Tastes

Inoffensive would be my best single word description. Muted nose and palate. Being a blended whiskey, I am guessing a fair amount of neutral spirits.

Philosophically, I am pretty much a purist when it comes to my bourbon. Double oak or oak staves that basically accelerate the aging process, Im ok with. Secondary barreling in wine barrels is a stretch for me, but I have enjoyed some. Amburana finishing might cross the line. This is more akin to flavored bourbon. It's not bad but this tastes like someone poured maple syrup in the bourbon. Aromas and flavors are intense, predominately maple, apple and baking spices overwhelm the basic flavor. In spite of that, the finish is very short. No more for me

Not been trying much in the way of new stuff but this looks interesting. The big brother uncut, unfiltered got high marks from me and I have enjoyed other young hot climate bourbons so the bar is set pretty high. Poured one up and let it sit. The nose is enticing albeit simple. It's quite fruity, way less alcohol than expected for a 120 proofer. The palate is agreeable but again simple, very caramel apple like. The neck pour was quite good but this one breaks down on the second pour. It's youth really shows here. It's hot and disjointed. The nose is barely discernable and bitter alcohol shows up on the palate. Gonna set back and revisit in a month.

Since becoming a KY only product, I am having a tougher time finding this and it's now $40-50 per bottle. I have only seen two bottles in the last year. First one was quite good, this one meh! 15-20 Years ago this was one of my favorites, It was released twice a year in ample supply and ten years old. A few years ago, it became an eight year product and lost some of its complexity. Visiting with the HH folks shortly after the switch to 8 year they claimed there would never be another supply issue. Never was only 3-4 years. Earlier this year, I found a 2014 bottle. It was quite good. Excellent fragrance, deep and rich on the palate. This one is a 2015 and has no nose and no depth. We tasted it against an open bottle of 1783 and everyone found 1783 to be preferential. This is a single barrel product so YMMV but this one is way off after distribution was cut back and pricing nearly doubled. I'm not giving up on it and maybe my expectations are too high but I won't be going out of my way to find it.

Bottle kill, last half ounce. Been working on this one for 7-8 months and it kept getting better. Rich butter cream leads on the nose. Followed by sweet caramel and a little chocolate leaking in. Fabulous nose! Tastes starts out hot but mellows quickly. There's Heath Bar Toffee and burnt brown sugar. It's rich and very complex and then a very long finish of burnt brown sugar. I really like this one, Well done HH.

The liquor store clerk said try it you'll like it. I tried it, I can drink it but won't repeat.

This is my first experience with a Parker product and a friend is sharing a taste of two, this being my favorite. The heavy char really brings out the barrel qualities without over-oaking. This stuff could be dangerous if not respected. The alcohol is barely noticeable on the nose or palate. I use white oak flooring cut offs when I smoke meat. Blend that smokey fragrance with that of the rick house angel share and that's the nose I get. The caramel-vanilla is rich and the smokiness just right. There's cherries jubilee as well. The nose on this one is perfection. So I guess I should taste it. Burnt brown sugar leads the way, like the top of creme brulee. There's a nuttiness and some dark cherries. This all leads to sweet oak finish.

A friend knows I am quite fond of high rye bourbon and we both enjoy older MGP juice. He was intrigued by the label on this one and picked up a bottle, It's a blended whiskey with nearly half being 12 year old MGP high rye, 12% 14 year rye whiskey and nearly a quarter of light whiskey and the balance being slightly younger bourbon and rye. All MGP yet bottled in Bardstown. I find it (surprisingly?) quite good. I was initially concerned about the "light" component but it doesn't seem to come into play. There is deep butterscotch and stone fruit on the nose along with some baking spices and maybe a touch of hazelnut. It's dark amber with slow forming legs. It's got a creamy texture with caramel, vanilla and stone fruit on the palate. It reminds me of the Remus Repeal releases but I have none to taste side by side. It evolves nicely on the palate but that little bit of the young stuff goes bitter at the end and interferes with an otherwise most enjoyable dram. I like this one but it doesn't seem to be readily available and internet search shows the price near Remus which is the better of the two.

When I was a kid, my mother used to take left over bits of pie crust , form them into something like a tortilla then dust it in cinnamon sugar and add a few bits of butter. Take that sweet tortilla add some rich caramel and you get the nose of this one. WOW!! It's dark, rich and viscous. My taste is the last ounce of the bottle and it's slow to open. Very little alcohol on the nose at any point. The taste is hot but not overwhelming. The caramel coats your tongue and there is some lingering baking spice in the background. This is a very nice expression of MGP juice, sadly gone

When I was a kid, Dreamsicles were a summer time treat. Creamy orange flavor and ice cold. Great texture. BBC Origin Series BIB really brings back the memory. There is a profound orange citrus on the nose with brown sugar in the background. It's a beautiful dark amber in the glass and has a syrupy viscosity to it. It's a great yet simple sniffer. That Dreamsicle character certainly comes through on the palate with a rich creamy texture. A little nutmeg and oak creep in as you move it around in your mouth. Alcohol is quite tame and the flavors fill your mouth, it begs you to take another sip after a finish that's a bit too short. I have a tough time likening this one to anything I've had. Closest is probably Wilderness Trail but this one is more unique. It has a lot going for it. It's exclusively their juice and priced right and was not hard to find in Bardstown although the distillery said it's on allocation. Not in my immediate market yet but it will find a regular spot in my bar.