Tastes
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Nose is aromatic and complex with what I have found to be typical New Riff fruitiness (berry, apple, and lime) with vanilla creme, soft oak, basil, and a hint of nutmeg. Probably one of the only whiskeies I have sampled with literally ZERO ethanol which is wild. Palate is quite a departure with caramel, Sasparilla, green apple, vanilla bean, corn tortilla, clove, and malted milk ball. Some youth shows in the form of some sharpness in the overall profile. Finish is on the longer side of medium with fried ice cream, rye spice, toasted oat, white pepper, and oak. Mouthfeel is effervescent and slick but with a pronounced drying effect. A solid offering from New Riff. Theres a lot to like here but is a little lacking in the refinement category. At $79, I feel it’s appropriately priced for the market. Since it is not available in my area and I had to pay shipping, probably not a rebuy but most likely would be if it was local.79.99 USD per Bottle
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Bib & Tucker 10 Year Small Batch Bourbon
Bourbon — Tennessee, USA
Reviewed January 22, 2024 (edited February 7, 2024)Gifted to me at Xmas, let’s see if this bottle can change my opinion of Dickel. Medium strength aroma is very fruity with rum soaked fruit cake, berry, light vanilla, and a distracting mineral note. Tried and failed to get much else. Ethanol is low. Palate opens with more caramel and vanilla than the nose would indicate, along with some date, fig, mandarin orange, and maple. All the notes are sweet, simple, and kind of flat. That said, the palate actually doesn’t suck. Medium length finish features light cinnamon and nutmeg and then…while I hate to be cliche I have to keep it real; where my tongue wanted oak/wood, I got goddamn Flintstone vitamins. Just…why??? Mouthfeel is light bodied and being neither creamy or grainy; compliments the flavor profile decently enough. A high point. So apparently my friend spent $85 on this. Yikes. I wish he would have told me he was getting me a bottle as I would have had him get me a bottle of 1920 or Rare Breed and saved him $30. Or Hell even a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 which I would have enjoyed more. For Dickel lovers only, which I most certainly am not.84.99 USD per Bottle -
Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B523
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed January 12, 2024 (edited February 17, 2024)Nose features lots of good things in the form of caramel, vanilla, golden raisin, green apple, toffee, cashew nut, and an odd but not off-putting musty book aroma. Ethanol nice and low given the proof. Not to be lazy, but the palate matches the nose REALLY well so see above. The caramel turns a little burnt Ala creme brûlée, along with some brown sugar, molasses, cake batter, and cola. It’s not the most complex thing ever, but damn the flavors are rich, punchy, and nicely integrated. Finish is a pleasant slow morph with the vanilla/caramel carrying nicely as flavors of barrel char, cracked pepper, oak cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and mint emerge. Mouthfeel is downright chewy and suitably oily but also somehow manages to be prickly especially after repeated sips in short succession. This hit a lot of the right notes for me and is probably one of the better Larceny BP releases I’ve reviewed. At 84.99, I feel it’s a solid value and I will continue buying future Larceny BP offerings at this price point for the foreseeable future.84.99 USD per Bottle -
Barrell Rye Cask Strength
Rye — North America, Canada
Reviewed January 9, 2024 (edited April 18, 2024)“Pitch” restaurant pick from Pitch in Scottsdale, AZ. 133.68 proof. Nose is herbal and fruity with papaya, lemongrass, basil, pineapple, hay, lemon pepper, brown sugar, and unbuttered biscuit. There’s a nice rye grain funk that comes out as it opens up. Ethanol is nearly non-existent which is stunning given the proof. Palate is pretty explosive, opening with clover honey and green apple transitioning to sourdough bread, allspice, vanilla, pine, ginger, rye spice, and hops (!) Finish is spikey and hot with pink peppercorn, tropical fruits such as kiwi, guava, papaya, and bitter oak which brings some serious astringency. Mouthfeel is oily, but rougher and grainer than I wanted for the flavor profile and as dry as a sun bleached cow skull in the Arizona desert. Real issues here. Hmm. I wanted to like this more than I did. While I loved the fruity notes which are reminiscent of Barrell Seagrass, I ultimately found this too hot, sharp and rough to be truly enjoyable and its going to be a struggle to finish. At $80, it’s laughably far from a rebuy and I can think of literally fifty other ryes I would rather have. Disappointing.79.99 USD per Bottle -
Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Batch Proof 124.7
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 30, 2023 (edited December 31, 2023)Nose is very “Brown-Forman” with a pungent blend of Maraschino cherry, wood varnish, Sasparilla, caramel drenched flan, leather, and a wood which always smells more like mahogany than oak to me. There is some light ethanol present but at nearly 125 proof, it’s forgivable. Palate is rich and deep and matches the nose quite well but add vanilla, allspice, citrus, cocoa powder, toffee, and tobacco. Flavors very much sit in the back of the throat which does lend a hint of harshness that feels like it doesn’t need to be there. Finish is nice and long with delightful morph into rum soaked Christmas fruit cake, cola, orange zest, cinnamon, leather, and pink peppercorn. Mouthfeel is full bodied. Slight effervescence tingles the tongue, and that in combination with the proof does become slightly fatiguing after repeated sips. I find these releases to be quite good, and this release to be very consistent with the last one I have tried. Are they better than say, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof despite being nearly twice the price? I would say no, but it is high quailty. I paid $155 for this and while I can’t say I regret it, it is slightly overpriced. Will I buy the next release anyway? Probably.155.0 USD per Bottle -
Balcones True Blue Cask Strength
Corn — Texas, USA
Reviewed December 27, 2023 (edited February 16, 2024)Nose features maple, brown sugar, burnt wood, cashew, fusel alcohol, and buttered corn on the cob. Even though there is ethanol present, it is more of an aroma and less of a nose-singing fume which is…interesting. Palate matches the nose but is also substantially better; the cashew nut morphs into more of an almond supplemented by vanilla, maple drenched pancakes, molasses, charcoal, tobacco, and some pretty astringent wood notes. Flavors are rich, but lack complexity and basically hit you over the head with a hammer. Finish in insanely long with ash/smoke, dark cocoa, mesquite, leather, and a chili pepper like heat which prickles the tongue. Mouthfeel is thick, chewy, and very oily. Hmmm…while nice in small doses, there’s a roughness and harshness here that doesn’t lend itself well to a review sized pour. Unrefined, maybe? I think I paid $80 for this which is too much for what’s offered. Falls short of rebuy status.79.99 USD per Bottle -
Knob Creek 18 Year Bourbon 30th Anniversary
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed December 19, 2023 (edited January 30, 2024)Nose is full of oak, cherry, caramel, vanilla, barrel char, dark chocolate, and baking spices. While that description doesn’t sound that thrilling, there’s a fantastic cohesion here with no one scent standing out above any other. Ethanol nearly non-existent. Oh wow. Palate features layer upon layer of soft sweet oak, along with creme brûlée, orange zest, nutmeg, French vanilla, and flan. Flavors are rich, decadent and well integrated. Once your tongue adjusts to the wood the other flavors really shine. Lengthy finish is a slow morph and features chocolate covered orange slices, cherry, the oak from the palate, charcoal, white pepper, and a hint of allspice. Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium and dry as the Sahara desert. A masterclass example of what an ultra aged bourbon can be. While oak is the star AND the co-star, there’s enough of a supporting cast of flavors to keep you from feeling like you are chewing a tree. At the $225 I paid, this is stupid expensive but I don’t have any regrets as it offers a unique experience with the only other obvious comparison being Elijah Craig 18 and honestly, this is superior.225.0 USD per Bottle -
Redbreast Tawny Port Cask Edition
Single Pot Still — Ireland
Reviewed November 16, 2023 (edited November 17, 2023)Nose is full of dried fruit; raisin, date, black cherry, fig, nougat, caramel, and the softest of oak. Ethanol presence is very low. Palate opens with fig promised in the nose along with sherry, orange zest, peach, vanilla, hazelnut, and shortbread cookie. Flavors are on the lighter side, but very well integrated. Finish is full of grape jam, barley malt, toasty oak, clove, mint, and a milk chocolate note after everything else fades. Truly delightful. Mouthfeel is light, airy, and velvety, suiting the flavor profile perfectly. Man, I love the Iberian series from Redbreast. Far from cheap but the series offers quality and complexity and this is no exception. Maybe not as good as the PX edition, but better than the Kentucky Oak. At $99 I paid, I regret nothing and can justify a rebuy.99.99 USD per Bottle -
Jefferson's Tropics Aged in Humidity
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed October 26, 2023 (edited November 26, 2023)Nose offers toasted marshmallow, root beer, banana, clove, hay, and cedar. Nicely robust and complex. On the palate we have bright MGP goodness with a hint of “darker” notes. Caramel, vanilla, apricot, barrel char, orange, and burnt sugar. Flavors very rich for the proof. Finish is longer side of medium with flavors slowly morphing into a spice bloom of cinnamon, black pepper, and allspice along with the cedar from the nose and some choclate. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and sufficiently oily to match the flavor profile well. I know that Jefferson’s Ocean is widely accused of being a gimmick, but so far the line has not disappointed. A “whole is greater than the sum of its parts” bourbon. I was pleasantly surprised as I enjoyed the cohesive, integrated experience with no major flaws. At $104 I paid it is neither a bargain, nor overpriced. Would rebuy budget permitting for the uniqueness of the experience.104.0 USD per Bottle -
Nose is interesting with lemon, brown sugar, banana, honey, hay, white pepper, oak, and just a hint of rye spice. Palate is much different from the nose opening with mint, apple, maple, charcoal, pumpernickel, green tea, cola, and nutmeg. Flavors punch above their weight with richness and complexity. Finish is medium length and features pepper, oak, burnt sugar, cinnamon, stewed pear, and clove. Mouthfeel is a nice medium bodied and very oily which serves this offering well. Complexity and uniqueness for days. A very untraditional rye that is hard to rate. As a rye? Meh. As a whiskey? Pretty darn good, especially given the price of $36. Maybe the new budget king. Easy rebuy earns this a 4.0.35.99 USD per Bottle
Results 21-30 of 297 Reviews