Tastes

Finally found this elusive bottle. Quite a fan of some 1792 expressions (BIB, Full Proof) and others not so much (Small Batch) so curious to see where this lands. Aroma is rich and sweet with Corn Pops cereal, apricot, clove, vanilla, oak, and only the slightest hint of typical 1792 banana. Palate is rich but extremely soft; lots of oak influence leading things off which is a bit of a contrast from the sweeter elements found in the nose. Other notes of imitation vanilla extract and walnut appear but oak is dominant leaving this kind of one dimensional. No hint of banana which quite frankly would have been welcome. Finish is a nice toasted caramel, followed by some nutmeg and clove but it is VERY short. Mouthfeel is airy and drying. Overall I found this to be a disappointment. As far as a flavor profile it is closer to the Small Batch than some of the other expressions. Apparently this is what you get when you remove the banana notes from a 1792 product; you get sort of an unremarkable plain Jane bit of a bourbon. Maybe it’s the proof, maybe it’s actually overaged, but it just doesn’t do it for me. At $50 for a 12 year age statement it’s very hard to call this a bad value, but I would not pay anywhere near that price for another bottle.

Not sure if it’s such a great idea to review another MGP bourbon right after my last one as I’m sure there will be many similar note but this bottle was getting low, so it’s time. Nose is somewhat a departure from normal MGP; getting a lot of cherry and oak. Honestly this smells way more like a BT product. Additional notes of caramel, vanilla, and rye spice. Ethanol is exceptionally low. Not the strongest aroma, but traditional and inviting. Palate features none of the fruit promised in the nose. This one is all caramel chew, wood, and smoke. On the brighter side of those flavors (it is MGP after all) but much less so than other offerings, which I found to be enjoyable. Flavors are rich and punchy. Finish is where things take a downtown; it’s a rough ride. Starts with straight up oak chips, barrel char, and a hint of generic citrus which is just fine but the proof and relatively low age make themselves known in the form of prickly alcohol burn which quickly becomes the dominant flavor, and we all know there are better finishes to be had. It’s long, but most of that is just heat. Mouthfeel is slick and oily. Overall not a bad job for a 4 yr MGP, and I’d say the folks at Proof and Wood do know how to pick a barrel. But ultimately with a flawed finish and pretty common flavor profile it just kind of gets lost in the mix at its proof and price point. At $56, there is no way I can recommend this over the far superior MGP product that is Belle Meade Reserve which happens to be cheaper. No rebuy here.

Nose is fairly subdued, featuring spun sugar, strawberry, green leafy vegetable, sawdust, and light generic citrus. Definitely a unique nose with lots to like, just wish it were a little stronger. Zero, and I mean ZERO ethanol presence, which is awesome. Those familiar with MGP expressions will find the familiar bright flavor profile here. Green apple, honey, mossy oak, and a light pepper and nutmeg spice. Flavors have depth and complexity while at the same time being very well rounded and seamlessly integrated. Finish is medium length with a sweetness that is a trait in MGP bourbons that I like to call “ice cream sundae”; namely French vanilla and caramel. It’s a little unusual to have a bourbon go from a brassy opening to a darker finish, but that’s what these nicely aged MGP bourbons tend to do for me. Mouthfeel is soft and buttery, which is exactly what is needed to propel the flavor profile. I think the age of the bourbons in the blend really made the difference here, as there is not a rough edge to be found. An enjoyable smooth 100 proof sipper with no discernible flaws. At the $68 I paid, I have zero regrets and can easily justify a rebuy.

I’ve had a couple of Oak and Eden expressions, and thus far and one has been good (Bourbon and Vine) and one so-so (Bourbon and Spire). The experiment continues; is this whole “spire” thing a gimmick or is there something to it? Read on… I rarely comment about the color of a whiskey as I’ve had dark whiskeys that taste young and light ones that taste aged, but it does bear mentioning that for a two year old bourbon, this has a really dark color. Could be a good sign? On the nose, getting dark fruits in the form of black cherry, plum, and…pomegranate? Also getting caramel, slightly overcooked gingerbread cookie, oak, and smoke. Fairly aromatic for 90 proof and quite pleasant. Palate actually has a lot going on. Fruits are there but brighter than the nose; apple and pear, sort like a canned fruit cocktail. Gingerbread (or at least the ginger) from the nose present as well. Caramel and barrel (spire?) char ride continuously underneath. Flavors aren’t particularly rich, but there’s complexity there. Finish features cocoa powder, cake frosting, and baking spices (more ginger but also clove and cinnamon) and goes for a little longer than you’d expect and by that I mean “medium” because I expected short. Mouthfeel is where the youth finally cannot be hidden; it’s pretty grainy and adds a sharpness to the finish otherwise not present in the flavor profile. Overall I found this to be a surprise that punches above its weight class. There’s a depth of flavors here that you would never guess is 2 yr old MGP, which means the spire is doing…something. At $50, it’s right on the verge of a rebuy for me. On one hand, there is definitely better out there for the price. On the other, good wheaters are truly hard to come by and I’d say this qualifies. A rebuy if no other better wheaters available.

Nose is decently pungent, with rye grains, cinnamon, lemongrass, lime, hay, and nutmeg. On the palate we find honeyed whole wheat bread, the cinnamon and nutmeg from the nose, some tea leaf, citrus and…not much else. Kind of flat and simplistic. Flavors don’t pack much punch or depth. Finish is straight black pepper; man, is this peppery. After the pepper fades, there is a hint of mint. Finish is long but so one-dimensional that it’s almost annoying. Mouthfeel leans toward the thin side. This is a very standard to sub-standard rye, and the weakest of the Kosher line by far. It doesn’t suck, but there’s just nothing at all remarkable about it. It’s not particularly herbaceous, nor has the delicious warm snickerdoodle sweetness found in some ryes. I paid $70 because I can never find a damned bottle, but even at a retail of $40 I’d be hard pressed to recommend. Drink and forget.

Moderate strength aroma offers Fruity Pebbles, corn, vanilla, candied ginger, and…Flintstone vitamins. Palate opens hard with more Flintstones. Sweet creamed corn, bubblegum, and vanilla creme in the mid-palate. Finish is quite decent; Creme brûlée, ginger spice, dry oak, butterscotch, buttered popcorn, and black pepper. Sufficiently long. Mouthfeel is lush and velvety. $47 for a 13yr 100 proof whiskey would normally be a smoking deal, but not so much in this case. I thought 13 years in the barrel might lessen some of the traditional Dickel notes, but it appears it instead intensified them. While there’s some good things here, when the whole thing is awash with vitamins it’s a hard child to love. Quite frankly, I think I’m done with this distillery; the profile just isn’t for me and unlike another distillery with lots of expressions I didn’t care for (Makers), I see no FAE-01 coming along to change my mind.

Total Wine and More store pick in Gilbert AZ, barrel # 50112. 106 proof. Nose doesn’t exactly jump out of the glass, but what is here is niiiice. Butterscotch, honey, light potpourri, cooking herbs (basil, oregano), and cinnamon sugar. The total lack of ethanol makes this fun to get in and huff. Palate hits you with mostly the same notes as the nose which is a good thing. The sweetness is definitely honey forward, paired with a little banana, followed by some mild herbals in the form of coriander and mint. What really stands out is how strongly the flavors are integrated and well balanced, letting the herbal notes shine without going full bore into left field. I believe the age on this has rounded off a lot of rough edges. Pleasingly warm tingle on the tongue. Finishes on the shorter side of medium, with a slow morph from the palate flavors into a peppery kick of rye spice. Mouthfeel is medium bodied but decently oily. This one definitely hit he right notes for me, and I would rank it among one of the better ryes I have tried. That said, the price is a bit high at $92 and my rating reflects that; for that price I don’t just want “nice”, I want “stellar” but I don’t regret the purchase either. Considering what’s out there in the rye universe in $50-$70 range (Bonesnapper, Willet 4 yr) it’s hard to justify a rebuy, but don’t let that make you think for a second that it isn’t pretty damn good.

So I was thinking that the whole “spire in the bottle” thing was pretty gimmicky, but then I had a taste of the “Bourbon and Vine” expression and I’ll be damned if it wasn’t pretty good, (will review it when I get my hands on a full bottle) so I decided to try the rest of the line. Nose is definitely oaky in a “furniture store” kind of way, along with cinnamon, pear, and waaaay too much ethanol for a 90 proof whiskey. On the palate it’s youthful and bright with cornbread, honey, baking spices, the pear from the nose, and pepper. Flavors are kind of brassy and not really well integrated. Finish is where I believe the whole “toasted spire” comes into play as there are some creme brûlée burnt sugar notes combined with a subtler oak note that’s pretty nice overall, albeit extremely short. Mouthfeel is plain ol’ medium bodied with no real defining characteristics. I found this to be less enjoyable than the Bourbon and Vine, but it’s…not bad. And that’s probably the best I can say for this one. At $45, it’s neither a deal nor a ripoff, but far from a rebuy for me.

Another MGP 95/5 rye, but I’m a little curious as to what the blenders at Barrell can pull off. Nose is full of spearmint, pine, lemongrass, and basil with a hint of graham cracker crust underneath. Definitely a sprucey affair. Palate pretty much matches the nose exactly with some richer honey in place of the graham cracker, but all other elements are present. Some camphor, menthol, and peppermint as well. Flavors definitely come in swinging, so that’s a plus. Finish is more mint with some pink peppercorn (closer to chili pepper than black pepper) And therein lies the rub; there is a lot of “sameness” here. Mouthfeel shows the youth of this product as it’s quite grainy. Ultimately a bit of a miss for me, as this lacks some complexity and depth and has a few rough edges. It’s not bad, but it needs…something, and I’m guessing that something is a bit more age. At $58, there are better rye options out there. Not a rebuy for me.

On the nose it’s BT distillery all the way with loads of fresh ripe fruits (berries, apple, cherry, and tangerine) with vanilla cream underneath. Not the most complex nose, but it is inviting. Palate is very reminiscent of the Weller line; all soft fruits and vanillas. Less oak or earthiness than in some other products such as the EHT line or Eagle Rare. No spice or oak to speak of. Like the nose it’s simplistic, but tasty. Finish doesn’t develop much with just a hint of oak coming out. Does have a lovely caramel flan lingering note after everything else fades. Where you might expect to get some spice, none ever materializes and it remains smooth as silk. Really addicting, but it comes and goes in a flash. Mouthfeel is velvety, and suits the profile perfectly. Drying effect makes you want to take another sip. It’s not hard to see why people love many BT whiskeys, especially the wheated ones as they are tasty and unchallenging, and this one fits squarely in that wheelhouse. Great substitute for the impossible to find Wellers, although I found the rye recipe slightly more interesting. At $40 retail this is a no brainer buy. I admittedly overpaid a semi-secondary price of $70 just to get my hands on it, and I can’t see myself paying that price again; just a little too simple for top dollar. That said, my rating is reflective of retail pricing.