Tastes

Nose is delightful with golden raisin, vanilla, sticky date, caramel, black currant, toffee, and the greenest, softest oak ever. Ethanol is nil; I could literally huff this all day. Palate is a little spicier than the nose would indicate as some cinnamon suddenly pops out along with the raisin, vanilla, and toffee from the nose (although now the raisin is more of a black raisin), fig, prune, date, baked apple, and apricot. Everything blends really nicely. Finish heats up with more cinnamon, white pepper, ginger, candied pecan, earthy tea leaf, and tannic oak. Not a lot from the palate carries to the finish; more of a sharp left turn. Quite long for the proof. Mouthfeel is velvety, but finishes extremely dry, which I found to be a slight flaw. I found this to be very enjoyable with only a few minor flaws. There is only one problem, at $199 (FOMO really is real) it’s not even the best in its own Redbreast line as Lustau, Port Cask, and PX are all better than this for a lower price, as is Yellow Spot. My rating is more reflective of the value than the whiskey; it’s great. Just not for that price.

One of the milder noses for a LBP I’ve experienced but also quite possibly one of the best; dusty peanut shell, caramel hard candy, funky rickhouse, barrel char, soft vanilla, and oak furniture. Ethanol lowest ever for this expression so low as to be barely perceptible. Palate brings candied ginger, hazelnut, nutmeg, caramel apple, grilled buttered corn, cocoa powder, and chili pepper. Spicy with out being “hot”. Flavors are rich and densely layered. Super long finish brings some fiery warmth with black pepper, maraschino cherry, rich oak, cinnamon bear candy, leather, and tobacco. Mouthfeel is full bodied and chewy. This is it; the one we’ve been waiting for. The finest of the series I have tasted. At $79.99, it’s amazingly good for the price and the first LBP that can hold a candle to Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases. I hope future releases hit this high mark. Buy, buy, buy.

Nose is complex and well integrated with rye spice, gingerbread cookie, lemon zest, honey, soft sweet oak, apple, white pepper, dill, and sage. Ethanol amazingly low for the proof. Palate keeps the balance high with the gingerbread from the nose along with vanilla, lemongrass, nutmeg, cereal grains, orange, toffee, and floral honeysuckle. Flavors are punchy as hell. Lengthy finish brings mint, sea salt, pepper, burnt marshmallow, cocoa powder, and dusty toasted oak. Mouthfeel is full bodied and unctuous which helps evaluate this to another level and keeps the spicy finish from being harsh on the tongue. A spectacular rye with a near perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and herbal notes. I must compare it to last years 8 year release; I found that one to be “brighter” while this has more “dark” notes. 2023 wins by a sliver, but at $79.99, this is a stupidly good value. I’d grab another, but poof! its gone already in my area.

Aroma offers ripe pear, buttered bread, white grape, honey, cantaloupe, candy corn, vanilla cream, and cake batter. Ethanol is nil. Very pleasant. Palate brings stewed pear from the nose, candied orange, cranberry, clove, light honey, vanilla, barley, and toasted oak. Definitely not lacking in flavor. Finish consist of some sharp unattenuated alcohol (92 proof?) pot still funk, almond, apricot, white pepper, and tannic astringency/bitterness. Mouthfeel is a very buttery medium-bodied, but overall the finish misses the mark a bit. Easily the worst of the Green Spot wine geese series. There is an overall sharpness to the affair that doesn’t seem to need to be there. While it far from sucks, at 104.99 it just isn’t close to a rebuy either.

Nose is spicy and woody with ginger snaps, cedar, allspice, buttered popcorn, blackberry, and a yeasty, doughy note. Ethanol all but non-existent. Wow palate is nothing like the nose, with cake batter, vanilla icing, lime, chocolate malt, honey, oak, and an amazing strawberry note which kept me coming back for more. Everything is very “bright” with a hint of acidity, which is in no ya a bad thing. Finish is on the shorter side but nicely complex featuring oatmeal, ginger ale, mint, mild char, black pepper, and oak. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied and some youth finally becomes apparent in the form of some graininess which gives a little tongue tingle. This comes together nicely especially for what I can tell is a bit of a youngish wheater. Only the second Redwood Empire whiskey I’ve had and I’ve enjoyed both. At $79.99, it’s appropriately priced for the quality and probably worthy of a rebuy for its unique profile.

Nose is sweet and rich with the predominant note being vanilla pudding, along with graham cracker, fig, white grape, and bread yeast. No wood presence at all. Ethanol is truly non-existent. Not very complex, but nice. Palate brings vanilla creme, rich butterscotch, floral honeysuckle, berry compote, orange zest, generic tannins, and a hint of beet or turnip. Flavors are soft and delicate but well integrated. Finish is very dry, medium length, and offers some spice in the form of nutmeg and clove, along with oats, more vanilla, cotton candy, and a hint of almond. If you are looking for wood presence, this isn’t your jam. Mouthfeel is thicker than you would expect given the delicate profile, almost fudge-like, and is a real high point. This bottle took forever to open up, so don’t judge it by the neck pour but once it did, it really won me over. A lovely Irish whiskey, but I can get expressions I enjoy more from the Redbreast line at a cheaper price (Lustau, Port Finish) At $104.99, falls just short of rebuy.

Nose is full of brown sugar, pine, barrel char, molasses, vanilla bean, custard, oak, clove, stone fruit, and leather. Very complex. Ethanol nearly nonexistent. Palate differs from the nose in the sense that much more traditional vanilla/caramel/cinnamon notes are prevalent, which is in no way a bad thing. Also more barrel char, almond butter, black cherry, peanut, and clove. Long smooth finish is where things really become elevated with a slow morph into creme brûlée, soft, sweet oak, charcoal, black pepper, tobacco, mint, and a delightful hint of raspberry. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with just a hint of graininess. My tongue wanted full bodied and silky; I guess you can’t have everything. Overall a delightful whiskey with no major flaws, and a nice example of “highly aged” bourbon. I paid $149.99 which isn’t crazy over retail but yet still pretty pricy. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I run out and buy it again for that price? Almost certainly not. Hard to rate since 4.0 = rebuy status for me but I can’t say that this is a sub 4.0 whiskey. I’m going to not factor in price on this rating. 4.25

Nose offers spruce, apple, light vanilla, cedar, allspice, and a hit of creme brûlée. Very traditional. Ethanol basically non-existent. Palate is full of barrel char and oak tannins. Additional notes of rye spice, black peppercorn, flan, peanut, cinnamon candy, and mint. Hardly any mid-palate to speak of; literally races to the finish. For 7+ year age, there’s a heat here that I wouldn’t expect given the proof. Everything is a little disjointed. “Minty oak” is the predominant flavor which I don’t really dig. Long finish brings more barrel char, oak, cinnamon, mint, with a hint of ginger. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, but has a grainy sharpness that hits the sides of the tongue in a manner similar to hot sauce. Oof. I thought I would like this more than I did, but ultimately disappointing especially for an LE and given that I usually enjoy Bakers. At $74.99, this is a huge “nope” for me. Not terrible but pretty far from great.

Nose gets us started with graham cracker, nutmeg, root vegetable, crisp spruce, apple (weird for a rye but it’s there), and…cookie dough? Is this really a rye? Whoa. Palate is out there. Chocolate, mint, golden raisin, black cherry, iced gingerbread cookie, the apple from the nose, and tea leaf. I’m shocked and delighted by how sweet and fruity this is. If I have a critique, it’s that the flavors are slightly subdued. Finish is medium length with ginger ale, white pepper, lemon cake, light cinnamon, musty barn, and soft oak. Mouthfeel is light bodied but soft and silky and easy on the tongue. Completely unconventional and It’s rare to get something this unique at the price point. As a rye? Questionable. As a whiskey? Delicious. Surprised me to the point of nearly blowing me away. At $47, it’s a no-brainer rebuy. Proof that something doesn’t have to limited edition or a bazillion dollars to be great.

Aroma is classic bourbon and classic WT; caramel, vanilla, baking spices, a hint of cherry, barrel char, and oak. WT101 is my staple daily drinker and there are some notes here not usually found, namely rickhouse funk, fresh cut hay, and sawdust. Ethanol is low, but it’s there. Nothing here is re-inventing the wheel; just a solid bourbon nose. Palate follows the traditional vibe with the caramel and vanilla promised in the nose, cinnamon, nutmeg, white pepper, sticky pipe tobacco, and oak chips. Flavors are robust. Finish is where this expression most differs from standard 101. And man, is it good. Deeper, longer, and richer. Caramel flan/ice cream sundae with peanuts, cinnamon sugar, more oak chips, orange peel, and leather. Mouthfeel also elevated; on the lighter side of full bodied and slick and oily. A great expression with literally zero flaws. Is it a game changer? No. But if aliens landed on Earth tomorrow and said “what is Bourbon?” you could hand them a bottle of this in confidence. At $50, the real question is “is it $30 better than regular WT 101?” and to that I say…maybe? Complicating matters is the fact that I have had better bottles of Kentucky Sprit at the same price. Crap, just buy it if you haven’t already. I’ll probably pick up another at some point earning it a 4.0 rating.