Tastes

Ok I admit to being a homer when it comes to my state and our distillers, brewers, and wineries. Valentine puts out some truly good stuff without the home field advantage though with some fantastic vodkas and whiskey. This is my first dram of their rye so I am cautious, but optimistic. Nose is sasparilla and a bit astringent almost like a manly aftershave. First sip is more of the rootbeer and rye mash up with a soft burn the dies fairly quickly. This is an interesting dram as it seems to lack that heavy pepper traditionally found in ryes abd leans to a smoother path. Overall not as nice as the other Valentine offerings, but still nice if you are looking for a smoother rye than much if what is on the market.

Belle Meade has become one of my favorite go to distilleries. This is my first bottle of the sour mash. Nose is sweet like southern candied yams. Taste is full bodied honey and cinnamon forward with a red hot burn that lingers to an almost creamy smooth finish. Not my favorite BM product, but still a nice dram.

Decided to give this one a go to support home state distillers. At least the bottle looks cool so it has that going for it. Nose is very sweet almost like fresh pecan sticky buns. First sip is heavy on brown sugar and vanilla with a slight rye character. Surprisingly smooth for such a strong proof. Price is a bit too high on this one as it doesn't hold up against ECBP, but it is a nice entry from a newer distillery.

The higher quality Japanese offerings are becoming scarce. My bottle came as a backroom special from one of my local stores. Nose is ever so lightly peated with slight grain notes. The taste follows the lead with a light peat backbone danced around by hints of almond and marzipan. The finish is quite lovely and lingering almond biscotti tastes.

New Riff continues to impress. Let's see how the single barrel rye stacks up. Nose has soft banana bread notes. First sip starts much smoother than a rye has a right to be, but then comes charging forward with peppery notes. Hints of toffee and caramel linger in the finish. New Riff makes some nice bourbons, but their ryes steal the show!

Mmmm. The nose on this smells like fresh cinnamon bread. Heavy caramel and brown sugar with vanilla icing on the tongue with a smooth lasting cinnamon burn. Another strong entry from New Riff.

Let's start with WOW. Nose just smells delicious. A little brown sugar maybe, but not sweet. First sip is a flavor explosion. You expect a significant burn from the barrel proof, but this is damn near perfect. Heavy brown sugar and vanilla with a hint of nuttiness. Cinnamon burn is strong, but smooth and not over powering. Biggest problem with this one is that my wife loves it more and I may find an empty bottle on the shelf.

Personally I find ECBP to be one of the best releases on the market. Each batch can actually be found on shelves and do not seem to disappoint. C919 has a typical brown sugar nose, but be careful not to inhale to deeply as the near 70% alcohol content is defintely present. On the tongue this one defintely brings the heat along with some burnt caramel and vanilla toffee notes. Most will probably want a little water or a chip of ice to mellow this fireball out, but it is full flavored in any case. EC may have pushed the proof on this one a touch too far though as it isn't as good as the B batch released earlier in 2019.

Have I said before that I love Compass Box? They are truly making some of the best bottles on the market. Nose on this has hints of smoke and anise. Flavor brings light showers of vanilla followed by a rush of caramel. Finish is a mellow smolder of heat and burnt creme brulee sugar. Overall another solid offering.