Tastes

On the nose I get aromas of dense toffee, rich chocolate, orange peel, dried herbs, melted butter, brown sugar, new leather, cigar tobacco and oak with a hint of damp cedar wood and cherry lozenges. - To the palate it starts as dry oak that builds to cinnamon with herbs and pepper, a light floral honey sweetness shows through, then savory butter, roasted almonds and dark chocolate. - The finish is dry with a lingering of oak, leather, pepper, tobacco and a hint of Luxardo cherry. — With a drop of water, more oak and leather notes are pushed out of the glass. The palate also becomes more dry and oaky with an even darker chocolate note; maybe 90% cacao. The finish is actually lifted a bit with some red apple sweetness and that cherry note remains. —//— Bourbon Mark: 88 —//— I really enjoy the intense aromas of this one, as well as the oak flavour and dryness on the palate. Tasting side-by-side with standard Buffalo Trace, I can definitely say they are the same spirit, but the oak flavour of Eagle Rare is more than only a couple years different; it must be from a more dynamic area of the aging warehouse.

On the nose I get sweet caramel, rye grain, spices, ripe pears, dried apricots, oak wood, charcoal, and subtle grassy herbal notes with hints of cola nut. - To the palate it is fresh fruity up front, quickly shifting to fruit syrup and a big punch of rye spice. That dried apricot, soft juicy pear, and caramel come through, rising in sweetness before revealing dry oak notes accompanied by rye spice, black pepper, cinnamon, clove and cardamom. Very viscous mouthfeel! - The finish lingers long with sweet fruity caramel, complex spices, oak wood, lightly smoky charcoal, and green grassy, herbal rye grain. — With a drop of water I start getting lemon citrus and more herbal, maybe even minty aromas on the nose. The palate really develops some brighter, more candied fruity sweetness and sharper spice with again, more herbal notes accompanying a less dry oak flavour that lingers long into the finish. —//— Bourbon Mark: 93 —//— I can’t say I’ve ever experienced such a range of light fruit flavours from a bourbon before. It must be the unique variety of yeast. The incredibly high rye content delivers intensity, spice and complexity without overpowering the rich sweetness of the corn. — It’s my first time trying this one, but I really like it! Well made and well presented whiskey.

On the nose is soft sweetness, subdued oak aromas and charcoal. Aromas of sour, damp hay, wood glue, chalky banana candy and maybe peanut shells. - To the palate it is incredibly soft, with notes of sour wood, damp hay and light rye grain. I find it very difficult to pick up many notes from this. There’s a chalkiness on the palate, and a vague sweetness. - In the finish it leaves some sour, musty wood, light sugar, wood glue, lacquer thinner, and a hint of peanut. — With a drop of water, it smells like stale cereal, and tastes like water, with a slight wood-grain finish. —//— Bourbon Mark: 72 —//— It’s funny, but I used to think this one was better than the Old No.7 as it made it smoother and lighter. But, smooth and light are boring, and I’m actually finding some of the better flavours have been stripped away along with the alcoholic sharpness of youth. It’s interesting how my palate has changed over time with a lot more whisky experience to train my senses. — Tasting side-by-side, Old No.7 will take your head off by comparison! Which is hilarious. Basically, all the flavours amped up, and far more alcoholic on the palate. I don’t really enjoy either, if I’m being honest.

On the nose it has typical aromas of sweet caramel and vanilla with the additional of that spicy French oak and a hint of smoky barrel char. When I breath deep, I can pick out that sweet corn and yeasty white bread aroma. - To the palate it is sweet and spicy with a building warmth throughout the development. Starts with rich caramel and sweet vanilla, then transitions to cinnamon and black pepper as the intensity of oak flavours increases. Very dense in the palate and with added complexity over the standard Maker’s Mark. - The finish is predominantly oak, both the caramel vanilla of American oak and the pepper spice I get from French oak, with lingering smoky barrel char and toasted wood notes throughout. Semi-dry, but not bitter, with a nice tingle of alcoholic warmth in the end. — With the addition of a few drops of water, a sweet cherry candy or maybe cherry cola note appears both on the nose and palate that is well complimented by the rich wood notes. —//— Bourbon Mark: 89 —//— I really like the additional wood flavours brought out by the French Oak. The wood spice combined with a higher ABV definitely make this one stand out for me.

On the nose I get sweet maple syrup on buttered pancakes with a touch of cinnamon. Aromas of caramel popcorn, fresh baked corn bread, oak, pipe tobacco, cool mint leaves, with a hint of orange peel and maraschino cherries. - Very dense and rich on the palate with a syrupy sweetness coating the mouth before giving way to a spreading warmth and peppery spice. Flavours of dark toffee, sweet vanilla, mint, Luxardo cherries, popcorn, cinnamon, peppercorns, chili powder, leather, tobacco and candied orange peel. - The warm finish lingers with corn bread, mint, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, pepper, orange and cherry candy. — With a few drops of water, the nose opens up to much more intense aromas. The palate retains that syrupy texture, with an amped up sweetness and more balanced spice, revealing more oak and barrel char towards the finish. More astringent, bringing some dryness to the palate, tempering that intense sweetness. —//— Bourbon Mark: 96 —//— Just a fantastic bourbon! I love Wild Turkey. Rare Breed is so rich and flavourful, with a perfect balance of spirit and oak. I was surprised when comparing to 101, that I actually find Rare Breed is easier to drink at full strength! Very impressive stuff.

On the nose is sweet caramel, brown sugar, oak, vanilla, ginger, and a hint of smoky barrel char. Reminds of Root Beer. There’s also notes of candied orange peel, cherry lozenges and something slightly herbal. - To the palate it it viscous, sweet and spicy with rich oak, subtle smoke and barrel char. Flavours of brown sugar, caramel, ginger, vanilla, root beer, black pepper, leather and tobacco. - In the finish the burnt sugar caramel note rides on top of the rich oak and smoky char with lingering ginger spice and vanilla. — With a couple drops of water, I find the flavours don’t change a whole lot. Still sweet root beer notes with a touch more oak and spice notes through the palate and a lingering tingle in the finish. —//— Bourbon Mark: 93 —//— Overall, I really like this one! Definitely one of my favorites. It’s definitely like a concentrated, alcoholic root beer, which is kind of magical.

On the nose is sweet oak, honey, butterscotch, red apples, leather and slightly sour wood. - To the palate is soft oak, light honey, savory wood spice, herbal tea, Honey Nut Cheerios and slightly underripe apple. - The finish has a slightly dry oak and bread flour with a slightly floral hint in the end. — A drop of water pushes some of that floral note up into the nose, the palate becomes incredibly thin, and the finish gains a sourness with the oak notes. —//— Bourbon Mark: 81 —//— Overall, I think it’s decent. I can see why people like it, but I definitely don’t think this is the version people go crazy over. I think it’s good, but basic. I’m not a huge fan of the wheat flour note or the sour wood, but was surprised to find that Honey Nut Cheerios connection. Looking forward to tasting the other versions of W.L. Weller.

On the nose is sweet caramel, barrel char, light vanilla, grassy grains, rye spice, herbal mint, cherry hard candies, oak and a hint of licorice. - To the palate is it toffee sweet with lots of rye spice, herbal notes and grassy hard grains, popcorn, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. - The finish is long, warm and dry with lingering oak and spice. — With a splash of water it becomes sweeter on the nose and more rounded on the palate with the herbal notes surviving later into the finish. —//— Bourbon Mark: 86 —//— Overall, I think this is a decent bourbon. Definitely has a noticeably higher rye content compared to other bourbons I’ve tasted. I like rye, so that spice and complexity appeals to me. The complex nature of this bourbon makes it quite flexible in a wide range of whiskey cocktails.

On the nose, I get sweet brown sugar, cola nut, vanilla, candied orange peel, pipe tobacco, smoke, leather, light cinnamon, bran flakes and a hint of cloves with mint. - To the palate it hits a lot higher than typical. Oak first, smoky barrel char, then dark brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, black pepper, rye spice, wood spice, vanilla and a hint of red apples with nutmeg. - The finish builds with heat and spice, layered on top of oak and leather with continuing wisps of smoke and tobacco. — With a splash of water, the nose becomes more sweet, the flavours of leather and tobacco become more pronounced, with more oak in the finish. However, the rich spice notes recede into the background. —//— Bourbon Mark: 88 —//— For my first time trying this bourbon, I’m fairly happy with it. It’s recognizably a classic bourbon, but does have a uniqueness all its own. I never tried the original 12-Year release, so cant make the comparison. This tastes mature, leaning towards the oak end of the flavour spectrum.

On the nose I get sweet oak, brown sugar, corn meal, slight charcoal and maple syrup with hints of musty wood, subtle vanilla and overripe banana. - To the palate it is very light and sugary sweet to start with notes of toasted wood and sharp alcoholic warmth. Dried corn and the barest hint of rye spice develop with a subtle banana bread flavour. - The finish has some lingering sweetness, charcoal dryness and sharp alcoholic warmth lingering. — A few drops of water creates more of a sour oaky aroma to the nose, light maple sugar flavour on the palate, and eliminates the alcoholic sharpness in the finish, but overall it has a very thin mouthfeel. —//— Bourbon Mark: 76