Tastes

I haven't had the courage to drink this neat, which is my preferred method of enjoying whiskey. I've never bought a bottle, as I've only drank this while out a restaurants. I drink it on the rocks. The nose is heavenly, with maple, caramel, fruit, and a little sweet corn. The palate shows the wood influence with lots of vanilla to tame the heat. Leather and dark fruits are on the follow through. This bourbon is a complex special treat, for me it's not a nightly sipper, but one to be appreciated occasionally.

Nice nose. Butterscotch and fruit. Sweet on the palate with baking spices and wood barrel. Surprisingly smooth and easy given the high proof. An enjoyable bourbon indeed. I originally wrote the above over a year ago after drinking Baker’s on the rocks. Now having had it neat, I can elaborate. The nose has some ethanol in addition to the butterscotch. Not surprising given the stout ABV. It is quite sweet on the palate, even sweeter than I recall. Baking spices are not as prevalent without ice, and there is something like red wine tannins coming to the forefront. The finish is long, warm and spicy. Still a 4 star dram.

Subtle nose. Light body and mouthfeel. On the palate, BucWheats cereal and petrol. Glad I tried it in a bar (on someone else's tab) instead of purchasing a bottle

Nose is caramel apples and fruity Riesling. Also, a hint of malty beer. Palate is sweet at first with toffee, butterscotch, and wood mid-palate. Finish has a dry, tannic quality. Decent dram for under $40 for 750 ml but not my favorite.

A solid dram for the price. Picked up on sale for $49. Nose is brown sugar, mixed nuts, and dried fruits. Sweet on front of palate. Mid-palate brings dried fruit and strong sweet black tea. Back of palate brings a not unpleasant bitterness. Finish is medium and bitter with some heat. Afterward, breathing through my nose, I picked up some burnt brown sugar and blackberries. Empty glass smells of brown sugar and a bag of trail mix with dried fruits. Throughout, light smoke is present but not obtrusive. Like many of my early reviews I'm reassessing the star rating. Again on this one, I'm not changing the tasting notes, but I feel I short-changed it on the rating. Certainly was a good 80-82, so it gets a scant 4 stars. Would give it 3-1/2 if I could.

This has become my go-to bourbon. To my nose and palate it is a tough one to beat, especially at its price point. Nose is full of caramel and corn. Front of the tongue reveals sweetness and a cola-like spice flavor. Mid-palate brings heat, more spices, and some candy corn. The finish is long and spicy with lingering hint of dark chocolate covered cherry cordials. Yum!

Good nose, with lots of vanilla. I had a glass on the rocks at a restaurant last night and could smell the aroma wafting through the air as soon as the waiter set it on the table. Drinks nice and smooth and has a thick mouth feel. The palate is not as sweet as the nose suggests, and has a medium long, spicy finish. Good, but there are less pricy bourbons I like better, including Makers Mark and Knob Creek. Reassessing here: no change to the tasting note, but feel I short-changed the star rating. It's certainly worth at least 85-87 points, which puts it squarely in 4-star range, so I'm upgrading it from my original 3-star assessment to 4 stars.

Okay, so below is my tasting note from several months ago. I gave it a second chance shortly after the first review and neglected to do a much deserved update to my original review. I've now given it a third try and have decided to update my tasting notes. Whether due to variability between vintages or maturity of my palate, I believe this expression deserves an updated opinion. The bottle I'm reviewing for this update is from barrel 916, barreled on 1/2/2006 and bottled on 11/18/15. All of the complexity and nuance that I thought was missing from my first bottle was present on the second (which I neglected to review as mentioned above) and is present, as well, in this bottle. Vanilla, caramel, corn, and red fruits are all there in the nose. More vanilla, caramel, and some oak are present on the palate. A little tannin and some pleasing bitterness (chocolate, leather, maybe a little tobacco) are there mid-palate and on the medium long finish. Just enough heat to create a pleasant warmth. This is a thoroughly pleasing and satisfying dram, and almost worthy of the accolades of its 96-point expert rating. I might put it at 94. Definitely a great value in bourbon and likely worth more than it's retail price. Strongly recommended for bourbon drinkers who want a good representation of all the expected flavors in bourbon at just the right balance. I would buy this at regular price before many others on sale. You couldn't go wrong with this as a sipping whiskey, and I would look to something lesser for mixing in an Old Fashioned. Below is my original assessment. Take it for what it was at the time. I am upgrading to 5 stars. Excellent bourbon - for the price, but I don't like it as much as the experts do. In the glass, it has legs on the side, hinting at its full body. Good nose with notes of caramel, bananas, and nutmeg. On the palate, it has a pleasing, oily mouth feel. Grains come through in the flavor, along with caramel, salt, and heat. The finish is long, woody and peppery. There is a slight bitterness to the aftertaste, but it isn't unpleasant. Overall, it is good, but not better than similarly priced Maker's Mark, in my opinion.

Better in an Old Fashioned than neat or on the rocks. Knob Creek Rye is more to my liking. 72 points. 3 stars

Light, slightly sweet and smooth. Cereal grains and baking spices on the way out. Nice. 84 points for 4 stars.