Tastes

I bought this back in October '17 and liked it but wasn't understanding why everyone was wild about it. Coming back to it now it's a great bourbon - but what I absolutely LOVE is the palate - creamcicle. I was tasting fruit until it clicked. Fabulous. I believe it's Heaven Hill for Luxco. 91-93

I'd been waiting to get my hands on a bottle of this. This tastes like classic Barton distillate - but concentrated and flavorful. Not expensive so a great value. If you like a higher proof 1792, this is for you. Nose and palate give you caramel, cinnamon, Barrel, and the palate adds a slight tang. Excellent and highly recommended value pick 87-89

Slightly on the sweeter side but incredibly smooth and complex for a craft whiskey. Excellent and highly recommended. One of the best American single malts in an international style.

Distiller's rating of 81 seems to be such an outlier that it hammers home the truth that you can't just look at the rating, but you have to look at the reviewer as well. Some reviewers you will be more in sync with and others you will not. This is a wonderful whiskey with the bourbon sweetness underpinning the peaty scotch notes. The spice from the rye is not overwhelming - there's a harmony here and it's far smoother than I expected. I think this is an 88-92 rating - and worth buying!

While not disgusting and offensive, like other Master's Collection releases such as Classic Malt and Aged Cask Rye, this still underwhelms . Nose is faint BBQ with a lot of ethanol. Palate is toasted corn with a malty base. Not a cherry bomb. A little heat. It's palatable but not memorable and certainly not worth the asking price.