on in the finish, with creamy stone fruit, milk chocolate and butterscotch sweetness. The price is high, the flavors are outstanding, and develop one after another. It's sweet, but in a nicely balanced way. A fan of all the Spots I've tasted (Green, Yellow, Green Leoville Barton barrel). I'm glad I got to try this, and to enjoy the Dead Rabbit.

Barrel 2996, bottled on 3.14.2006. Been holding on to this bottle for...more than a few years. Not my first rodeo with this 10 year old single barrel bourbon, but it's welcoming every time. Tasting neat. Light copper color and average coating legs in the glass. Nose is light, sweet floral, with hint of baking spice in the far back. Sweet soft grain in the mouth, caramel, toffee. Spicy rye and sweet grass coming on with vanilla oak. Light mouthfeel, little ethanol bloom, honeysuckle sweetness. Spice and mint tingle, cherry, char oak, and tannins in the finish, which is soft and lingers. Overall, this is a sweet and soft bourbon, balanced in that it's not dominated by any one or two flavors or off-taste. At 10 years, you'd expect prominent oak and vanilla char--it's there, but doesn't overwhelm the other component flavors. They develop and fade one after another. Easy to drink, complex enough to ponder, reliable as an old friend. Year after year. Pretty amazing given these are single barrel bottles. I've given this a 5 star back in 2018. My tastes have expanded since, but.. Call this a friendly 4.5 tonight.