Tastes

Blend of two four year Bardstown bourbon mashbills plus 30% of a 12 year Kentucky bourbon (exact mashbills of each in the photo below). 95.5 proof. Been holding this for 7 months, time to taste, neat. Light copper color and light coating legs in the glass. Nose is light: floral grain, sweet fruit, and vanilla, with a hint of smoke char in the background. Sweet stone fruit and caramel corn, with a followup of tannic oak, ethanol, and grassy and baking spices. Cherry and peppery mint. Finish is long and dry, with light fruity sweetness, tingling mint, sharp tannic oak, and dry/spicy grass. Clean, not sour, aftertaste. An ice cube brings out the "juicy fruit" flavors by tamping down the oak and spice. That's ok too, but I kinda like the battling sweet/tannic/spice flavors when neat--nice balance of competing elements in a bourbon that's lighter (95.5 proof, isn't that light) than the barrel proofs I seem to surround myself with these days. The price is ok for a Bardstown, maybe a little high for a blend, but no regrets about this purchase. As always, I will revisit this review as I taste-down this bottle.

Have had this stored for a year, time to cork it. Tasting this full proof 7 year Ezra neat. Rich copper color and coating legs in the glass. Nose is vanilla, dark toast, dry grain cereal, musty grass hay, lightly sweet. Big flash of ethanol and black pepper and oak; then sweet vanilla; then spicy grass, baking spices, and rye. Dry and bold and almost overwhelming in the spice level. But it gives way pretty quickly into a mint and dry grass finish that lingers and is quite nice. Not sweet, no sour aftertaste, just spicy residuals and tingling. Big and bold rye, holding sweetness in check. Actually, drinks better with an ice cube to tone down the ethanol and spice. This is going to mix really well in a rye-forward cocktail like a Manhattan because the high (114) proof and spiciness will hold up to sweet vermouth. That said, at $80, it becomes an expensive mixer. Will revist this as I give it time and try it in a cocktail or two.

Have already tried the 5yr+ Second Glance sourced/wine-finished whiskey from Dave Phinney, and now this younger 4yr+ sourced bourbon, finished in Napa Valley cabernet barrels. It's been sitting in my cellar for a while--time to go. Tasted neat. Light copper color and thin legs in the glass. Nose is sweet grain and grass, floral vanilla, and fruit. In the mouth, sweet grain, white pepper, red wine, and a little oak, leather, and ethanol. Thin mouthfeel. Finish may be the best part of this. Spicy sweet grass, chocolate, and vanilla oak, and then a long dry tingling mouthfeel. Fruit sweetness lingers, but it's not sour. I'll admit I like wine-finished whiskeys. They can go overboard in sweetness and fruit flavor. This one holds that in check with its peppery bite. Ice-melt takes some of that away and accentuates the wine/fruit flavors. I'll also admit I love Phinney's bottle/label packaging--not your Kentucky-uncle's-standard-for-bold-print-you-can-read-across-a-smoky-room,-and-a-bottle-neck-for-grabbing-ease. Nope. Very wine county avant gard refined, great label and squat bottle with a glass stopper. Very Nice!

Maker's Mark Private Selection Bourbon, Utah Holiday Batch #4. Base is the MM 46 wheated bourbon aged 6-6.5 years, then an additional 10 weeks with a selection of 10 added oak staves. In this batch, 0 baked American Oak, 1 seared French Cuvee, 3 MM 46 staves, 5 roasted French Mendiant, and 1 toasted French Spice stave (see photo explanation of staves below). Bottled at 55.2% ABV, August 2023. Tasted neat. Brown copper color and thin legs in the glass. Nose is light grain sweetness, and a little vanilla oak and spice at the back. In the mouth, that lightness disappears. Big Big BIG tannic oak rush, followed by sweetness and a tingling spice that is cinnamon hot. A little ethanol heat too, and a thinner mouthfeel than I hoped. Finish is that dry spice, oak tannins, and a little sour. The higher proof adds to its length. Interesting riff on the MM profile--the sweetness of the wheated bourbon playing against the BIG tannic depth, spiciness, and smokiness of the treated oak staves. Makes for a more complex (and challenging) drink--darker, richer. Ice tames that dominant tannic note and lets the wheat sweetness back in. Drinks really well, neat or with an ice cube, and will mix well in darker cocktails like a Manhattan. But it's NOT going to be for everybody given its assertive chewy flavor. Similar tasting notes to the MM BEP wood finishing 2023 I tried last year, but the Private Selection is just amped up a notch. Retasted the BEP tonight (side by side with this Private Selection) and it is a sweeter nose, much lighter mouthfeel, and lighter on tannic oak and spice. The BEP is like an intermediate between the MM 46 and this MM Utah Private Selection.

Whiskey Del Bac Classic single malt, 46% abv, desert-made in Arizona. Tasted neat... for the third time. Copper color and very little coating legs in the glass. Apples, stone fruits, hint of caramel and vanilla and a little spice dust on the nose. Big flash of ethanol and baking spices in the mouth. Astringent and tannic, oak char, grain sweetness. Finish shows some sweetness and tingling mint and spices, but also an underlying ethanol burn that leaves me feeling like... heartburn. Tried this three different times to figure out what's going on here, and got really consistent results every time. Tried the Whiskey Del Bac Dorado single malt smoked with mesquite and LOVED it (4.75), and then tried the Classic and Dorado side by side. Really different outcomes. While this Classic is OK, it's not in the same class as the Dorado. Or maybe the Dorado's mesquite smoke just hides the distillate or barreling flaws inherent in the Classic. Disappointed... and left with that heartburn feeling. Ice definitely helps this whiskey--don't let your glass leave the bar without some. Update: I've been drinking down this bottle with ice, and I feel a little better about it over time. It shares a hint of the mesquite smoke that makes the Dorado so good IMHO (even though this is an unsmoked malt mashbill). Maybe it's the barrel or barrel char. And an ice cube solved the heartburn feeling. Be generous and call this a 3.0/5.0, a passing grade 60%.