Tastes

Light and fruity with hints of star anise, lemon zest, pickle brine, cracked peppercorns, eucalyptus, and rye bread. Honey sweetness and a bit of cinnamon come in and keep it from tasting overly herbal. Great for drinking on a warm day. Love at first taste.

Floral notes, cherry and wood in nose with almost no ethanol at all which I enjoyed. Light caramel, pipe tobacco, and oak on the palate. Drinks considerably hotter than it should for the medium proof. Some unwelcome tannic astringency in the bone-dry finish. It's not bad by any means and I know everyone raves about it, but I feel that for a $40 bottle (which is what I paid), it's definitely a little overrated.

Lots of barrel char, brown sugar, and bananas foster in the nose. Punchy flavor. Almost chocolate note upfront, leading into oak, maraschino cherry, and red hots. Surprisingly, the spice dies down during the finish leaving a burst of smoke. Medium to long finish. Nice coating viscosity. Proof lets you know it's there, but I'd say this drinks a little under it's ABV.

Some decent complexity on the nose with vanilla, cinnamon, sandalwood, and leather. Palate matches the nose, with additions of oak, caramel, and green apple. Bright. Lingering warming finish of baking spices and wood. Some heat, but not unpleasant and seems more to do with spice level than ethanol. Thin but sufficiently oily. Pretty solid for a bottle under $30.

Great candied sugar aroma, with burnt caramel, cotton candy, and a hint of brine. Deep, layered flavors of oak, barrel char, vanilla, cinnamon, and leather. Butterscotch and dried candied dark fruits in the mid-palate. That hint of brine in the nose manifests itself as a salty peanut flavor just before the finish and lends a welcome funky note. Long, hot finish lasts for days. A real winner.

Inviting musty aroma. Almost chocolate note upfront. Sweet bread, peaches, and caramel in the mid-palate, and finishes with a peppery kick. Some musty/earthly notes throughout which set this one apart. No real burn to speak of. Smooth, silky texture. Definite rebuy.

Vanilla and maple sweetness up front, followed by cherry and cinnamon, leading to a long heavy barrel tannin finish. Thick syrupy mouthfeel. Proof noticeable, yet even a drop water kills the sweetness up front and amplifies the spice. Found this really enjoyable after drinking something a little lower proof first, as jumping right into this is a bit of an overload of the tastebuds.

Total Wine Store Pick. Amazing candy aroma, some nice caramel, almond, and marzipan flavors in mid palate but then hits you with a total spice/cinnamon bloom. Drinks several degrees hotter than you would expect at 110 proof. Finish goes on seemingly forever. Bold and unruly. There are some great flavors in here and I really wanted to like this more but the spice in the finish overpowers everything.

Oak, caramel and some fusel alcohol in the nose. Sweet and vanilla and light fruits on the palate. Not terribly punchy. A little watery. Rounded/balanced with little bite. Very short finish. It's a great value for sure, but would pick BT for the same price point if available.

Somewhat muted, very sweet, very easy drinking, minimal bite, short finish, high vanilla and caramel flavor. Nice daily drinker at a reasonable price point.