Tastes

Ok this has a really epic nose; peanut shell, cinnamon sugar, caramel chew candy, red apple, orange peel, barrel char, rickhouse must, and soft oak. There’s a lot here and it’s complex, robust, and totally devoid of ethanol. Palate is Wild Turkey 101 on steroids. Rich caramel flan, vanilla bean, Spanish peanut, creme brûlée (both the custard and the burnt sugar), candied pear, and cinnamon stick. If some of those descriptions are oddly specific it’s because the elements are that pronounced. Flavors are bold and in your face, and I’m about it. Finish offers a slow morph into cinnamon gummy bear, nutmeg, allspice, charcoal, and sweet oak, and goes on what seems like forever. Mouthfeel is super chewy and is a perfect fit. In the running for one of the best Wild Turkey products I have ever had, and an ass kicker of a bourbon. So it’s a 5, right? Not so fast. Not sure what the MSRP is, but I paid $84 for this 375ml bottle. Even if I overpaid by a decent margin, this would still be overpriced. Man, why couldn’t this be in a regular 750ml with say a $60 price tag? Hmmm? A great whiskey but a shitty value. Gets a 4.0 even though I’m almost certainly not going to be rebuying it.

Nose offers some traditional notes of rye spice, caraway seed, and spearmint but also oak, sesame, and charcoal. Ethanol low for the proof, which is a plus. Palate features extra white honey, clove, candy corn, and banana. Untraditional, but not in a compelling way as the overall taste is somewhat bland and yawn inducing. Searching for salinity from the “aged at sea” concept and struggling to find it. Finish brings a little more of an interesting situation in the form of cake icing, light citrus (lime?), cocoa powder, and mint, but it is short except for a lingering toothpaste note and an astringent wood reminiscent of pencil shavings. Mouthfeel is in the thinner side of medium and is quite grainy. Minus points there. A sub standard rye and although it features a secondary barreling, you’d almost never know it as the effect is so subtle. It’s not awful, but also didn’t come together for me at all. At $80, this is a terrible value as I’d rather drink Rittenhouse rye for $26. Not impressed.

Nose offers vanilla custard, caramel, black cherry, oak, sesame seed, and cinnamon. Slightest hint of buttered corn. Ethanol is low, allowing for huffing to one’s content. Palate matches the nose nearly precisely but adds raisin, apricot, pecan, milk chocolate, and candy corn. Flavor profile is rich, soft, and well integrated. Finish is nice and long and offers a smooth transition to cinnamon sugar, nutmeg, mint, black pepper, and soft, sweet oak. Mouthfeel is medium bodied (honestly I wished for just a little thicker) but very very oily. So let’s get this out of the way right now; I really liked this bourbon and…I’m about to slam it. At $76 for a 375ml bottle (ok maybe I overpaid but not by that much over MSRP from my research) the value is…crazeballs. If this was $50 for a 750ml then “hello new daily drinker” but alas, it’s not to be. Not regretting the purchase per se, but no way this makes rebuy status at the price point. Sorry, not sorry. Manages a 3.5 because what’s in the bottle is damn good.

On the nose, we find caraway seed, rye spice, thyme, vanilla, fresh linen, and a hint of juniper berry. Hard to classify as either sweet or herbal; more of a “savory” aroma? Ethanol is extremely minimal. Palate is…very bizarre for a rye. Has some gin-like qualities as coriander and cardamom are prevalent, along with some orange peel. There is vanilla and graham cracker underneath, but you have to dig for it. No off notes, but what really stands out is how bland this is; where is the sweet richness or peppery spice? Not enough herbaceous notes to stand out in that category either, and no real wood presence to speak of. Extremely clean finish with generic berry, more coriander, and an earthy, mossy note. Finish is short and dry, and the mouthfeel is airy. I believe this is distilled by New Riff and as such I expected much better. Bland, lacking richness, and with an somewhat odd flavor profile, this misses the mark for me in a big way. It’s as if someone took a quality rye and stripped out all the things that make it great. At $70, it falls into the “WTF?” category on a value standpoint. Nowhere close to a rebuy. Disappointing.

Nose features gingerbread, pine tree, clove, lemon rind, and hay. Slight ethanol presence is forgivable given the proof, but it’s there. Palate is punchy with snickerdoodle cookie, anise, cinnamon sugar, vanilla bean, cardamom, and nutmeg. Long finish offers mint, light oak, rye spice, cinnamon, and pink peppercorn which builds in spiciness after repeated sips. Flavors from the palate carry over providing a slow, smooth transition to the finish. Mouthfeel is thick, chewy, and dry as a bone, bumping the overall experience up a notch. A wonderful example of a “sweet and spicy” rye with solid maturity, this provides a robust, integrated, and cohesive experience. At $83 and carrying a 6 yr age statement, it is fairly priced for what it offers. Very much MGP but with a slightly sweeter and more balanced profile compared to many other MGP offerings, proving the people at Proof and Wood know how to pick a barrel. I would say this is a cut above the norm, and a solid rebuy.

Nose is both unusual and appealing as the cask finish shows up here with fruity, jammy notes (strawberry, boysenberry) along with wintergreen, caraway, graham cracker, brown sugar, and black tea. Palate features the tea leaf promised in the nose, along with some lemongrass, fig, raspberry, and walnut. Hint of mint as well. This could really use some caramel or butterscotch maybe to balance it out, but sadly it just isn’t there. That said, the dichotomy between the fruity and herbal notes is an interesting one. Flavors are decently robust for the proof. Medium length finish has more tea, Spearmint, white pepper, and tannic oak. Mouthfeel is oily and on the lighter side of medium. Overall, while the secondary cask brings some nice elements this is more of a curiosity than a slam dunk. I can see what they were going for here, but I just kept wishing for things flavor wise that never really materialized and I’m not the biggest tea fan and this has a lot of it which I think is affecting my rating. At $70 it’s value is fair but I can think of dozens of other ryes I’d rather pick at that price point, and thus not a rebuy for this reviewer.

Aroma is exquisite and pungent for the proof with candied nuts, white grape, butter, green apple, fig, malt, leather, and fresh, soft wood. Ethanol nearly non-existent. On the palate, the sherry cask makes its presence known with a variety of fruits (apple, pear, grape), along with powdered sugar, cola, marzipan, butterscotch, and hazelnut. Rich, but delicate at the same time. Oh man, the finish takes this to another level; fruits turn a little darker with plum, date, and fig, meeting a slightly tannic oak which provides contrast. Mouthfeel is soft and velvety and very complimentary. A truly first class Irish whiskey. I paid $139 for this, which I understand is a steal compared to the secondary market, but I feel this is an appropriate price point; as the quality is certainly there. Would absolutely rebuy at anywhere near retail.

Nose is pungent and features ripe melon, apricot marmalade, bubblegum, peach, honey, vanilla, chocolate malt, rubber, and pear. Minimal ethanol presence, which is great. This is quite the departure for Balcones. Palate matches the nose almost precisely, with added flavors of cereal grains, and caramel drizzled flan. Flavors are rich and robust to the point of being mouth fatiguing so my review sized pour was definitely a little too much, but that’s a flaw I can live with. Finish is a delightful blend of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, pineapple upside down cake, and chocolate. Very “ice cream sundae”. These notes coming out of the fruitiness of the nose and palate are both surprising and welcome. Finish is insanely long with the sweet notes eventually taking a turn into a spicy bloom with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of cherry wood. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. A fruit forward Balcones? Magical! This is one of the best whiskeys in their portfolio along with being a total sleeper. My only real critique is that it’s not in any way subtle or refined and is probably best in smaller doses. “Isn’t that a good thing?” some would ask and to that I say; do you want to eat a piece of chocolate cake or the whole cake? That said, I can’t deny that this is quite delicious. At $79, I have no problem placing this in rebuy status.

2019 edition 114.4 proof Batch 002, Barrel # 14527. Nose is full of “green”. Green apple, green hay, green oak (almost closer to pine/cedar), dill, thyme, with some baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) thrown in. Hint of banana that I am digging. After a while an umami note as well. This is complex, and leaves you wanting to dive into it’s considerable depths. Some ethanol when you huff deeply, but forgivable given the proof. Palate features typical MGP brightness with caramel covered Granny Smith apple, leather, pine, light vanilla, tobacco, leafy herbs, and oak. Biggest strength is its integration; flavors blend almost seamlessly. If you like aged MGP, this is going to be your jam. Proof helps deliver sufficient heft. Finish goes on for what seems like days delivering the spice bloom promised in the nose. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, prickly, and effervescent and fits the profile very well. A wonderful example of what higher aged MGP has to offer. At 99.99 for a ten year age statement, I feel this is priced appropriately so neither a value nor a ripoff. To give an idea of how this stacks against other MGP sourced offerings, I’d rather pay more for this than say Smoke Wagon UCUF, but I can get a similar profile with Belle Meade Reserve for half the cost which keeps this from being a total slam dunk.

Nose opens with…ok wow. Dried fruit (lemon, lime, orange), rye spice, oatmeal, mint, pepper, and green oak. Aroma is complex, punchy, and devoid of ethanol. Enticing. On the palate, this is the epitome of a “sweet and spicy” rye. There’s a lot going on here and I will try to capture as much as possible. Sweetness in the form of poppyseed muffin, dehydrated apple chips, lime, and molasses. Spicy in the form of cinnamon, black pepper, chili pepper, and raw rye grain. Ever had a rye Triscuit? There’s some of that in here. Flavors are rich and robust. Finish turns decidedly spicy and lasts what seems like forever. Herbals make themselves known with peppermint, anise, more chili pepper, oregano, and dill. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, sparkly, and dry as bone and while no way a flaw, is the only part of this whiskey that is less than absolutely stellar. Quite possibly the best rye to ever grace my lips. Kind of quintessential; not too herbal, not too sweet, not too spicy (although it might come close on that one) At the $150 I overpaid when I found it in the wild, I can’t say I in any way regret the purchase. Would I buy it again at 33% markup? Probably.