Tastes

Colorado blended bourbons (4-10 yrs) finished in rum casks at 9600 ft above sea level. 2023(?) Batch #12, 45% ABV. Mash bill of 56% corn, 38% rye, and 6% malted barley. Tasted neat. Copper gold in the glass with average coating legs. Nose is caramel corn and floral vanilla, light and tight. In the mouth, sugar sweetness, vanilla oak, light tannic bite, and then a light grassy spice comes on as it heads toward the finish. Sweet and average mouthfeel. The finish is cane sugar sweet, with some tannins, then a mint and rye lip tingle rising and falling in a longish finish. Clean, easy, ahhhh. I wasn't overly impressed with the Breckenridge Port Cask Finished bourbon, but had much higher hopes for this. Afterall, Breaking Bourbon (a web review page I value and trust) rated this its #1 Whiskey of 2020. Really! Ok, this is a sweet bourbon whose flaws in the port finish are hidden in this rum finish. But I'm not sure it's the best of 2020. Sweetness and no ethanol heat, light oak, tannins, and light spice leave this with a narrow flavor profile. But then, 2020 was RonaTime, and this is an ultimately comforting drink, just what the doctor ordered. Add ice and--careful!--it drinks too easy for those who are driving. Ok, so this is a really wonderful bourbon to sip, and those who prefer that sweet and floral profile will love this. I like it. It's good, even as a one-profile bourbon, and even at the price. Will keep tinkering with this tasting tonight.

Tasting neat. On the nose, sweet corn, light floral vanilla, and a whiff of ethanol. Light overall, including the color, orange brown. Good coating legs in the glass. Ethanol and sweet corn syrup show up first. Light vanilla oak and tart apple, and then a good dose of sweet grass and baking spice. Thin mouthfeel. Finish is spicy and sour/tart, then distinct mint tingle in an average length finish. It's a step up from the regular E.B. due to the higher proof, and I'm guessing it will mix well, and an ice cube will mellow the ethanol and highlight the sweet--yes, it does. It's a good everyday/working bourbon at this price point. Above average, but barely, and that's ok.

Castle & Key Distillery, Restoration Kentucky Rye Whiskey, 2021, Batch 3, Bottle #17680, aged 3.5 years, 52.5% ABV, 105 proof. Tasted neat. On the nose, sweet grain, peanuts, and a little floral vanilla. Light copper color and strong coating legs in the glass. Sweet maple syrup, vanilla oak, ethanol blast, and then leather and dry tannins. A little earthy/funky (acidic and macerated "green," reminescent of the whiff of fresh horse apples), and there's an acridc dry puckering effect in the mouth. That earthyvfunk bumps up against the grain sweetness. Finish is tannic and grassy rye and light spice. Dry and then gone fairly quickly. An interesting 65% rye with corn and malted barley mashbill, but the acrid tannins dominate the flavor. Usually I don't mind that, but as a rye this leaves me cold. It's good, but I'm not as sold as the staff reviewer. Ice mellows the tannins, but also flattens the rye spice. The funk seems more pronounced. Finally, I'm not a fan of/or impressed by the HEAVY faceted bottle with a metal year plaque, band around the neck, and large stopper cover. Too much like a heavy decorative decanter, hard to handle and pour. I'd rather a more functional bottle because I'll be recycling this anyway. REALLY! Then refund me the extra $5 that bottle jacked the price to $46. Now the price is more in line.

Single barrel, 95 proof, guessing it's aged ~4yrs. Tasted neat. Nose is sweet caramel corn and vanilla, whiff of spice. Dark copper color with good coating legs in the glass. In the mouth, oak and dry tannic bite, sweet burnt sugar, vanilla, and a little ethanol. Finish is sweet with some baking spice, quite compact and not very long. Not overly complex, but better than the old Benchmark #8. And a real value. A more interesting developed oak flavor than the Benchmard Bonded 100 proof, rounder, less ethanol, and more mature--that surprised me tasting these side by side. $5 more than the BIB, but worth it. Sip or mix this one without struggling over price.

BIB, 4 years, 100 proof. Tasted neat. Nose is sweet and baking spice, pepper, and a wiff of ethanol. Light copper color and coating legs in the glass. In the mouth, sweet, burnt sugar and vanilla oak. Coating mouthfeel. Touch of ethanol as it heads into a spicy grassy finish. Fairly long, tingling mint mouthfeel. It's not an overly complex bourbon, but a step up from Benchmark #8. At the price this is a really servicable quality bourbon at a higher proof point for mixing. The Benchmark Single Barrel 95 proof (4yrs?) is more interesting with a developed oak flavor--it's rounder, less ethanol, and more mature. That surprised me tasting these side by side--thought I'd prefer the BIB. The Single is $5 more than thE BIB, but... It's a little better to sip.

Straight rye (95% rye, 5% malted rye), BIB, 4 years in oak, 100 proof. Tasted neat. Dark copper color and strong legs in the glass. Floral grape, strawberry, cereal, with a spicy grassy nose behind it. Light nose. And it stays light into flavors in the mouth. Sweet brown sugar, floral fruit, vanilla, and then the spicy rye, creamy leather, and tannic oak comes on. Not an overpowering vanilla oak and lighter mouthfeel overall. In the finish, rye spice, sweet grass, and a little ethanol, dominate. Soft flavors make this an easy drink, with tingling mint showing up in a long soft finish. I'm surprised how tame this is for a BIB 100% rye. The distillers have excellent control of a mashbill that so many others bungle. Great entry point for someone wanting to try rye, but also a rather heafty price point ($53). I'm a sucker for tall slim whiskey bottles (think E.H.Taylor and Stranahan's), but not necessarily for painted bottles like this one. With ice... will let you know.