Tastes

Really pleasing nose of lemon peel, sweet corn, honey and yes, Mesquite wood. Taste very non-traditional for a bourbon maybe closer to an Irish or Canadian whiskey. Not much vanilla or caramel; some tannic bitterness upfront but then settles in with nutty toffee and orange citrus. Finishes with some spicy cracked black pepper, and smokey wood notes; finish lasts longer than you would expect. Mouthfeel is super soft and delicate. While nothing here really knocks your socks off, it’s also strangely easy to keep reaching for more. At $40 it's definitely overpriced, but worth the $29 I paid.

2nd review of this bourbon, this time a store pick from Liquor Express in Tempe, Arizona. Amazing aroma on this; caramel, sweet corn, and vanilla with a blast of baking spices. Sweeter and less oaky on the palate than the standard offering. Finish is straight up peanut brittle. Big improvement on the regular offering. Going to keep buying this until it’s gone.

6 Degree Urban Kitchen 14 yr barrel pick from Scottsdale Arizona purchased at Fry’s in Chandler, AZ. Really inviting nose of caramel, wood grain, and barrel spice. Big cherry bomb and aggressive oak in the palate with typical Beam peanut funk and cinnamon on the finish. 120 proof but no ethanol in the nose or palate. Miles above the standard SiB. It’s easy to taste the effect of the extra years on this one. Top notch juice.

3rd Review of this bourbon; this time a store pick from Sun Devil Liquors in Mesa, AZ. This one is a lot closer to the standard offering than the last store pick I reviewed. I'd say this one is sweeter (more sweet corn specifically) and less spicy but since nothing else replaces it, it's blander as well. Really no better or worse than regular BT, but since I didn't pay anymore for it all's well that end's well.

2nd review of this bourbon, this time a Liquor Express store pick from Tempe Arizona. Not going to list all the tasting notes but there are a few differences over the standard offering worth mentioning; a sweeter less phenolic nose with some additional nut and cake batter notes. More complex on the palate with yet more cake batter, barrel funk, and nutmeg. A little spicier than the standard offering, but at the same time more smooth.

Delicate and creamy, with just the right ratio of spice, wood, and sweetness. Opens with nice fruity notes. Winding finish of cinnamon, berry, potpourri, and vanilla keeps you coming back for more. Not the punchiest bourbon around but SO well balanced.

GCM Store Pick in Gilbert Arizona. Allspice, caramel, oak, sweet corn, toffee, butter, and lime tart in the nose. Much less complex on the palate than the nose. Sweet flavors of caramel, cookie dough, and French vanilla dominate. Finishes with quite an alcohol bite. What’s really lacking here is anything in the mid-palate. You get the caramel and vanilla notes initially, some toffee, then alcohol heat finish and...that’s it. While I appreciate the richness of the flavors, it suffers from a glaring lack of complexity. At $70, I feel I was robbed. Disappointing.

GCM store pick in Gilbert Arizona. Review #2 for this bourbon; reviewed the standard offering a few months back, and this store pick is a decent improvement. Sweeter and fruitier with less astringency and heat. Cherry pie, brown sugar and pipe tobacco on the nose. More cherry, baking spices and cinnamon on the palate. Some honey in the finish. Good, but still a little overrated for the price.

Odd but yet enticing mossy vegetal note on the nose along with vanilla, nut, and ginger. Some sourness on the tongue along with candy sweetness resulting in a flavor not unlike a pickle dipped in caramel vanilla sauce. Some barrel char and savory notes like honey baked ham as well. Finishes with cashew nut and toasted marshmallow and some heat from the proof. A lot going on here. Very tasty. At $35 at TW in my area, this is an insane value. The fact that this bourbon is my substitute for Knob Creek 14yr store picks (pretty much cleared out in AZ) should tell you something.

GCM Store pick in Gilbert AZ. Fruit and vanilla in the nose. Citrus, cherry, vanilla, oak, and floral notes on the palate. Decently oily but at the same time a little watery. Medium length finish. Inoffensive to the point of tipping over into blandness. Couple drops of water brought out more vanilla in both the nose and palate and livened it up a bit, but honestly, I was expecting a lot more than this delivered for the price and the hype.