Tastes
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Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed August 3, 2019 (edited October 1, 2019)3rd review of this whiskey, this time a Hundred North store pick from Gilbert AZ. (This is mostly a review for my own notes and may be of little value to anyone outside of AZ) One thing I have noticed about EC store picks is that they tend to be less oak forward and big upgrades over the standard offering and this is no exception. While the Liquor Express pick (also in the AZ area) is the “sweet and nutty” pick, this one is the “bold and spicy” pick. Big baking spices in the nose and palate. Getting nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, clove, and candied ginger. Of course the standard vanilla/caramel and oak elements are there as well, but the spices are the star of the show for this pick. To be clear the spice is not “hot”, just flavorful and there is zero unattenuated ethanol. Pretty damn delicious. Finish is about the length of a shooting star, but hey it’s a minor gripe. For the money, these EC picks are hard to beat.33.0 USD per Bottle -
Since this is not sold in AZ, I couldn't pass up the chance to snag it while visiting Vegas. I will say in advance that I usually enjoy Beam whiskeys. They are very much like pizza for me; even when they're bad, they're still pretty good. So I'm probably going to be a little more forgiving in my rating than some. On to the review: Typical "Beam" nose of cherry, oak, vanilla, and a big dose of the peanut "funk" which luckily comes off as the peanut brittle of the higher end JB products vs the wet cardboard of the bottom shelf offerings. If you have ever had Beam products, you know what I am talking about. On the palate it's more of the same, matching the nose dead on which is positive. The finish is where things take a bit of a downturn. Some prickly ethanol heat and overly bitter oak come crashing in and harsh things up, which is a bit of a bummer. Might be a good thing that the finish is on the short side of medium. While this one is a step above some lower end JB expressions, it ultimately lacks the refinement of others. Kind of tastes like a watered down Old Grandad 114. And since that is the case, for the same price I'd rather get all the richness of flavor of the OGD114 if I'm going to have to live with some harshness either way. Going back to the pizza analogy, if this were pizza, it would be a Totino's party pizza. Not quite up to rebuy status for me.24.0 USD per Bottle
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Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye
Rye — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed July 29, 2019 (edited January 27, 2021)So, the knock on this is that it smells and tastes like banana Runts candy. Legit critique or JD hate? Let us find out... On the nose, yes...it's there. Banana Runts. But it's not all that's there. Black cherry, spice cake, maple, and barrel char. So yeah not traditional for a rye, but inviting nonetheless. Palate hits you with (yes) banana, caramel and peanut before switching to a spice bloom of cinnamon and black pepper. Spice carries in the finish for a long time, and with a decent Kentuck...errr...Tennessee hug. There's a "musty peanut" (is that a thing?) note way back there at the end of the finish that is funky and enjoyably unique. Drinks a little hotter than it's proof would indicate. Mouthfeel is medium. Truth? This is closer to "JD made an awesome bourbon" than "JD made an awesome rye", but as you can guess by that comment I liked this a lot. Definitely the best product I ever had from Jack Daniel's by a large margin, and I bet most would have a hard time guessing it was from JD in a blind testing. Side note: I like the way JD does the pricing on their 375ml bottles, which is only a buck or two higher than half of a 750ml. So, would I buy this again at $25 for a 375ml? Yes...yes I would.50.0 USD per Bottle -
Decided to give the oh so humble WT101 a try. I have not terribly enjoyed WT products thus far but there’s always hope. Here it goes... On the nose getting the standard vanilla/caramel along with butterscotch, sweet corn, plum and buttered bread. Not terribly strong aroma, but not weak either. Inviting. Opens sweet and rich with flavor like a liquid Tootsie Roll, followed by some Luxardo cherry, before going into a punchy baking spice bloom. Finishes with more spice and a really pleasant dry oak tannin that blends with the mid-palate flavors seamlessly. Slight hint of mint in the finish which builds in intensity as you sip it but never really becomes overpowering. Flavors are turned up; this bourbon is unrefined and in your face in a good way. Finish is on the short side, but a minor critique. What’s nice here is how well the flavor components compliment each other. It takes you on a journey from sweet to spicy with both elements in equal strengths; something that I have found to be kind out of whack on other WT products such as the Russell’s and Rare Breed. Who would have thought that the entry level offering from this distillery would be my favorite of the line thus far? When you now figure in the value, this bourbon is the legit KING of the bottom shelf. Very enjoyable. At $17, absolutely will buy again. Edit: Some time later, this has become my go-to “always have some on hand” daily drinker.17.0 USD per Bottle
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Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt
Blended Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed July 21, 2019 (edited June 4, 2020)My first foray into the world of scotch. I have heard good things about this one as a gateway for bourbon drinkers, so here it goes: Nose of orange peel, burnt leaves, apple crisp, and vanilla creme. On the palate getting orange marmalade, butterscotch, honeysuckle, and cocoa powder, but also an odd mineral/vitamin taste in the mid-palate. Finishes nicely with apple, bitter green oak, and milk chocolate. Finish is of short duration. Has a bit of an oak bite to it, leaving a little astringency once the flavors of the finish have fully dissipated. I didn’t hate this; it had some appealing elements. But it also took a long time for the bottle to open up as there were some serious burnt rubber notes in the first few drams that I would be remiss for not mentioning. And while it developed into something better with time, I don’t think I will be abandoning bourbon for scotch anytime soon.29.0 USD per Bottle -
Store pick from Fox Cigar Bar in Gilbert, AZ. Aroma of ripe sweet berries (specifically blackberry), vanilla, cherry, and nougat. Palate opens by precisely matching the nose, with the additional of almond extract and cinnamon in the mid palate. Finishes with more cinnamon, a soft kiss of oak, and a hint of sweet macadamia nut. Finish is on the short side of medium. Very soft mouthfeel with a thin body but also some creaminess to it. Drinks under it’s proof by a large margin, which I think may be a big part of its appeal. Even though this is a wheated mashbill, I still found this to be very reminiscent of other BT products (namely Blantons and Hancocks) with it’s “thin bodied, fruit+vanilla palate, cinnamon+oak finish” profile. I must say I REALLY was not fond of this on the first 2-3 pours, thinking it astringent and flat tasting. But the air has really done something magical here, bringing the sweetness out and dulling what started as harsh finish. It literally gets better every time I open the bottle. I can see where this would have great appeal to those who enjoy the brighter, fruitier side of the bourbon spectrum. As my palate tends more toward the darker, richer, nuttier side of things, I found it to be solid but not spectacular.59.0 USD per Bottle
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Amazing nose of cinnamon sugar, butter, and baking spices. Some gingerbread as well. Literally smells like a Snickerdoodle cookie. Could be the best aroma I have ever sampled on a whiskey. Everything in the aroma carries over into the taste which opens with sweet cinnamon, nut, and black cherry notes and then switches to a spicy almost chili pepper like finish. Not a lot of herbaceousness to this for a rye; just a hint of anise, clove, tobacco, and mint in the finish. Tastes more like a high-rye bourbon, but in my opinion is not a bad thing at all. Mouthfeel is vicious and chewy. Finish is medium to long with a cocoa powder note coming after everything else fades. Can’t recommend this enough. Just delicious from start to finish.48.0 USD per Bottle
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On the nose, I am getting vanilla bean, nutmeg, buttered toast, barrel char, and spruce (?) Odd, but really pleasant as well. Opens sweet with caramel, brown sugar, and cinnamon bun but it quickly morphs into a leather/tobacco flavor in the mid-palate. Finishes with mint and pine mixed in with bitter oak. After the mint fades, you are left with a cake batter note, which is welcome because personally not digging the intensity of the mint. Definitely smooth for the proof. There's heat there, but it's all barrel spices so it is in no way a mouth scorcher. Finish is nice and long with a warming effect. Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy. Big, bold and in your face. Overall a wild ride of a bourbon, but not one that suited my palate. I didn’t hate it, but found some of the notes to be too sharp especially in the finish...why is it so minty? I admire what they are trying to do here, but not a rebuy for me. This is the third Wild Turkey product I have reviewed (along with RR regular and single barrel) and didn't much care for any of them. Starting to think it's something about this distillery that isn't meshing with my palate. Will continue to try others in the line.49.0 USD per Bottle
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Some sharp ethanol on the nose, but once you get past it you find vanilla, anise, fennel, buttered corn and a hint of orange peel. Palate has a soft, sweet entry of vanilla and apple butter. A pleasant almond note in the mid-palate. Finishes with big black pepper spice, some young bitter oak, brine, and a hint of cooling menthol. Finish is very long for the proof. Mouthfeel is on the grainy side. An enjoyable rye and a decent value. I would have to say that I found Rittenhouse to be just a shade better.30.0 USD per Bottle
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Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed July 3, 2019 (edited September 17, 2019)Nose of cherry, cocoa, peaches, oak, and musty barn similar to the small batch version. Strangely, the single barrel smells more alcohol forward despite being the same proof. Palate falls in line with the nose pretty well with all of the elements listed above present in some degree. Candied peach very prominent. I swear I even get a hint of whipped cream to go with the peach. A little caramel in the mid-palate that wasn't present in the nose and then poof! it's gone. Oak comes in hard just after. It's not over oaked, but if big oak presence isn't your jam might want to skip this one. Finish is filled with pepper and barrel spices, and is the single longest finish I have ever sampled. Bigger and bolder than the small batch, and that's not a bad thing at all since the flavors are enjoyable the extra punch is very welcome. Just an awesome whiskey and an upgrade over the small batch that is worth the up charge in my opinion.71.0 USD per Bottle
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