Tastes

Nose- Floral and smoky with apple blossom and vanilla. Taste- Smoky and peaty. Trying to get cherry notes but the peat takes over killing any complexity. Front heat and spice. A bit of water tamed it a but, but still not my cup of tea. Finish- Long spicy finish with lingering smoke and peat. I'm not a fan of peaty scotch. I received this in a blind tasting box from a friend. The peat is just too strong for me and I would not purchase. I guess for the price of $35 in NC it's okay for what it is. 2.5 stars at best.

Nose- Peat, smoke, and vanilla with pronounced alcohol. Taste- Wood and bark dominate. Tastes better than the nose would suggest. Sourwood flavors. Water brought out the spice. Finish- Medium to long with taste of cream soda and ginger. Smoke and peat linger long. I am not a fan of peated whisky. I got this in a tasting box from a friend to taste blind for an experiment. I have to give it barely three stars because they certainly accomplish what they're going after. I would not purchase a bottle or a pour. At least it's not The Bowmore.

Very assertive in a very gentlemanly way. Very oily, coating the mouth and lips. Flavors of citrus molasses and butterscotch without being to sweet. Not a typical flavor profile, but still very good. Top of mouth heat without heat on the tongue? Smooth for a higher proof whiskey. $12.50 for a pour was overpriced. $7.50 would be fair. A solid 3.5 stars or 7/10

I got a pour of this as an aperitif this weekend while at a sports bar. It was my first go at this highly recommended whiskey. Vanilla, apricot and alcohol on the nose. The initial flavors were somewhat stifled by the alcohol. I am not too sensitive to a strong drink, but this one caught me off guard a bit. There is a lot to like here. Peppery spice, sweetness, vanilla and a touch of fruit. A few drops of water seemed to do very little. It seemed like it even removed some notes I had been enjoying, so I recommend this neat. The finish is a bit short but also not the smoothest. This is a solid buy for a 10 year, "single-ish" barrel at $35 in NC. 3.5

VANILLA!!! The nose is overwhelming with alcohol and vanilla with just a tad bit of smoke. A bit of citrus rounds it out. The taste is assertive and spicy with front heat. Surprisingly dry. I know the profile indicates sweet, but I just don't get it. It reminds me of a painfully dry wine.(not necessarily a bad thing) Vanilla and spice. A splash of chilled water opens up the floral side a bit. The finish is medium to long with back heat. It has the bite of a 100 proof whisky but is only 86? The spice profile reminds me of a high rye bourbon or rye whiskey. The spice drowns out any complexity. Its certainly not the smoothest blended out there.(again, not necessarily a bad thing). If you're looking for a smooth easy drinking blended with a sweet slightly smoky profile... this is not the Scotch for you. I am not disappointed at the July sale price in NC at $33, but I won't be buying it at full price. A solid 3 stars but not much more. Better pours can be found for $30. I will just drink Cutty Sark & soda for $18/bottle

Voyage #11 I had been waiting to try this bourbon but did not want to invest 80 plus dollars. I sampled it at a whiskey bar and was very impressed. A few drops of water bloomed it out nicely, but it was very good neat. However, even at the June sale price in NC of $70, that's just not enough value for this whiskey. There are many pours better than this for $40 or less per bottle. A gentleman with me at the bar said he always bought the ocean voyages until he blind tasted them against Jefferson's Reserve. He said he selected reserve on his blind taste easily which is $55. That might be my next approach to the Jefferson's line.

Fortune has smiled upon me! With out-of-state acquisitions ($60 in VA same in NC) I have increased my holdings of Blanton's enough to spend more time and drams sampling. It is simply the best Bourbon I have tasted. It's sooo good, and now that I have a few bottles...5 stars.

Nose has a fair bit of alcohol but not too strong. Molasses and smoke. Traditional bourbon nose. Taste is vanilla, butternut, apricot with floral notes. Very smooth finish. Late warmth with sweet tobacco over tones. Chilled distilled water brightens everything up a bit. So smooth it almost seems like a boring pour but there is just too much happening. Sneaky good! This belongs anywhere good times are happening! Too bad it is so limited here. $29 in NC if you can get it. Only here every 90 days...

Not what I was expecting. The nose is strong with isopropyl. The flavors are in a different range than the usual suspects. The finish is medium and smooth. It is hard to put my brain on exactly what is going on with this bourbon. Floral with toffee and butterscotch notes without being too sweet? The flavors are complex but elusive to description. It tastes very much better than the nose would indicate. I was expecting harsh notes but there are none. I would like to give 3 stars but I continue to go back to it for, " first of the evening drinks". I held a blind tasting of 5 American whiskeys for friends and it was ranked#1 by 3 of 8. 2 selected Blanton's, 2 selected Knob Creek Rye, 1 Buffalo Trace. In my opinion it doesn't belong up with Blanton's or Buffalo Trace, but I can't deny or argue against it's allure. Really good bourbon.

I am not a Rye fan. This particular one is not very complex but it is spicy. Cinnamon and cloves with lots of front heat up to the nasal passage! There is a strong flavor of turpntine or pine tar. A few drops of chilled distilled water did very little to bloom the whiskey. I much prefer the Knob Creek Rye at 100 proof at the same price point.