Tastes
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Smoke Wagon Small Batch Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Indiana (bottled in Nevada), USA
Reviewed June 10, 2021 (edited February 20, 2022)Nose brings walnut, pine, rye, apple cider tang, ginger, and musty hay. Some ethanol notes underneath but it’s not a big deal. I will say that the aroma while far from being offensive, doesn’t scream “inviting” either. Palate opens with baked apple, light vanilla, walnut from the nose, and dried apricot. Flavors are bright and brassy. Not getting much oak or wood influence. Finish is on the short side but is definitely the best part of this bourbon with clove, honey, more pine/spruce, white pepper, and finally some bitter oak. A common trait I have found in MGP bourbons, the finish goes slightly sweet after everything else has faded, this time presenting itself as a hint of molasses. Mouthfeel is thin and quite frankly could use a little more heft. Everyone in my neck of the woods seem to go gaga over Smoke Wagon and it’s sort of become the latest tater bottle and I’m not 100% sure I get it. (Although maybe I’m the tater since I bought it as well, lol) Don’t get me wrong; this is perfectly serviceable whiskey. But at $50 I can get a far superior MGP profile in Belle Meade Reserve, and that is ultimately what is the nail in the coffin for this one. A big “meh” for me.50.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose is strong and complex featuring some really unique aromas; salted caramel, musty peanut shell like you’d find in a Texas restaurant where they throw the peanuts on the floor, freshly cut/sanded wood like 8th grade shop class, fresh cut Bermuda grass, and a hint of candied orange. Ethanol is there but presents as a soft background prickle. Not your typical rye nose (That’s foreshadowing, y’all) Palate is…different. Vanilla, pecan, nutmeg, light cherry, orange zest, and delightful heavy, smoky char. That secondary barrel is doing good things here. A kiss of anise and mint underneath is really the only hint that this is rye; blindfold me and I probably wouldn’t be able to tell. Flavors have richness, complexity, and depth. Finish is short side of medium, with old leather, tobacco, oak and pepper. An enjoyable finish for sure. Mouthfeel is buttery, which fits the flavor and finish perfectly. A really hard one to rate. As a rye? So non-traditional to the level that I’d have to say it loses a point. As a whiskey? It’s unique and tasty enough with enough enjoyable components to gain the point right back. I enjoyed it, I really did. I’m going to have to say at the admittedly overly high price I paid of $75 (only one shop near me carries it) it doesn’t scream “must rebuy” but on the other hand, I could see myself buying it again…someday. Especially if cheaper. If you can find it at let’s say $60, it would be well worth the purchase. I’d give it a 3.9 if I could but since I can’t, I will round up to a 4.0.75.0 USD per Bottle
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Nose is stronger that expected for a 91 proof bourbon featuring ripe peach, barrel char, brown sugar, vanilla, and candy corn. On some sniffs I get no ethanol and on others a little hint. Palate delivers the peach notes promised in the nose along with some apple as well, developing into a traditional vanilla/caramel and toasted coconut in the mid-palate. Flavors are nicely balanced with no one flavor dominating. Nothing reinvents the wheel here, but I am seriously surprised at the depth and richness. Finish features just a hint of black pepper spice to tingle the tongue, oak, and lots of smoky char which I enjoyed. It is pretty darn short though, (womp womp) but that’s probably to be expected. Mouthfeel is light and airy and matches the flavor profile perfectly. Ok, this seriously impressed me. A low proof easy sipper as soft as Charmin but still packing some real flavor. Normally I don’t really go crazy for much under 100 proof but found this to be a delight and couldn’t stop drinking it. At $53, I would always have this on hand if it were available in my state. Hell, I might always have it on hand even if I have to mail order it.53.0 USD per Bottle
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Finally hitting the Phoenix area and at a reasonable price, I snapped this one up quickly. Let’s see how it measures up. Nose is pretty mild with some grass, a hint of vanilla, some citrus zest, and milled rye grain. Kind of a weedy, skunky note underneath. I keep saying “some” and “a little” because there just isn’t much going on here. You have to dig for it. Palate features rye spice, soft vanilla, and oak. Oak is a little too prevalent and comes off as slightly astringent. But honestly what this tastes most like is Elijah Craig small batch bourbon. Definitely one of the more “un rye” ryes I’ve had. Finish finally features some rye characteristics with anise and mint, with continued astringent oak, Mouthfeel is grainy, and between the taste and the mouthfeel, there’s a harshness here. That said, it’s blissfully short. Pretty disappointing. At $32, the price is decent but quite frankly at the bottom end of the rye price spectrum I’d rather have another Heaven Hill product (Rittenhouse) over this one, which makes this destined for a “not rebuy” for me in the future.32.0 USD per Bottle
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Bone Snapper X-Ray Straight Rye Whiskey
Rye — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 21, 2021 (edited August 4, 2021)Nose pops with lemon pepper, hay, barnyard funk, blood orange, cinnamon, honeysuckle, brown sugar and vanilla. There’s also a leafy cooking herb component in there (basil? oregano? thyme?) A complex and inviting nose for sure. On the palate, layers of lemon poppy seed muffin, those “orange slice” candies, snickerdoodle cookie, vanilla, and a kiss of oak. Flavors are bright and punchy as hell. Finish is just ridiculously long with brown sugar, cinnamon, rye spice, black pepper, chili pepper, orange and lemon zest. Everything about this whiskey is just explosive in a good way. At $55, this is like highway robbery. Is it REALLY a 4.75? Yes. Yes it is. I mean...wut? Scratch that, this is terrible. No one should buy it! Well, no one in the Phoenix Arizona area anyway. Outside of that you should get one. Buying a backup bottle before the secret gets out.55.0 USD per Bottle -
Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2021 FAE-01
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 18, 2021 (edited June 4, 2021)Spoiler alert: Wait, what? A Makers product gets over 4.0 from me? Read on.... I’ve made no secret that out of all the big boys, Makers is probably my least favorite distillery. While I have enjoyed a few (Makers 46, and 101 proof), their cask strength whiskeys have ranged from “not worth the cost” to “total shit show”. So it is with much surprise and some pleasure that I present the following review. Nose blasts out of the glass with dark fruits, saddle leather, oak, concord grapes, barrel charcoal, caramel, and vanilla. On the palate the fruits come through big time making this quite a delight; fig, date, cherry, plum, and bananas foster sauce after being flambéd. Brown butter, leather, tobacco, and grape leaf in the mid-palate. Everything is rich as hell; the bourbon equivalent of a slice of double chocolate cake. Finish is satisfyingly long and consists mostly of stone fruit and oak with a dash of Grains of Paradise. The ride from the palate to the finish is a smooth one. And while this does show all of its 111 proof, the scalding heat of other Makers releases is blissfully absent here. Mouthfeel is full and grippy. Heavy oiliness coats the entire mouth with ease. Who knew that what it took for Makers to ascend to greatness was to make a fruit forward whiskey? At $70, I have ZERO regrets this time. And that’s a great thing to type as I was starting to feel like my relationship with Makers was becoming almost abusive (“It will be different this time, I swear!”) Nice to finally score a hit.70.0 USD per Bottle -
Wilderness Trail Family Reserve Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon (Wheated Bourbon)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed May 13, 2021 (edited July 22, 2022)21 Degrees Cigar Bar store pick Scottsdale, AZ. Barrel # 15G29-17, 115 proof. Healthy aroma of peanut, cashew, cola, black cherry, barrel spices, char, and ethanol but the ethanol is mild and more of an undertone. Palate matches the nose precisely with cashew nut being the dominant flavor, but for the sake of not being repetitive simply see above for tasting notes. Flavors are full and rich and being a fan of nutty bourbons I did find the palate enjoyable. Nose is good, palate is good, so far so good, right? Sadly, the finish goes totally and completely of the rails. Harsh and abrasive, with charcoal briquette and astringent oak in full effect. Even the enjoyable nut from the palate turns to a bitter almond. It’s decently long, but given the characteristics it’s more of a bug than a feature. Perceivable Kentucky Hug. Mouthfeel is grainy as sandpaper, which does NOT help at all. Given that I am a fan of the 100 proof small batch I wanted to like this more than I did. I wanted greatness. I did not get greatness. At $57, it’s far from a rebuy for me. Not sure to blame the taster or the distillery, but this was ultimately a disappointment.57.0 USD per Bottle -
Smooth Ambler Old Scout Straight Bourbon Store Picks 5 Year
Bourbon — Indiana (bottled in West Virginia), USA
Reviewed May 11, 2021 (edited October 28, 2021)“Los Miguel’s” pick from Star Liquor in Phoenix Arizona. 117.4 proof. 5 year age statement. Robust nose features circus peanuts, macadamia nuts, orange zest, gentle oak, and nutmeg. On some nights this hit me with ethanol fumes and on other nights it didn’t (including this one) so confusing AF there. On the palate big nutty presence (a blend of cashew, peanut, and walnut), cherry, oak, caramel, and barrel spices (equal parts cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and allspice) Finish is so sharp it cuts like a knife featuring “atomic fireball” cinnamon candy, ash, and an unattenuated alcohol bite that really beats the tongue up a little. It’s medium in length but since it’s not a great finish, you’d probably prefer shorter. Mouthfeel is grainy, which only adds to the harshness. Seeing as I used to get Total Wine’s (superior) five year store picks at $42, the $57 mark makes this a hard child to love. A fan of the five year store picks and would rebuy them in the future; just not necessarily this one.57.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose features vanilla bean, caramel-dipped green apple, milk chocolate, cinnamon, oak, and rye spice. Barrel char note becomes more prevalent as it sits. Certainly inviting enough. Subdued ethanol given the proof. Palate opens with toasted marshmallow, oak, and barrel char, before hitting some cashew/pistachio nuttiness in the mid-palate. Flavors are round and layered. Finish barely long enough to be called medium, with chocolate, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, oak, and some undefined fruits. Mouthfeel is neither thick nor thin, fitting the flavor profile well. You can certainly tell the blenders at Barrell know what they are doing as the flavors here are well presented. I’m a little vexed by this one because the first half of the bottle was SO rounded that few individual flavors stood out which had the net effect of coming off as slightly boring. But a funny thing happened on the way to the review; (I review bottles at the half way point) it opened up and started to shine. So hard to rank. Didn’t particularly care for the first half of the bottle; but enjoying where it’s at now and looking forward to the final third of the bottle. Overall I’m leaning toward that this is a little too rounded/integrated for my tastes, as I prefer bolder flavors. At $58 and 114 proof, there’s no way I feel ripped off and this is perfectly enjoyable but will probably spend my future $58 on whiskeys I enjoy a little more.58.0 USD per Bottle
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Just picking up a prescription and exiting my local CVS and what do I see? This rye on clearance for $19.99! Not normally on my radar, but any time you can get a 100 proof rye from a major distiller for a Jackson, you have to do it, don’t you? On the nose, lemongrass, hay, honey, barrel char, and generic “citrus”. Aroma has decent pungency. Palate opens with rye grain spice and sweetness in the form of baked apple skin, and some light vanilla before transitioning into white pepper, fennel, and leather in the mid palate. Flavors are nice but lack some depth and flavors land firmly in the middle of the tongue and set up camp there. Finish is surprisingly long with more pepper, cinnamon, and oak tannins. Mouthfeel is soft and round and suits the flavor profile really well. A simple soft rye with no major flaws but no real exciting or unique characteristics either. There’s definitely some things to like though. Might be a great choice for the bourbon drinker just getting into ryes. Absolutely worth it at the ridiculous clearance price I paid. At its normal $30 ish range? I’m going say probably not, given Rittenhouse and High West Double Rye are out there in the same price range. Earns a “not bad at all” 3.5 rating.20.0 USD per Bottle
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