Tastes

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

Total Wine pick from Gilbert AZ. Aged 9 yrs. (Since I already have reviewed the core product, this review will focus on the differences between this pick and the “standard” version) Nose has the lovely Jim Beam peanut funk along with a heavy oak presence, and surprisingly low ethanol given the proof. Palate features the standard peanut+cherries+oak profile, but with some of the rougher edges smoothed out (as I have found to be the case with many a KC pick). Kentucky Hug in full effect. There are some similarities between this and a not-the-best Booker’s batch, but I actually mean that as praise. A rounder, more integrated experience than the standard and a big improvement, but woefully short of the famous (infamous?) 14-15 yr KC picks that are no longer available. At $57, this is darn good but falls short of great. Will buy more KC store picks in the future, but is there any reason we need to go from 14-15 years all the way down to 9? Can we get some say, 11-13 yr picks?

Barrel 16-2899 105.7 proof. Not available in my state, but due to the wonders of mail order, here we are. On the nose, getting butterscotch, orange zest, Kola nut, copper, musty old paper, and a hint of ethanol but it’s forgivable at this proof. Palate opens with brown sugar, orange rind and candy corn, before transitioning into some vanilla, ginger, and (call me crazy) a hint of Unami flavor. (Soy? Teriyaki?) Flavors are robust and more integrated than the bottled-in-bond. Flows smoothly to a medium length finish of white pepper, toasted oak chips, mild cinnamon, and clove. Mouthfeel is slick at first but then dry as the Sahara, which has the net effect of making you want another sip. After everything fades the mid palate flavors linger, which I really enjoyed. Maybe I got a honey barrel, but I found this to be a delight. Not for the faint of heart, this bourbon punches above its weight class. At the $57 I paid we are definitely talking craft distillery pricing, but I don’t feel ripped off in the slightest and I will miss this when it’s gone.

Finally able to get my hands on this bottle (via mail order) that is not available in AZ. Nose features strawberry, melon, spruce, and a hint of egg creme. Not much in the way of ethanol which is great, but overall the nose is pretty weak. On the palate getting vanilla, red fruits (red apple and cherry), hazelnut, and dark sugars. Flavors have depth. Not much in the way of wood presence. Finish is a lasting one, with chocolate, Red Hots candy, burnt caramel, and barrel char. After repeated sips we finally find a hint of oak along with some mint, but it takes a while to build up before it’s noticeable. Mouthfeel is oily and coating and fits the flavor profile like a glove. Definitely different than standard 4R small batch which I find to be a vanilla/fruit bomb or the cinnamon/rye spice of the SiB. This is a different, richer, (and more enjoyable) beast. Overall at the $59 I paid, it is neither “value” nor overpriced, but seems right-ish for the quality. A rebuy given mood and availability.