Tastes

VERY strong aroma consisting of molasses, burnt sugar, caramel, nutmeg, mesquite wood, beef jerky, and tire fire. For a rye, I’ll be damned if I can get any rye spice in the nose. On the palate there’s not much on the front end, basically a little light caramel and then everything goes crazy in the mid-palate; burnt ends, brown sugar, burnt creme brûlée, leather, burnt wood, tobacco, burnt tea leaf...are you sensing a theme here? Super long finish is the best part; hot fudge, vanilla, heavily toasted bread, and cinnamon. Rye is really only present as an underlying heat. Mouthfeel is creamier than the flavor profile would suggest and it’s welcome. This is a weird one. As a rye, it’s an epic fail. As a whiskey? Not half bad. While I like Balcones, they definitely have a “thing” present in nearly every one I have tasted; smokey, burnt sugar flavors. I feel like you definitely only need one Balcones whiskey in your cabinet at once because of the similarities between the varietals. For $40 I can’t say it’s truly overpriced, but just not balanced enough or nuanced enough to get a rebuy out of me.

Pungent aroma has coconut, baked apple, clove, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, green cedar, peanut, and smoke. Give it 5 minutes to rest and you can enjoy all the smells without getting your nose singed; a major plus. Palate features more apple, vanilla, butterscotch, toffee, peanut shell, oak, and the slightest hint of banana. Flavors are deliciously rich. The long finish is where this really shines, as it bring a host of new flavors from the palate and evolves constantly; cinnamon, allspice, creme brûlée, charcoal, candied ginger, and oak again, this time more of an “old dusty” oak. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy and compliments the flavor profile perfectly. Really really good and while not my all time favorite batch, this is a worthy contender. At around $70 and usually readily available, ECBP is one of the most consistent values in bourbon and this is no exception. Looking forward to the next batch.

Nose is nice and strong with cinnamon, honey, ginger, fennel, caraway seeded rye toast, a bit of briny sea salt, orange slice candy, and what I can only describe as “funk”, but it’s a good funk. This smells awesome, although I must be honest as well and say that if your nose gets to the rim of the glass, expect some fiery ethanol. Know your distance. On the palate we find graham cracker, caramel chew, fruit loops cereal, oak, hazelnut, clove, and barrel char. Flavors have both richness and depth. Finish is snickerdoodle cookie, sticky cinnamon bun, pink peppercorn (closer to chili pepper than black pepper), anise, nutmeg, ginger, and mint. It’s spicy, aggressive, and lasts forever. Mouthfeel is full bodied and unctuous. This is an extremely well balanced rye, with all elements in harmony and presenting in equal strengths. To me this hits the middle ground between a more herbal rye like Rossville Union Barrel Proof, and a sweeter rye such as Pikesville. Needless to say, I dig it. At $57 and 112 proof, it’s a no brainer rebuy.

Aggressive nose of burnt peaches, sandalwood, walnut, old leather, prune, raisin, and if I can be honest, rubber cement. Ethanol is there in force but considering that this is near Hazmat status I would say it’s actually less than expected. On the palate, man this sucker is hot. “Duh it’s barrel proof!” Yeah, which I know and love but it is hard to get much out of this on a standard sip besides rocket fuel, a note which carries right through to the finish. Taking a teenie baby sip, you can actually taste the flavors which feature loads of burnt sugars, raisin, date, fig, dried apricot, ash, and bitter woods. Finish is long with cinnamon, chili pepper, mint, and dusty old oak. I’m going to add some water. Ok, that helped a lot, bringing out some caramel, vanilla bean and cinnamon bears candy. Guess I added the right amount this time, but I feel that every pour getting the right water level has been an inexact science. While this was better with water, it still required quite a bit to be enjoyable. While I don’t mind adding a couple of drops or a capful, I don’t want to have to be a chemist to get my bourbon to taste great. I love ECBP, but this one is a bit of a misfire, especially compared to the last one I bought, the (IMO) superb B519 batch. I may be roasted here considering the high rating most give this, but it was just an inferior batch to me and this bottle has been a bit of struggle. Air did not help. Not a rebuy, but certainly won’t stop me from buying every ECBP batch that comes down the pike as there have been and surely will be some real gems.

Safeway store pick (of all places) in Phoenix Arizona. Complex nose of Fuji apple, custard, vanilla, raspberry, butterscotch, barrel spice, oak, and char. Low ethanol level for the proof as long as you don’t jam your nose below the lip of the glass. Palate matches the nose precisely, so as not to be repetitive see above. Apple, butterscotch, and barrel spice come in hard. Flavors have richness and depth but an effervescence to them as well. Definitely punchy. Oak rides underneath to add balance without coming to the forefront. This is not a “dark” whiskey; it’s a bright one. Think powdered sugar not molasses, butterscotch not toffee. Really nice job of integrating fruity, spicy, and “sugar candy” flavors. Finish is ungodly long with cinnamon, ginger, charcoal, and a hint of menthol. Wait, I’m not doing that justice because the elements of the palate also linger into the finish. It doesn’t change so much as “evolves” if that makes sense. Mouthfeel is actually pretty light, but suits the flavor profile perfectly; any heavier would be a mismatch. This whiskey dances on the front of the tongue not the back of the throat, and the tingle is pleasant. Ok, I give in. The hype is real here. This is great. I paid $50 but I understand from people in my area that Safeway made a huge mistake and they were supposed to sell it for $200. Let’s get this out of the way; at $50 it’s “clear every bottle on the shelf” status. At say $80, I would not feel ripped off. Would I pay the $200-$250 price tag this goes for on secondary? No, too rich for my blood, but if you have the cash it is pretty exceptional.

A single barrel version of WT101? Call me intrigued. On to the review: Nose: So. Much. Barrel spice. There’s also some cake batter, red delicious apple, honeydew melon, and a hint of char. Ethanol 100% absent. Is this a case of the refinement shining through? Palate: opens with vanilla cream cake, nutmeg, apple, bubblegum, and a fresh green oak that is not bitter. Brighter and brassier than regular 101. Finish is spicy and and long, with all the barrel spices from the nose and a little mint that builds over repeated sips, something I’ve noticed is a WT trademark. Mouthfeel thick and chewy. This one is a huge struggle to rate. Let me start but saying this is a damn good bourbon, with no flaws. But ultimately, it’s a tamer, more refined version of WT101. Does that truly warrant a $34 markup? Nope. No way. Nyet. This should be a $35 product. If it was, it would always be in my cabinet. At $57? Pains me to say, but I’d rather buy 2.75 bottles of regular 101 instead and call it good.

Batch # 20-04 Bottle 1465 111.6 proof. Decently strong and complex aroma of caramel, baking spices, spruce, tangerine, cherry, oak, and a hint of charcoal. Some ethanol right after the pour but disappears in a few minutes and then you can get right in there an huff which is nice for 111 proof. Palate is just a swirl of complexity; vanilla ice cream, caramel, praline, fruit cocktail, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and allspice. Flavors are supremely well integrated and balanced, with no one flavor dominating. Finish of chocolate, cinnamon, and charred oak that seemingly goes on forever. Man, is this a good finish. Mouthfeel oily and full, coates the entire palate. A little minty heat builds super slowly after multiple sips almost like the building heat of a chili pepper. This is a delicious and superior bourbon. I paid an admittedly high price of (gulp) $80 at the only place I could find it, and it’s still hard to say that it’s not worth it. Apparently this goes for as low as $56 at Total Wine and if I ever found it for that I’d clear the fucking shelf. A heavy hitter. If you can find a bottle, grab it. You won’t be disappointed.

It’s not every day you can walk in and grab something with 10+ years on it off the shelf for a reasonable price, so despite not being a big Dickel fan in the past, I am intrigued. Let’s see what we have here. Fairly mild aroma of apple, corn dust, pecan, nutmeg, ethanol, and a little of that Flintstone vitamin note but it’s very faint. Palate opens with vanilla, caramel covered apple, and oak, transitioning to cinnamon, orange, and cherry in the mid palate. Flavors maybe lacking a little richness. Finish features barrel char, chocolate, the nutmeg from the nose, and just a hint of mineral. I’m going to tell you if I got Flintstones it was going to kill it for me, but it’s more of a mineral spring note and in no way unpleasant. Finish is short, but very low in heat making this a super easy sipper. Full creamy mouthfeel an unexpected bonus. Overall, an enjoyable little smooth sipper here. MUCH better than the “Hand selected” 9 year product simply because of less vitamins. Lots to like but lacks a little complexity and punch to measure up with the big boys. At $44 it’s a “fair” value. But hey a 3.75 is a pretty good rating for me for a Dickel product.

Nose has some mixed berry, vanilla, and a leafy, cooking herb note (oregano? sage? basil?) A disappointing amount of ethanol given the mid-ish proof. Palate is on the lighter side with overripe cherry, sour apple, salt water taffy, caramel, and milk chocolate. Finish comes in hot and short, starting with oak and walnut, and ending with tons of white pepper. The peppery finish is a little out of place for the fruity profile, your taste buds want a sweeter heat like a cinnamon. Mouthfeel is silky. Overall I’d say that this is a young wheater that is quite “meh”; nothing memorable here. At $44 it’s right smack dab in the middle in price range as well, so it’s neither under or overpriced. This whiskey is kind of the “white bread” of whiskies. It’s just sort of there. Falls short of rebuy status for me.

Store Pick” from Pitch Bar and Grill in Scottsdale AZ. 7 year Age statement. Nose is light and airy with orange peel, buttered toast, coriander, vanilla, jasmine, and a little oak. Have to dig for a lot of these scents due to the overall lightness of the aroma. Palate comes in with honey, apple butter, popcorn, orange glaze, cinnamon roll icing, and a teeny bit of acetone, which is usually a deal breaker for me but it is so obscured by the other flavors that you almost have to be looking for it, so I’ll give it a pass. While there are a lot of sweet notes, this is literally the opposite of a “rich” whiskey so it is far from cloying. Finish has some malted milk ball (like the inside of a Whopper candy) and oak but not deep oak like you would imagine from a charred oak barrel but rather dried oak chips. Get some decent length consider the (relatively) mild proof. Some menthol builds the more sips you take, but it is not unpleasant. Mouthfeel is super light, which suits the flavor profile well. Light, sweet, and elegant; not normally my cup of whiskey but I did enjoy it. As far as value goes, I’ve seen this around town for as high as $38 for a standard bottle, but Pitch was selling their private pick for a measly $25. Not worth $38 by a long shot, but definitely worth the $25 I paid and would do so again when going there for other things. (“Yeah, and throw in a bottle of Bernheim”)