Tastes

Total Wine Store Pick (Gilbert AZ) 8yr, Rickhouse G, Floor 7 (This review mostly for my own notes and probably useless to those outside the AZ area and will focus on the difference between this store pick and the standard) I actually bought this thinking it was a restock of a recent-ish 9 yr pick, and didn’t realize it was a different pick until I got it home. (Oops) Main difference here is less caramel and more fruit forward; specifically baked apple skin. Surprisingly large oak presence on the back end for the age but not as astringent with it as the regular offering. Not many other differences, possibly due to the relatively low age for a EC pick. All in all a very small improvement with this pick which makes it a decidedly ho-hum affair but on the other hand, TW didn’t do the standard up charge for it so there’s that.

The nose on this is absolutely killer; vanilla custard, torched caramel, graham cracker, pumpernickel bread, bananas foster, creamed corn, and almond. On the palate rich, decadent flavors of creme brulee, praline, marzipan, and sweet corn. Pretty evenly split between initial taste and mid-palate; glides between flavor notes smoothly. Finish has some prickly heat, barrel char, and a kiss of oak and is of a solid high-medium length. The finish is not really cinnamon or pepper as much as it is more of an young spirit bite which shouldn't work but somehow it is a feature not a bug as it provides the right balance and keeps this very sweet bourbon from rolling over into "dessert bourbon" territory. Mouthfeel is chewy and viscous. This one struck the right chord with me; sweet without being cloying with a delicious depth of flavor. At $53 and 100 proof, very much a rebuy for me. Really enjoying Wilderness Trail distillery so far and it really seems like they are on the right track.

Pretty mild nose of dill, ginger, clove, citrus, rolled oats, and a tinge of ethanol. Palate opens with butterscotch and honey transitioning to orange peel and a woodsy oak in the mid-palate, but then cuts right to the finish. Flavors aren’t particularly rich or punchy; they are just kind of “there”. Spicy medium length finish features black pepper, cinnamon, anise, and dill with a kiss of mint. Mouthfeel is light and soft. A “sweet and spicy” rye that isn’t particularly herbal, this makes good showing with no real flaws, but also doesn’t knock my socks off. Which brings me to the price; at $58 this is overpriced for a “just fine” experience. High West Double Rye is a bolder, more herbal, and ultimately more interesting whiskey for about half the price. Misses the re-buy mark for me.

120 proof version. Ok let’s start with nosing this you never in a million years guess its 120 proof both from the lack of ethanol and the overall delicacy of the aroma. Wildflower, honeysuckle, spearmint, berries, fresh cut Bermuda grass, ground mustard seed, and anise. On the palate opens with lots of honey and sugar cookie, followed by strawberry, rye, and savory sweet corn in the mid palate. Finish is mint, black licorice, hay, and finely ground white pepper, and it’s ridiculously (and enjoyably) long. Flavors are rich and punchy, and the ride from sweet to savory to herbal flows seamlessly which always is going to score an extra point from me. Mouthfeel is very silky for a rye; another plus. An assertive yet balanced rye. I really loved this. At $63, it’s inline for what you would expect to pay for a barrel proof rye and you get your money’s worth. Would buy again.

This is probably the easiest review I’ve ever written, because everything about this whiskey is just so damn in your face; NO subtlety here. Get a whiff of this and you get fresh grilled elote, Texas style BBQ sauce, beef jerky, burnt tires, French burnt peanuts candy, and grill char. Go in too deep and you get a blast of ethanol that when combined with the aroma completely disables your sense of smell for 30 seconds. As for the flavor, just read the nosing notes above because it’s all there in the palate as well. In case you can’t quite grasp it, this is like drinking “burnt ends” barbecue in whiskey form. To say the flavors are “bold” is like saying the sun is hot. Finish redefines “long” as you can still taste it 20 minutes later and it obliterates your taste buds for the rest of night. Forget about tasting any other whiskeys (or hell any other anything) after drinking this beast. Mouthfeel is “total”. Coates every last inch of your tongue. I’m probably full of shit because they probably didn’t have anything remotely like this but it’s easy to imagine this would be what an “old west cowboy bourbon” would taste like. As someone who enjoys over the top flavors I guessed I might like this and I was right. But it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. You must know thyself to know if you will enjoy it. If you are the kind of person that eats raw habaneros, and drinks Triple IPAs or 15% ABV stouts, this might be your jam. Challenging. Ridiculous. Unique. Delicious. Rebuy.

Nose is medium strength aroma of vanilla, caramel, apple, plum, Brazil nut, grass, and freshly cut oak. A hint of floral underneath which is odd for a Knob Creek product. Appealing. Palate opens with a standard caramel + baking spices vibe along with the plum from the nose turning into more of a prune. Not much going on in the mid-palate; cuts quickly to the finish. But just when you think this might be boring or sub-par, in comes a delightful medium-long finish of milk chocolate, walnut, and more of that fresh oak from the nose. (I am a sucker for a good finish so this scored pretty well with me) Mouthfeel is a little thinner than I would like for this flavor profile, but it’s a minor flaw. Suuuuper dry. Like “bleached cows jawbone in the Arizona desert” dry. A little bit of prickly tingle on the tongue that really started to add up with repeated sips, almost like the building heat of eating chili peppers. Overall I really enjoyed and feel it’s worth the $57 I paid. Knob Creek has been knocking it out of the park lately with their new expressions. If you are a KC fan (as I am) then run don’t walk to grab this before it’s gone and the 12 year version as well. You won’t be disappointed.

Nose of banana, brown sugar, cherry, and leather with some ethanol heat in the background. On the palate we find maraschino cherry, a vanilla/caramel that is reminiscent of flan dessert, and cinnamon. Flavors are sharp; has considerable bite and drinks a little hot for 100 proof. Not terribly complex. Finishes with yet more cherry, a really nice toffee note, oak, and some barrel char. Finish really lingers. Mouthfeel is on the full side of medium. Ch-Ch-Ch-Cherry bomb! In all seriousness this bourbon brings a very “old school” kind of bourbon profile which I guess was the idea. There are some really nice notes, but you do have to like a bourbon that hits back a little. There’s only one problem; the price. At $48, there’s just so many I would buy before this one, so it’s hard to see myself buying this again. But I’ll certainly enjoy the rest of the bottle.

Act 7 Scene 2 Aroma is so well integrated that picking out individual notes takes some effort. Smells “good” but digging in finds wintergreen, nutmeg, bubblegum, honey, dill, cinnamon, chocolate covered cherry, and a hint of anise. Flavor opens with a balanced buttery sweetness heavy with baking spices and molasses; like a Christmas cookie. Flavors are rich and very rounded. No one flavor stands out. Transitions very smoothly to the finish. Finish is loooooong with cinnamon, apricot, while pepper, mint, oak, and a hint a dill. Mouthfeel is full and caresses the tongue. What stands out here is how balanced and full flavored this is while at the same time exhibiting softness and delicacy. Ideal for those nights when you want something a little subdued without sacrificing anything. Top notch and would rebuy again that the $75 price I paid.

Banana, charcoal, Burnt Cedar, Flan dessert, and bubblegum on the nose. Pleasant. A little ethanol sneaks in as well. Barrel spices, apple, vanilla, leather, ash, and sandalwood on the palate. Not a lot in the mid-palate at all, rushes right to the finish. Finish blasts with a prickly ethanol heat that obscures all other flavors for a second or two before settling into a nutty and chocolatey after finish. That after finish is by far the best part of this bourbon, and is decently long. Mouthfeel is oily and matches the flavor profile well. Sharp and biting, but there are some decent flavors In here. I wanted to like this more than I actually did, but ultimately the young component to this blend rears it’s head a little too prominently. At $36, the price is right and you get what you pay for but certainly nothing more.

On the nose getting ginger, nutmeg, fresh cut lime, spun sugar, fennel, spearmint, and toffee. An unusual combination to say the least. On the palate, it opens with a generic kind of sugar cane sweetness followed by rye spice, nutmeg, ginger, a bit of vanilla, and prominent anise. White pepper, more anise, and lots of bitter oak on the finish which has has some pop to it and is medium in length. Mouthfeel is light and grainy. Despite being a little bit disjointed and chaotic, the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts. Enjoyable, but not a top choice at this price point. Glad I tried it, but at $54 it falls a little short of rebuy status for me.