Tastes
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C921
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 16, 2024 (edited April 17, 2024)Nose is rich and full with pecan, nutmeg, caramel, vanilla, allspice, cinnamon. ginger, clove, Fuji apple, and oak. Ethanol is minimal. Palate offers all the spices in the nose (so as not to be redundant see above) along with some burnt sugars, cashew nut, tobacco, gooey caramel, bakers chocolate, and blackberry. Definitely punchy. Finish is extremely long featuring barrel char, leather, semi-astringent oak, fiery chili pepper, and a hint of peppermint. There’s some alcohol heat here and a sharp and prickly mouthfeel that doesn’t do this any favors. Ends very dry. So, I love these expressions. That said, there are desserty versions, fruity versions, and spicy versions, and this falls into the latter category with a good deal of hot baking spice notes. Very “autumn”. Finish was harsher than I would have wanted, although I admit it’s a minor flaw. At $80, these continue to be an insane value in todays market. Buy with no reservations, knowing that at worst (like this one) you’re still getting a 4 out of 5.79.99 USD per Bottle -
Aroma is interesting and unique, offering peach, white grape, honey, sugar cookie, banana, and pine. Ethanol is there is you huff too deeply, but diminishes with smaller sniffs. Palate offers vanilla, bitter orange marmalade, honey glaze, butterscotch, burnt marshmallow, and banana bread. Flavors are rich and punchy. Finish is long and complex with Concord grape, caramel, orange slice candy, white pepper, and blackberry. Wow…you can still taste some elements minutes later. There is a hint of ethanol which serves to be a slightly detracting. Mouthfeel is medium bodied but extremely oily and slick. Almost bordering on a dessert whiskey with many layers of complexity within the sweetness. Could have used a hint of wood for balance. At 86.99, it’s slightly overpriced but yet still a fine whiskey that I would consider rebuying depending on what else is in my current stock.86.99 USD per Bottle
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James E. Pepper - Barrell Proof 2023 release
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 8, 2024 (edited April 10, 2024)Nose offers cedar, cotton candy, berry, vanilla, root beer, walnut, and butter. Unique for sure, but also a little wild. Ethanol is on the milder side, especially after five minutes in the glass. Palate is full of black cherry, cola, caramel, stewed pear, fig, tobacco, and a hint of peanut. Flavors are decently robust. Pleasantly long finish brings salted caramel, toasted oak, nutmeg, finely ground pepper, and leather. Cinnamon note lingers after everything else fades. Mouthfeel is full bodied and a little creamy, which elevates the experience. Nicely unique without any major flaws, I found this enjoyable. At $60, it is priced appropriately for the market and a viable rebuy option for the sake of variety when you’re tired of the same ol’ same ol’.59.99 USD per Bottle -
Bernheim Barrel Proof Wheat Whiskey B923
Wheat Whiskey — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed April 1, 2024 (edited April 9, 2024)Nose is relatively muted, but features popcorn, wintergreen, saltwater taffy, tangerine, new leather, honey, and oak tannins. A confusing mix for sure. Ethanol definitely a presence and makes you pay the price if you huff too deeply. Palate deviates from the nose in a positive way offering caramel, buttered corn, chocolate, brown sugar, and a hint of orange/citrus which was very welcome. Flavors are robust, but also center on the back of the tongue adding a hint of harshness. Finish is surprisingly long and brings a spice bloom of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom along with black pepper, dried oak, and burnt sugars. There is a little astringent alcohol burn and root vegetable note after everything else fades. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and sufficiently oily and suits the profile well. Finishing better then it starts, this doesn’t suck but there are some flaws as there is kind of an astringency throughout which brings the overall experience down a peg. At the $79.99 that I paid (damn mail order, lol) it is pretty far from a rebuy and I’d even struggle to rebuy it at a lower price since I can think of a better whiskey at nearly every price point. Middle of the road.79.99 USD per Bottle -
63.9% ABV. Aroma explodes out of the glass with brown sugar, molasses, hay, oats, barnyard funk, rye crisp, baker’s chocolate, wet dirt, nutmeg, and sage. Bold and complex. Ethanol shockingly low…are we sure this nearly 128 proof? Palate continues the brown sugar/molasses/chocolate from the nose along with orange peel, almond, tobacco, and wood tannins. Warm hug builds over time. There’s a decent amount of unwelcome astringency to the profile. Finish is long and intense with caramel flan, spearmint, cinnamon sugar, black pepper, rye spice, leather, and mesquite wood. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and oily, but also a little on the grainy side. An interesting whiskey with much to like but also quite rough around the edges. Nowhere near what one would expect from a rye and while that’s not a crime, it’s not necessarily a win for me either. At $60 there’s no issue with value; I just wish it was a slightly softer, more cohesive overall experience. Falls short of rebuy at 3.75.59.99 USD per Bottle
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Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 12
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 25, 2024 (edited March 26, 2024)The now famous, Batch 12. 132.3 proof. Nose is powerful and infinitely complex; molasses, maple, brown sugar, black cherry, plum, barrel char, chocolate, cinnamon, leather, pipe tobacco, and dark oak almost mahogany. Yes, all that is really in there and in equal strengths. On the palate, just literally look at the components listed above in the aroma because they are all present on the tongue as well. This bourbon encompasses all that is "dark"; dark fruits, dark sugars, and dark wood. Flavors are rich and blend seamlessly. A splash of water to take it down a few proof points and this one positively sings. Finish literally goes on forever. Longest I have ever had by far. I hate to sound like a broken record, but everything in the nose/palate is also there in the finish before it finally subsides leaving you with some tingly menthol and chili pepper. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Kentucky hug is real even after the addition of water. Overall just a transcendent bourbon. And when you figure in the price? If there's anything out there that beats this for $60, I'd love to taste it. Will always attempt to have this on the shelf. If you find it and you have never had it, buy it. Case closed.59.99 USD per Bottle -
Stagg Jr Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 16
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 25, 2024 (edited March 26, 2024)Nose is pungent and fruity with apple, berry, raisin, date, and plum all covered with vanilla icing. Additional notes of caramel, cinnamon, and oak. Very Buffalo Trace in the sense of fruit+vanilla+oak. Ethanol is ridiculously low given the proof. Palate is a little less sweet than the nose would indicate but still offers fruit with a dark twist in the form of blackberry, fig, black cherry, concord grape, and black currant. Vanilla/caramel from the nose provides a base for the fruits to shine. Flavors are super punchy. Finish brings plenty of heat along with pomegranate, fresh oak, black pepper, cherry, cinnamon, leather, and tobacco. There’s a blackberry note from the palate which lingers all the way through the finish which I enjoyed. Mouthfeel is where this one lacks a little; medium bodied and while I wouldn’t go so far as to call it grainy it is a little on the sharp side. A superior bourbon with only minor flaws and a great example of the Buffalo Trace profile turned up to 11 which may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but given the popularity of BT products seems to be favored more often than not. I managed to snag this one at straight retail of $59.99 way back in 2021, a feat that is laughable in today’s market. I feel that rating it at that price point three years later when most are paying $150+ secondary is kind of disingenuous, so I’m going to make an exception and take price totally out of the equation with my rating. 4.5 out of 5.59.99 USD per Bottle -
Old Forester Single Barrel Bourbon Barrel Strength
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 19, 2024 (edited March 21, 2024)131.1 proof “Jason’s Favorite” pick from Fox Cigar Bar in Gilbert AZ. Nose is 100% on profile for Brown Foreman/Old Forster and is full of cherry cola, orange zest, chocolate, furniture varnish, soft oak, vanilla, sarsaparilla, pine, clove, and slightest hint of banana. Very enjoyable. Ethanol is noticeable but less than expected and not detracting. (It is 131 proof after all) Palate open with maraschino cherry, root beer, tobacco, raisin, toffee, orange peel, pepper, and flan. Flavors are robust as expected. Finish is a pretty jarring departure in the form of a major spice bloom with both cinnamon, ginger, clove, and chili pepper (ghost pepper, much heat not a lot of flavor) along with decently aged oak. Everything is felt under the tongue. Mouthfeel is full and viscous. Yeah, I like this a lot. The sweet/spicy profile worked for me, but I wish it was a smoother transition to the finish with elements of the palate carrying through instead of a quick roller coaster ride into Spice Mountain. That said, it’s bold and a little challenging and I like that. At $109 I paid for this would surely rebuy any variations of this expression I can get my hands on at a similar price.109.0 USD per Bottle -
Four Roses Private Selection Single Barrel Barrel Strength Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 14, 2024 (edited March 16, 2024)“Momma’s” pick OESV aged 10yrs 6 months, 57.2% ABV Nose is full of vanilla and stone fruit (peach, plum, cherry) along with red delicious apple, blackberry, and just a touch of oak. Ethanol is basically non-existent, which is crazy given the proof. That said, the overall nose is a little tight/muted. Palate gets things moving in the right direction with the same notes as the nose but dialed up several notches. Fruit cocktail drizzled with vanilla icing along with chocolate fudge, flan, and a little butterscotch. It’s not the most complex, but very well integrated. Finish is long and lingering with Red Hots candy, white pepper, leather, and a definite oak presence suddenly appearing. Quite the contrast from the palate. Heat is there, but restrained. Mouthfeel is full bodied and extremely creamy which is a real highlight that greatly elevates the overall experience. Loved the lack of ethanol and velvety mouthfeel and while the palate and finish were also very good, it does suffer from a slight lack of complexity. That said, I am splitting hairs here as this is an excellent whiskey. I paid $119 and would do so again for any bottles of this expression.119.0 USD per Bottle -
Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C920
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 12, 2024 (edited March 13, 2024)Nose is full of hot baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) and peanut. Some cherry cola as well. Ethanol is moderate. Palate matches the nose nearly precisely; if you like lots of spice and peanut, this is your whiskey. Also rum soaked raisin, caramel, and black pepper. Flavors pass “punchy” and enter the realm of “in your face”. From a guy who likes his flavors dialed up to 10, this is a 15. For 6-8 years, this seems young as hell. Finish brings more of the same and is shorter than expected for the good parts (nut, baking spices, leather, oak) and longer than necessary on others (cinnamon/chili pepper spice) Mouthfeel is full bodied and oily which is the best part of this whiskey. Oof. Hot mess express. The oldest Larceny BP I own and reviewing it so many years later shows how the expression has matured and developed over the years as you can tell the whiskeys in the blend here were much younger than subsequent releases. I think I paid 59.99 which was great at the time given the price creep in bourbon, but honestly even at that price from days gone by I would not pay that for this specific release. Lowest rating I think I have given to an LBP.59.99 USD per Bottle
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