Tastes
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I'd say I enjoy 1792 products as a whole, and I am curious to see how this rarer expression stacks up. Onto the review... On the nose, butterscotch bomb for days. Also caramel, bubblegum, pencil shavings, cocoa butter, and an indistinct citrus. Pleasant to huff. Palate takes a distinct turn with banana, cream soda, stone fruits (specifically peach), white chocolate, and cinnamon. Flavors are decently rich. Really tasty nougat note in the finish; like inside of a three musketeers bar. The indistinct citrus in the nose finally presents itself as pear along with some oak and a cooling menthol that extends the finish to "long" when the other flavors stop at "medium" length. Thin and dry mouthfeel. Overall a pleasant experience. Lacks a little punch and body; I have a feeling that a little more proof would make this a smash, but as it is it's still solid. At $40 it's a decent enough value for what you receive. Scores an extra .25 for uniqueness.40.0 USD per Bottle
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George Dickel 9 Year Hand Selected Barrel
Tennessee Whiskey — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed October 1, 2019 (edited November 6, 2019)My first try of a Dickel offering. I know many reviewers have found a uniqueness to Dickel similar to Beam peanut funk or Jack Daniel's banana flavor. Let's see what it holds. Initially some ethanol on the nose but after 5 minutes in the glass it's gone leaving a nice aroma of corn dust, toasted marshmallow, pencil shavings, tire rubber (uh oh), and mineral/vitamins (further uh-oh) On the palate there's some richness with predominant flavors being caramel, almost burnt buttered toast, oak, and marzipan. The finish? Well, crap. There it is; Flintstone vitamins. Specifically the peach colored/flavored one. There is also cinnamon, oak, and mint here as well but the mineral note really kicks your ass and not in a good way, which makes me thankful that the duration is only medium length. It is soft for the proof I will give it that. Overall, there's some decent things here in the beginning, but the finish ruins this for me. Just too damn weird. I can't say I'd recommend this, especially at the price point. But maybe I won't die of scurvy now having had my vitamins and all...45.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose hits you with some berry compote, caramel, oak, and a welcome hint of the Beam peanut funk. On to the palate we get some chewy bourbon flavors of burnt caramel, almond butter, raisin, and honey. Finish is pretty damn long and very very dry with tannic oak, dried cherry, tea leaves, and a hint of mint. Buttery mouthfeel. Overall, something about this leaves me a little underwhelmed. While I know it was blended by "master blenders" and all, but something about the marriage doesn’t work for me; the dryness and tannic bitterness of the finish are a little overboard. It's not bad by any means but I'd probably reach for something else given the choice. If there was a "3.65" rating that's what this would get but seeing as there isn't I will reluctantly round up.35.0 USD per Bottle
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Right after the pour a strong nose of cherries, vanilla, raisin, oak, and while some reviewers get orange, I got white grape. Definitely fruit forward. After it's been sitting a while, some buttered popcorn notes appear. Cherries and a date/fig flavor up front. Mid-palate features some peanut, rock candy, and smoky barrel char. Bold and punchy. Finishes spicy with cinnamon and clove. Remnants of oak after everything else fades. Medium length. Definitely has a sharp bite and brings an enjoyable slow burn especially for a 100 proof'er; drinks a little hotter than expected but that's not a negative with the flavor profile. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Very oily; coats your entire mouth. This one hit my palate just right; cherries, peanut and oak are always going to be winning combo in my book. While it lacks a little refinement, it makes up for it in flavor pop. At a $42 price tag it is a decent value; the only thing questionable is that you can score it's slightly superior big brother Noah's Mill for about $7 more so I would probably just go with that. But if Noah's isn’t available and/or if this was marked down a little? Oh yeah, re-buy all day.42.0 USD per Bottle
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My first foray into an MGP 95/5 rye. Nose has some interesting elements; some floral notes (lilies maybe?), and remember those orange slice jelly candies with the sugar on them? Lots of that. Light toffee note underneath. Palate opens with some brown sugar and nutmeg, but quickly switches to mint/eucalyptus mid way through. The finish is where this really excels. It’s a blend of nearly every kind of spice you can think of; black pepper, chilies, candied ginger, clove, spicy wood/barrel notes, and mustard seed. The only type of heat not in the finish is ethanol, which is gloriously absent. That spicy finish lingers for quite some time. Mouthfeel is nothing special, but does not detract. I would be remiss if I didn’t make mention of the fact that I have read other reviews on this whiskey and the results have been...not good. Lots of complaints of plastic and other off flavors, of which I got none. I don’t know what some of these reviewers tasted; it’s almost like they are drinking a completely different whiskey. Maybe I just got a good batch. Criminally underrated. Is it top notch? No. But is it solid for $27? Hell yes. Looking forward to trying more 95% ryes.27.0 USD per Bottle
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McKenzie Bottled-in-Bond Wheated Bourbon
Bourbon — New York, USA
Reviewed August 27, 2019 (edited July 19, 2020)Powerful nose on this one! Pecan wood, juicy red apple, and fresh hay hit you with force. Also some ethanol, but thankfully does not show up later. On the palate we get pecan nut, oak, cocoa, caramel, and honeycrisp apple. Flavors are bold and rich. Medium to long finish features oak and spicy cinnamon. Not the most complex finish, but appreciate the fullness of it. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy, which compliments the bold flavors very well. Much to do has been made about this being a wheater, but don't buy it as a substitute for Weller; the flavors couldn't be more different. Buy it because for the price it offers a richer experience than many other wheated bourbons on the market (looking at you Maker's) An overall solid offering. It would also be worth noting that this changed dramatically from the neck pour, which was much more chocolate forward and less complex. Of yet further note would be that the plastic cap/cork doesnt seem to make what I would consider a great seal, with the cap basically sliding out with no resistance on subsequent openings. Whether this played a role in the development of the flavors I can only speculate, but felt it worth mentioning.45.0 USD per Bottle -
Woodford Reserve Straight Rye
Rye — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 27, 2019 (edited September 17, 2019)Nose features a moderate strength aroma of cedar wood, rye seeds, ripe pear, and black pepper. Palate features undefined cereal grain, honey, and black peppercorn, leading to a mid-palate of cherry liqueur and wood that is equal parts oak and cedar. Kind of missing the bready note I have enjoyed in other ryes. Not very herbal, and more sweet than spicy. Mouthfeel light and airy (not a bad thing given the flavor profile). Overall finish is short and very mild with no burn whatsoever, with a lingering spearmint note that remains after all other flavors are ancient history. There's nothing off putting here, but also nothing to write home about. Slightly misses the mark for what I am looking for in a rye. At $35, it is an ok value but when you consider that Rittenhouse and baby Saz are considerably cheaper, well...this probably doesn't make the cut for re-buy status for me.35.0 USD per Bottle -
I've enjoyed some other 1792 store pick offerings in the past, finding them somewhat flawed but funky and unique and a decent value option. So with that in mind, I decided to try the base bourbon and see if the theme holds true. On the nose we have typical 1792; butterscotch, caramel, banana, and buttered dinner rolls. Not a particularly powerful aroma, but pleasant enough. Palate brings some green apple, sweet corn, clove, and cinnamon, along with all the sweet notes also found in the nose. Lacking a little bit of richness, maybe. Things go south in the finish. Medium length and nutty, but with some ethanol astringency not found in the higher proof 1792 products. Mouthfeel is thin. Overall, I feel that maybe the proof point of just under 94 proof is not the best vehicle for the flavor profile. While cheaper, there is a significant drop off in quality from both the Bottled In Bond and Full Proof store picks that seem to be prevalent in my area. Next time I'm in the mood for the unique flavor of a 1792 product (and that day will come) I will just shell out the extra $14 or so for one of those rather than re-buying this one.26.0 USD per Bottle
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Maker's Mark Cask Strength
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 12, 2019 (edited August 27, 2019)I'd like to start this off by saying this one was initially SO hot for the proof it was ridiculous. But after just the a couple days of air in the bottle it mellowed out dramatically to the point where I can give it a fair review. So if you try it and it seems super hot at first...it gets better. Remember those Rolo candies with the caramel wrapped in chocolate? Well the nose on this one is like melted Rolos. Caramel for days. There's also some raisin and date in there as well as green oak and barrel spice. On the palate we get an exact match of the nose, so not much to say here other than I found a similar experience to the Private Select; caramel and vanilla sticky sweetness upfront followed by spicy heat, and not much in the mid-palate. Just a characteristic of the brand that I find to be a detriment. Finish is still hot; drinks like it's 125+ proof. And let me tell you, the heat is coming from unattenuated alcohol. But it's not excessive once that bottle has had a chance to breathe. Finish is long I'll give it that, and the Kentucky hug is real. There is a hint of hazelnut once the heat fades which is nice. Overall, too many flaws to be great. I can't think of any reason that I would pay $53 for this instead of bottles like Old Forester 1920, Old Ezra Barrel Strength, or Noah's Mill all of which are better and cheaper. So we will put this firmly in the “no rebuy” list.53.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose starts off on the right note with and honey, graham cracker, ginger, and orange blossom. The power of the aroma isn't going to knock your socks off, but an interesting combination to say the least. On the palate, this is exactly what I am looking for in a rye; sweet start, spicy finish and not overly herbal. Opens with caraway seeded rye bread, cultured butter, honey, golden raisin, and licorice. Those flavors dance around the tongue for a second and then...whammo everything changes to spice notes of cracked peppercorn, clove, fennel, and just the tinniest hint of dill and eucalyptus. Medium length finish turns into soft aged oak and honeysuckle. Mouthfeel is on the thin side, but it compliments the flavor profile well. I'm really a fan of this, and enjoyed the journey from sweet to spicy to mildly sweet again. However, as a value standpoint it's not the greatest; not with some of the more budget ryes measuring up fairly well. That said, it's a delight and will most likely be a re-buy for me and I literally cannot wait to try the single barrel version.45.0 USD per Bottle
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