Tastes
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Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2024 The Heart Release
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed July 25, 2024Aroma opens with black cherry, caramel chew candy, barrel char, toasted oak, grape, vanilla bean, leather and nutmeg. Ethanol somewhat present, but it’s not a killer. Complex. Palate brings chocolate, black cherry, walnut, burnt brown sugar, red apple, maple, toasted marshmallow, furniture polish, and gingerbread. There is a lot going on here. Oak is definitely prevalent, maybe a little too prevalent as it kind of overshadows some of the more desirable notes. Flavors are rich. Extremely long finish offers more oak, blood orange, cinnamon, pepper, clove, caramel, and an indistinct earthiness. Mouthfeel is excellent; full bodied and creamy. Compliments the flavor profile perfectly. An intriguing whiskey that does a nice job of blending fruit notes with dark sugars. At $79.99, it’s a winner. In fact, after tasting it I went back to the liquor store to get another bottle and surprise, surprise, it was gone. Ranks up there with some of the best of the previous wood finished releases.79.99 USD per Bottle -
Nose is soft and fruity with golden apple, pear, banana, cranberry, and citrus along with some wood scents; both oak and cedar. Slight mossy note. No ethanol to speak of. Overall appealing. Palate brings vanilla creme, banana, apple, honey, malt, and generic nuttiness. Flavors aren’t the most robust, but are nicely balanced. I appreciate the lack of burnt hair note that I find in some single malts. Super short finish offers praline ice cream, white pepper, soft delicate oak, toffee, mint, and cinnamon. Mouthfeel is soft and creamy, which I found to be a plus. Ok I can see why some would criticize this; too mild, not complex enough, short finish, etc, but you know what? I kind of dig it. Now here’s the rub; I paid $79.99 and at that price it just doesn’t measure up to rebuy status. If I could get this at retail which I understand is $49.99, it would probably be a staple. Definitely one of the best Crown Royal expressions I have sampled.79.99 USD per Bottle
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Blanton's Straight From the Barrel
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed June 5, 2024 (edited June 6, 2024)128.8 Proof Nose is very “Buffalo Trace” and by that I mean vanilla+fruit+oak, but in this case we have some additional complexity in the form of caramel, creamed corn, and a weird, earthy, musty rickhouse funk; yeasty and dank, I found the unique aspect quite enjoyable. Ethanol is pretty low given the proof. Palate matches the nose very well but let me try to elaborate a little; vanilla bean, red apple, berry, caramel flan, soft oak, caraway seed, orange peel, and that funk from the nose is also present here; it’s like a mix of shoe leather, wet paper, beet, and moss. While that doesn’t sound great, I actually liked it. Flavors are definitely punchy. Finish does take a bit of a downturn with a prickly and sharp turn into Spicetown. Cinnamon, pink peppercorn, ginger, allspice, and ghost pepper. Basically just a blast of heat and slightly sour, almost reminiscent of sweet and sour sauce. Oak turns disappointingly astringent. Mouthfeel is full but also manages to be grainy at the same time? (Not even sure how that’s possible, but here we are) Overall, while I enjoyed the nose and palate, there’s a lot of heat and sharpness in the finish for something that is often billed as world class. Still a quite good whiskey but falls short of greatness and thus, falls short of my expectations as well. At $199 I paid via mail order this is certainly not a rebuy but my ranking will reflect MSRP, even though none of us will ever find it at that price.199.99 USD per Bottle -
Redwood Empire Foggy Burl Single Malt Whiskey
American Single Malt — California, USA
Reviewed June 3, 2024 (edited July 19, 2024)Nose opens with figgy pudding, raisin, cocoa, cinnamon, dark wood, nougat, and peanut brittle. A bit of ethanol where I wanted none, but hey perfection is hard to come by. Omg. Palate is literally a liquid Tootsie Roll; chocolate, gooey fudge, caramel, toffee, malted milk ball, strawberry cream, and nutmeg. Flavors are luxurious and decadent. Finish carries the palate forward turning into carrot cake, marshmallow, peanut butter, date, black pepper, cinnamon roll, and a hint of balancing oak. Mouthfeel is heavenly; full bodied, silky, and buttery. This is absolutely amazing. The best “American Single Malt” I’ve ever had. Definitely on the desserty side and not the most complex whiskey I’ve ever had, but what’s here is stellar. Man, I want to give this a 5 but for that rating I just want a little more depth. That said at $84.99, the day after tasting it I went back to get a backup bottle to find the shelf bare. Doh! Buy, buy, buy.84.99 USD per Bottle -
Woo, first review! I will try to do it justice. Nose offers an equal blend of sweet, spicy, and herbal notes with gingerbread, white pepper, oregano, lemongrass, fennel, wintergreen, sugar cookie, and light oak. Ethanol slightly bothersome given the relatively low proof. Palate is sweeter and less herbal than the nose would indicate. Snickerdoodle cookie, vanilla, cinnamon sugar, chili pepper, peanut, mint, and cake icing. Flavors nicely integrated and balanced. Finish is decently long offering rye spice, Red Hots candy, mature oak, rosemary, eucalyptus, and delightful citrusy zest. Mouthfeel is slightly thin-bodied, resulting in everything being felt under the tongue, but also on the creamy side which serves this well. The extra three years aging over the standard 7 year release has worked wonders here adding depth and complexity. At $69.99, it’s a good value in todays market given the age statement. That said, I have had better with less age although most of those were higher rye mashbills. This is a great offering for a “barely rye” 51% sort of thing. Rebuy dependent on what else is in the cabinet.69.99 USD per Bottle
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Booker's Bourbon Batch 2024-01 "Springfield Batch"
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 30, 2024 (edited July 15, 2024)Nose offers musty rickhouse, peanut shell, toffee, barrel char, caramel, vanilla pudding, walnut, black licorice, and soft, sweet, oak. Ethanol is noticeable but in line given the proof. Palate matches the nose precisely, so as to not be repetitive see above. Dessert notes matched against bitter smoke/char/wood in equal parts offering a complimentary experience. Long finish brings cinnamon, pepper, some rye spice, mint, and a slight sourness almost like sourdough bread. Oak note from the palate turns slightly tannic, but pleasingly so. Mouthfeel is smooth and silky, which is a big plus. I had long since stopped buying these when the price went to $100+, but this particular release was available for a throwback price of $84.99, so I decided to take the plunge and I’m glad I did as this is superior whiskey. I may just pony up and buy other releases currently found on the shelf price be damned.84.99 USD per Bottle -
Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A124
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 29, 2024 (edited June 20, 2024)Nose is surprisingly fruity for this expression with strawberry cream, pineapple upside down cake, peanut shell, toffee, vanilla icing, and soft oak. Ethanol is pesky and takes a little off what otherwise might have been near perfect. Palate is nuttier and richer than nose would indicate with caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, fig, date, raisin, toffee, black cherry, chocolate and butterscotch. Complex. Finish is wildly long with a spice bloom of cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, clove, ginger, walnut, and oak. Spicy finish is a nice counterpoint, keeling things from getting too cloyingly sweet. Mouthfeel is vicious, but ends with a bit of dry prickliness. So I’ve seen some claim “best Larceny BP ever!” but not so fast; the profile matches my palate really well and props to Heaven Hill for taking the heat level down a notch but it’s far from perfect; a little boozy on the nose, a little prickly on the palate. So while I can’t in good conscience rank it higher than previous variations of this expression, that said its pretty good. Releases do seem to be getting more consistent and Larceny BP seems to be figuring it out, so I’m here for the ride. At 79.99, its a steal in today’s market.79.99 USD per Bottle -
Nose is pretty bright and brassy with peach, pine, citrus zest, cedar, white pepper, honey, vanilla icing, and gingerbread. Slight vitamin/mineral aroma. Unconventional. Ethanol continuously bothersome, showing some youth. Palate brings forth much from the nose, particularly the gingerbread, vanilla icing, and peach notes, along with toffee, cotton candy, rye spice, nutmeg, praline, and green apple. MGP-like in profile. The cedar/pine becomes a more pronounced oak. Quite well balanced but lacing in complexity. Finish turns spicy and dry with black peppercorn, leather, cinnamon, oak, clove, and tea leaf. Definitely has a bit of a bite to it. There’s a hint of a mineral note (I see you, Dickel!) but it’s actually enjoyable. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and walks the line between creamy and grainy, managing to be neither. Hard to rate as there is definite quality here, I favor a bit of a darker profile. At $50, this could certainly be someone’s mid-tier whiskey rebuy, just not mine.49.99 USD per Bottle
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Four Roses Private Selection Single Barrel Barrel Strength Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 15, 2024 (edited June 5, 2024)OBSQ recipe, 56.9% ABV, aged 10 yr 9 mo. Aroma is pungent with vanilla, oak, fresh cut grass, earthy cellar, honey, allspice, mint, citrus, and apple chips. Ethanol is decently low. Palate is sweeter than the nose would indicate with caramel, plum, molasses, barrel char, vanilla, cinnamon, and apricot. Flavors are rich. Finish turns slightly funky with white pepper, tobacco, fresh leather, clove, nutmeg, tarragon, sandalwood, and musty/dusty rick house. Mouthfeel is an absolute delight; thick, smooth, and creamy. Long lasting pepper note after everything else fades away. Bold and unique. While not my absolute favorite recipe I have sampled, it is still a top shelf whiskey with great complexity and zero flaws. I paid $129 and at that price it’s buy all day every day for these releases. While not as economical as say an ECPB, this still offers solid bang for your buck in today’s market.129.99 USD per Bottle -
Elijah Craig Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon (Private Label)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 13, 2024 (edited May 14, 2024)Total wine and more pick, 125.1 proof, 11 year age stated. Sweet and spicy nose with allspice, nutmeg, confectioners sugar, honey, ginger, nougat, vanilla cream, and Snickers bar. As I was writing this before taking my first sip, suddenly a berry note came out of nowhere. Ethanol nicely restrained. Whoa. Palate much woodier and more astringent than the nose would indicate. Sour cherries, oak, caramel, dark chocolate, sweet corn, buttered toast, and berry. Flavors are sharp and “tight” if that makes sense. Lingering finish brings more sourness (almost like gummy worms), furniture varnish, astringent oak, cherry NyQuil, black pepper, cinnamon, the dark chocolate from the palate, and barrel char. Mouthfeel is the thinnest and grainiest I have ever experienced in a ECBP product to the point of being watery, ultimately resulting in an unpleasant prickly feel where everything is felt solely on the sides of the tongue. This is…not good. All prickles and stings. Strangely sour and let me tell you, sour is NOT a note I appreciate in my whiskey. Someone actually selected this and said “this is the one”?!? I think I paid 79.99 for this and it’s a few sreps above a drain pour. I’ll stick to the main three releases each year and leave these “barrel strength private barrel” offerings on the shelf from now on. Huge disappointment.79.99 USD per Bottle
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