Tastes

Light amber, and decent legs in the glass. Sweet corn, floral honey on the nose. Flash of 80 proof heat surrounded by grain and honey sweetness. Caramel corn, but from that carnival vendor skimping on the caramel. Some spice in the finish and then gone--very short and a thin mouthfeel despite those legs coating the glass. Not much to talk about. Easy sweet corn bourbon, one flavor and done. At $10 for 750ml it's hard to complain, but it's not much for mixing either unless you're looking for a sweet whiskey that follows rather than leads other ingredients in a cocktail.

Bought this at the distillery shop in Spokane, WA in April 2021, $80. Black bottle limited production, small batch straight wheat whiskey, aged 6 years, finished in port barrels (Townshend Huckleberry Port from WA?), bottled at 45% ABV. Auburn liquid, a beauty to behold, and medium body. Apples, grapes, and sweet cereal on the nose. Oak and vanilla charge out, followed by caramelized sugar, cereal and fruit sweetness in the mouth. Soft and round, clinging mouthfeel. A little astringent mint tingle shows up in a long slow finish. This rounds and softens more with a touch of ice/water. This is what happens when Dry Fly lets their wheat whiskey age more than 3 years, and it's a beauty---pricey, but a mature beautiful port-finished whiskey. I hope they find a way to let more of their distillate age longer and keep the price down. Hopefully their *new* downtown Spokane distillery will help them do that.

Rendezvous Rye, Limited Ed Mell label edition. Rendezvous Rye has been an award-winning blend of MGP straight rye whiskeys, but HW has now reimagined this as a limited supply release to include more of the distillery’s own limited pot still rye. Sweet grain, nuts, and light ethanol on the nose. Licorice, grassy, and lightly astringent in the mouth, with honey sweetness turning dry and hot. Spicy rye shows up in the finish along with more ethanol and a dry sour finish. Add ice and the whole drink blands-out, turns flat and non-descript. Disappointing. It's so much less than the older Rendezvous Rye of MGP sourced and blended aged ryes I've been enjoying for a decade or more. Living in UT I know this juice well. Is the problem the HW dIstilate? Or is it the blend of younger and younger MGP ryes?  At its premium price point, the quality of this "limited supply" just comes up short. HW labeling has become opaque since being bought by Constellation. No longer describes what whiskies were blended, mashbills, age statements, or even the sourcing states. Doesn't indicate how much of their own aged distillate is used, just "bottled in Utah." Price keeps climbing too, but quality, transparency, and consistency seems to have gone out the window. I'm disappointed in the direction they're moving--feel like they're hiding what they're doing (which is blending sourced whiskies), and doing that blending very well for years past with sourced aged Indiana and Kentucky whiskies. The label should reflect what this whiskey is, especially what their own juice is, and not hide behind vague descriptions and romantic allusions to 1820s fur trapping rendezvous, which weren't romantic. It's silly at best. The best part about this is the Ed Mell label. He's an amazing artist, Google him. As for the liquid itself, there are far better ryes at a quarter of the price. That's sad commentary on what had been a premium product.

Light golden orange-ish color; light-medium legs and mouthfeel. Soft and fruity nose, with dry grain sweetness poking through. Warm soft wheat, sweet and dry at the same time, light vanilla and peanut husks, but the warmth and a little grassy minty peppery flavor builds on a long finish. Nothing brutish about this--no big oak or smoke or leather. It's not a whiskey that will overwhelm you, and that's part of the attraction. It's also not a push-over. It's quiet, elegant, and soft sipping. This is one for #DAD any day of the week.

Vanilla and orange blossom nose. Soft entry, medium light mouthfeel. Sweet grain, citrus, and vanilla oak around an essential core of sweet corn sweetness. Only in the finish does a little rye spice show up. Reminds me of Wild Turkey 101, but sweeter and softer, missing WT's spicier rye finish. But that makes it an easy entry-point bourbon, with little ethanol heat for a 50% ABV. This is a really good BIB product that deserves more recognition for quality than it's bottom shelf status affords it, but there's a cult following out there and they're not wrong. $25 for 1000ml BIB bourbon? Bang! OK, it's not going to knock your socks off with complexity--sweet corn is it--but it's a good sip outdoors in the woods and a great mixer at home.

Honey and coconut and light grain on the nose. Sweet grain, grassy, and then iodine and ethanol burst, with oatmeal and tropical fruit lingering into finish. Straw yellow color, medium light body, a classic Irish whiskey. I think I like the Teeling Single Grain more than this, even though it seemed a little one dimensional. Tasting side by side, this is paler, thinner, and less grain-sweet than the Single Grain.

Fruity rubbing alcohol on the nose. Apple, sweet fruit, and citrus, then builds up with spicy rye grain and ethanol in the mouth. Light body and medium quick finish from that ethanol and rye spice to spearmint to apple and dry grain. Not as much vanilla and oak,, nor as sweet as I anticipated,, but those are all there in the background. At 45 abv and prominent rye spice it has the chops to mix, but not sure about sipping. Will revisit this later with a little ice.