Tastes

Mini bottle tasting series. OK, this is the bottle and smell I remember as a kid visiting my friend's house. Seemed so elegant, even the name. Ahh, blended Canadian whisky bottled in the USA. Sweet vanilla and light grain on the nose. Whoa, look out! Oak and ethanol bomb rides over the top of a sticky sweet cotton candy base. Light color and body, but that sweetness feels cloying. That sweet turns bitter (an odd rye flavor? or oak tannin?) and then into a light acetone chemical finish. Mixed with Coke, this would serve its purpose. Beyond that, there are better Canadian whiskies. Much better.

Mini bottle tasting series. Light orange-straw color, medium legs in the glass. Light cereal and yeast bread on the nose, with a sweet hint. Thin grain and burnt sugar flavors followed by explosive ethanol. Odd chemical taste and dry feel in the mouth grows through the finish that leaves me with real heartburn. Maybe that's the mole enchiladas I had for dinner last night, but... I don't think so. Definitely NOT two stars. Do yourself a favor--enjoy the mole and skip this.

Beautiful tall thin bottle (but top-heavy and tippy) and dark auburn liquid, but with rather thin legs. Light nose: cherries and light brown sugar, and a hint of malt. Cherries, dried fruit, burnt sugar, and then an explosion of ethanol on the pallet, which surprised me for an older Port barrel finish. Rich, but the mouthfeel is thin/light. Finish is not long and not very spicy given the high rye mashbill. There's some fruit, spice, and oak, but it's a dry and rather compact finish, with a little lingering sourness. With ice the flavors round nicely and the ethanol burst disappears. Becomes softer and less of a challenge, but... whether or not that's a good thing is personal taste. Need to think about this and update review after more experience. A month later, and basic review stands. The nose is maybe the best part of this good whiskey. Ice does tame the ethanol pallet. Finish seems even thinner, but there is some rye spice. A good Port barreled bourbon, but pricier than equally good alternatives.

Mini bottle tasting series. Floral, vanilla, and grassy light brown sugar nose. Floral, refined sugar, and light vanilla in the mouth. Thin thin thin. The finish is thinner, with a hint of some oak and spice teasing at the end. Not bad, but it's a one note whiskey, and that doesn't carry it very far.

Orange floral, corn, and a whiff of sourness on the nose. Light color and legs in the glass. Corn syrup and citrus sweetness, unsalted peanuts, and a flash of ethanol. Grassy oak spiciness peaks and then goes dry and a little sour in an average finish. This is serviceable bourbon, no serious off notes, but not a lot of high notes either. Great labeling and distillery history, and at $9 every day... worth having when you just want a average mixer that won't get in the way of the mix.

Mini bottle tasting series: For a buck, you get a dill pickle smell (from 50 ml !) that perfumes the entire room before any intentional glass sniffing. (My wife looked up from her book and said, "WTF!"). The nose, well it smells like that big jar of pickles that used to grace every small town bar in the West--salt, vinegar, and "green," with a hint chemical embalming fluid (I'm really not joking). But wait, there's more, because in the mouth you get a big rush of intensely-alkaline pickle juice with spicy red chili. That alkaline mouthfeel triggered my gag reflex, both sips (2 was all I could stand). Had to check the label, but there it is: a drawing of a pickle crossed by a pepper. So, this is not a ONE flavor dram from the "Show Me State"--oh no, it's got two. The pepper flavor might have saved it, but for the third flavor--the alkaline salt. Then a fourth--the added caramel coloring... at no extra charge. Lives up to the motto on the bottle: "ONE STIFF PICKLE." And all that for a buck, plus tax.

Rich red wine, milk chocolate, and sweet grain on the nose. Beautiful auburn color and thick legs that coat the glass. Chocolate, burnt sugar, floral vanilla, tannic oak, and an ethanol burst, followed by red wine to sherry. Coating, oily, rich. Licorice and then baking spices build through the long finish. Sweet to spicy, round wine flavor, enough oak and ABV to make it punch. This is a beautiful neat sipping bourbon. Ice softens the tannins and rounds the spice, letting more soft wheat and malted barley flavors dominate. Actually reducing this from 4.5 to 4 because of how much it changes with a cube of ice. Still really good, but it just kinda collapses in flavor.

Mini bottle tasting series. Maple syrup and a light chemical nose (I can see the Distiller Pro's description of Elmer's Glue). Sweet vanilla syrup, and a thin mouthfeel. A little oak and grassy spice and more corn syrup in the finish. Really does have a slightly artificial maple flavor.

Mini bottle tasting series: Brown sugar, tropical fruit, banana on the very mild nose. Thin and tart/sour fruit (Juicy Fruit gum?) and a little ethanol. Dusty brown sugar and a little oak spice on the finish. Not much there there. Mixer, in a pinch.