Tastes

Nose is delicate and complex with tobacco, anise, musty barrel, Sarsaparilla, milled rye grain, buttered toast, and bakers chocolate. Ethanol 100% non-existent. Definitely enticing. Palate matches the nose very well with the Sarsaparilla/Root beer note from the aroma taking center stage. Also leather, figgy pudding, burnt marshmallow, sticky pipe tobacco, butterscotch, toffee, and candied ginger. Hint of grape from the secondary cask adds a nice touch. Flavors are rich for the proof. Finish has Is a slow morph which carries the palate forward but also brings cinnamon sugar, char, sweet oak, and just a hint of pepper. Mouthfeel is oily yet effervescent and hits with a “Pop Rocks” like tingle. Very non-traditional; if given to me blind there is no way I would identify this as a rye. Overall a pretty delightful dram. At $100, it’s not exactly going to make my regular rotation, but I can’t say it’s NOT worth the price either, as that premium price buys you a lot of complexity and uniqueness with no discernible flaws. I may buy it again…someday.

Nose is excellent; vanilla creme, barley, old musty books, nutmeg, clove, sarsaparilla, and sweet oak. Way more ethanol than there should be for 90 proof, but the complexity and appeal make it a forgivable sin. Palate doesn’t match the nose well but is interesting in its own right. Tea leaf, tobacco, leather, cinnamon, apple, generic citrus zest, and rye spice. Tastes more like an American single malt than a bourbon. Flavors are so rich and bold you’d think this was 110+ proof. Nicely complex. Finish is wonderful bringing nice sweet notes to contrast and balance the tannic palate; vanilla extract, cake frosting, hazelnut, green peppercorn, and toasted oak. Mouthfeel is airy yet velvety and elevates everything to another level. Turns super dry after the flavors fade. Ok, this bourbon is bullshit, “Wait, it sounds like you liked it!” And there’s the rub; I DO like it. I paid well over MSRP at $199 for this (fomo) but even at $130 retail, there’s no reason this should cost as much as it does. In the $60-$80 range? Man, I’d be buying it all the time. North of $130? A one-time novelty. Sure is tasty, though.

Nose is pungent with plenty of fusel alcohol but also cereal grain (oats?), golden delicious apple, milk chocolate, cashew, musty barn, wintergreen, sweet corn, and nutmeg. There’s some nice complexity here, but there’s so much ethanol that it’s hard to fathom. (After 20 min in the glass the ethanol did subside, allowing the more pleasant notes to shine) Palate opens spicy and nutty with walnut, vanilla, oak, and the slightest hint of stone fruit. Less peanut flavor than other releases. There’s a defined mid-palate with some nice chocolate/caramel notes; I am reminded of a Choco Taco, and that definitely doesn’t suck. Finish is a huge spice bloom of cinnamon, allspice, clove, ginger, pink peppercorn, and oak chips, Mouthfeel is medium bodied and prickly on the tongue that stops just shy being being too harsh. Drying effect after the flavors fade. There are some flaws here, but overall a pretty solid offering with a flavor profile that is on point for the brand. As these releases tend to be quite consistent to this reviewer, I’d say either you like Larceny Barrel Proof or you don’t and I do. Believe I paid around $79.99, and have no regrets.

Nose is pretty enticing, with rich caramels and fruits in the form of red apple, grape and blackberry. Additional hints of sawdust, grass, old books, and oak furniture. A little too much ethanol for the proof. Palate matches the nose well, but adds French vanilla, molasses, chocolate, mint, tobacco, and a spice bloom of allspice and cinnamon. Flavors do come across decently bold. As for the finish, warm to the point of sliding into hot with black pepper, chili pepper, astringent oak, cinnamon, and unattenuated alcohol. It’s not all bad; on the plus side are some burnt sugars, toasty char, and citrus zest. It’s also nicely long. Mouthfeel is sharp and prickly; a little more softness would have went a long way. Let me start by saying I’m big fan of this series, but a bit of a mixed bag here. On one hand, I appreciated the fullness and richness. On the other, we have some off notes that are hard to ignore. It far from sucks, and at $80 is priced right for the quality in today’s market. I’ll give it rebuy status by the slightest of margins; better than some in the series but not as good as FAE-01.

I’ve been at least a moderate fan of the “Noble” series so far, so let’s see what this one has to offer…. Nose features red delicious apple, grains, brown sugar, maple, nutmeg, honey and clove, all in an ethanol free package. Very nice. Palate: uhh…what just happened? I’ve never had a whiskey deviate from the nose in such spectacular fashion. Tobacco, leather, malt (I’m aware that this is a wheat whiskey, but it’s what I’m getting), mild vanilla, and tea leaf. A hint of the apple from the nose. While it’s decently bold for the proof which I do appreciate, there’s a lot of weird herbaceous notes here that don’t mesh particularly well. Short finish is sharp with tannic oak, astringent alcohol, hay, more tea leaf (black tea), pepper, and mint. Mouthfeel is thinner and grainier than my tongue would like it to be. Definitely the worst of this series I have tried, and quite the disappointment. It’s hard to really find good things to say about it. At $79.99, this is a HARD avoid. I’d be hard pressed to recommend it at $40. Going to be a struggle to finish.

Nose is soft and delicate with graham cracker, raw barley malt, bubblegum, stewed pear, musty barn, leather, tobacco, and wet, green wood. Unique. Distracting amount of ethanol for the low proof though. Flavor continues the mild vibe with tea leaf, rice cake, butter, caramel, date, Granny Smith apple, and vanilla. Flavors are rounded but do lack punch. Finish is over in a flash but while it lasts features sweet tea, toasted oak, date, licorice, and nutmeg. I must mention the mouthfeel which is creamy and at the same time sparkly and effervescent to the point of almost coming across as being carbonated. Truly delightful and elevates what otherwise might be a very flat whiskey. Finishes very dry. As a lighter take on a malt whiskey, I found a lot to like but everything here is subdued to the point of being a bit muted. That said, it doesn’t suck but at $80 it’s just too darn pricey for what you get.

Nose is pungent and full with snickerdoodle cookie, mint, oregano, white pepper, charcoal, maple, sea salt, brown sugar, fresh milled rye grain, and oak. Some ethanol presence, but it diminishes after a while in the glass. Very inviting. Flavors are punchy as hell and matches the nose well with additional notes of banana, clove, vanilla, butterscotch, menthol, and graham cracker. There’s a good amount of sharpness here. Finish is extremely long and brings white chocolate, cinnamon, black pepper, bitter oak, and wintergreen. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly grainy, with prickly heat. Not for the faint of heart; everything here is turned up to 11. Somewhat lacking in refinement; this rye doesn’t whisper sweet nothings in your ear; it beats you up and steals your wallet. I paid a straight retail of $69.99 for this and at that price it’s well worth it, although it’s also very much a “have to be in the mood” whiskey due to a somewhat challenging profile, and I’d definitely have an issue paying much more. Rebuy at retail only.

Total Wine and More store pick, Gilbert AZ. 115 proof. Nose is sweet and nutty with cashew, peanut butter, and while I generally think the “aged at sea” thing is kind of gimmicky, I’ll be damned if I don’t get some salted caramel. Ethanol is 0.00%. There not a lot of complexity here, but what is present is very nice. On the palate: liquid Snickers. Caramel, heavy milk chocolate, vanilla ice cream, peanut, creamed corn, and cashew. Without a doubt the nuttiest whiskey I’ve ever tasted. Despite being basically a dessert whiskey, there’s an MGP brightness here that really works for me. Finish brings robust cinnamon heat, fresh cracked black pepper, oak, barrel char, and wood varnish. Mouthfeel full bodied and chewy and matches the flavor profile perfectly. This was a hit for me in spite of the relatively simple profile. I am a big fan of sweet, nutty whiskies and this one delivers. At 109.99, it’s hard to call this a value, but I have no regrets and may rebuy when in the mood.

Nose features Graham cracker, honey, nutmeg, fruit cake, white pepper, vanilla custard, butterscotch, banana, and hazelnut. A layer of ethanol underneath reminds you that this is a cask strength product. Palate presents almond, chocolate, raisin, orange peel, pineapple, vanilla, date, caramel, and leather. Flavors blend well and plenty of layers here, but there is a bit of sharpness. Finish brings the nutmeg from the nose, cinnamon, toffee, clove, pepper, and a lovely sweet oak. Also a musty, dried fruit sherry note. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly grainy, and very oily. Wished it was just a hint fuller and smoother. Definitely the weakest part of this whiskey. I really enjoyed this, but from nose to palate there’s a bit of harshness and lack of refinement that keeps this from being a truly upper echelon product. A paid an obscene $179 for this because I literally never see it in the wild in my area, but even at MSRP of $120 it’s a fair value at best. Dont get me wrong; it is a good whiskey, and normally I’d rank the Spots over the “Breasts” but in this case Redbreast Cask Strength just might be the superior product at a cheaper price.

Delicate nose of lemongrass, fresh cotton, poppyseed muffin, rain water, light pine/spruce, and unmilled rye grains. Everything is light, clean, and airy. Zero ethanol. Thankfully the palate brings a little more oomph than the nose but overall still very “light” with lemon/lime zest, Ritz cracker, thyme, coriander, and maybe enough of a generic wood note to bring balance but not enough for you to say “oh yeah, there’s the oak”. The heavy citrus and overall flavor profile makes this an absolutely ideal summer sipper. Decently long finish takes things up yet another notch with cracked pepper, spearmint, mace, and clove. Mouthfeel is…you guessed it; light and airy. So light it’s like drinking a rye cloud. I did enjoy the journey from nose to finish as things got increasingly potent. More delicate than I like my ryes by a large margin but oddly satisfying as well. This is without a doubt the whiskey I would give to someone who has never tried a rye. At $58, the price is more than fair. A 3.75 that could rise to a 4.0 in the hot Arizona summer months.