Tastes

Grapes and floral nose, with a little light oak spice. Grapes and oatmeal in the mouth, sweet but oddly flat. Medium body and coating legs, with light golden color. Finish is dry oak, leather, and tannins, with a little spicy grassy rye. It's an easy blended whisky to sip, with a great heritage and marketing. But it's average, or just above.

Mini bottle tasting series.. Soft tropical fruit nose. In the mouth, vanilla and banana. Sweet, some oak, ethanol, and spice on the finish. Thinner body, light color. A good TN whiskey, but rather one dimensional.

Mini bottle tasting series: Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and Twix went out for cocktails. They hooked up with Butterfinger, and the four of them (Twix is bi) had a love child. The result is not whiskey, but they love it anyway. Don't judge me, it's only a mini, which is enough.

Sweet grain, honey, and dry walnuts on the nose with light floral vanilla. Honey, sweet grain, and then oak and an explosion of spicy rye flavors (can't believe there is no rye in the mashbill!) builds in the mouth--spicy grass, pepper, mint and nettles make for a tingling mouthfeel that is rich and coating. Finish drops quickly from that spicy peak, moderating into port red fruit and sweet corn, but that spice tingle doesn't totally disappear. Rich, full, with a lot of complex (even contradictory) flavors spinning around that spicy central column. Had I not known, I'd swear this was a high rye bourbon finished in a red wine, sherry, or Port barrel. And I say that as a GOOD thing. With ice, that spicy core and finish dulls, and the flavor softens to reflect more closely the corn and malted barley mashbill... and its 2 year age. Still good, just less intense and bare-knuckled. Maybe more 4.25. It's a young bourbon, which may explain the spice (or "harshness") that other reviewers critique. Point taken, especially given the price point. But I'm still intrigued and willing to score it high for what's there. Imagine another 2 years (or more) in oak!!! Lots of built up expectations from the Distiller pro's review (partly why I bought this bottle), but this bourbon really lives up to that hype. Higher ABV is a plus too. Crystal glass or camping cup, this is a beautiful whiskey to be savored neat.

Light vanilla, sweet grain, caramel, and tart apple on the nose. Softer in the mouth, less dry-spicy than the EW BIB White Label. Oak tannins, leather, caramel corn, and apple sweetness, with rye spice and mint in the finish. Light tasting, and short finish, lingering astringency. Perfectly good bourbon mixer at 43 ABV and $14 everyday.

On the nose, vanilla, caramel, and a little grassy rye. Sweet cereal, dark brown sugar, floral vanilla, a bit of oak, leather, and ethanol. The finish is oak, rye spice, and carmel corn. Short finish, thin legs, but beautiful color. This is a really solid bottled in bond bourbon that punches way above it's bottom shelf status and $15 everyday price. It's not as rich as the EW 8 yr Single Barrel, but it's a really solid 50 ABV bourbon that drinks better than some priceier posers. Drink it out of a camping cup or mix it in classic cocktails, it's a solid BIB.

Bottom shelf from Buffalo Trace, $11.95 every day. Ancient (to kindergarteners) at 3 years in oak. But that's a lot better than many of its shelf-mates, and it's been around since 1946, so why not? Light in color, medium legs. Nose is light vanilla floral, sweet corn, and a little ethanol. Thin dry and dusty, lightly sour at first brush. Some vanilla, little to no body or depth. Sweeter as it finishes, but that's not long coming or staying. As one of the "Olds" (Old Grand Dad, Old Crow, Early Times, Old Tub, etc) this leaves something to be desired, but there you go. So mixing this seems appropriate. Equal parts AA, ice, and ginger ale (no more, no less) works. Or pick your own soda of choice, but... do use more AA than soda. Way better than taking ivermectin (DON'T!!!).

Batch 83Y, Bottle 7581, 43.3 ABV. Gift from a friend I've known since 1960, when we were 3 years old. That's a long time. Light honey color, thin legs. Vanilla and light caramel corn on the nose. Some tropical fruit underneath. First taste is dusty grain, oak tannins, and then SWEET, raisins and honey. Dry spice, light brown sugar, and grapes in the finish which is rather short and thin. This is not an overly complex whiskey, but the port barrel finish adds some depth to what is a light, easily approachable bourbon. Revisiting this after a week. Less impressed. Nothing rich, round, and inviting about this. Thin, less complex than comparably priced (or cheaper) bourbons. From 3.5 down to 3.25.

Beautiful rosy liquid, light coating in the glass. On the nose, dark red wine and fruit with a little vanilla oak--the full Porto profile. Charred grain and port fill the mouth, then shifts to candied fruit, burnt sugar, chewy tannic leather, and dry cocca and oak smoke. Sweet quickly disappears and dry, spicy, astringent mouthfeel lingers. I like port and wine barreled whiskeys, but this is one of the strongest Porto flavored ones I've had. Maybe too overpowering. Cask strength is good, but this just feels young. Going to revisit this over time and with a little ice to see if/how it opens up.

Batch 247, Bottle 4782. Love the tall Stranahan bottle, like E.H. Taylor, but with a squared off back... and the metal jigger. Nice new labeling too. Light amber look in the glass, with good legs. Sweet cereal and a dusty floral (chocolate?) on the nose. Malted grain to Malt Balls. Rich, light port oak flavors, banana, and an even (but not hot) ethanol follows. Pleasant lightly oily mouthfeel. Finish is short, but honeyed grain and some spice lingers. It's not hot, but a rather subdued delicate finish. You can see where the peat smoke flavors would fit in if this were a scotch, but it's not. I can see the Distiller pro reviewer's description of chocolate milk on the nose, and I'd add well after the finish--a lingering essence I noticed after a minute or so. First impression: Beautiful expression of American single malt. Don't like scotch peat? Try this for the unpeated single malt essence. Will revisit this review as I get to know this bottle better. Next night: Tried with an iceberg. Initially ice accentuated the sweet cereal and ethanol (which surprised me). With a little time and melt the spice and grain sweetness flattened into a creamy finish. Easy to like this service, if not as complex as neat.