Tastes

I bought this on a whim while visiting an awesome liquor store in southern Indiana. Nose is sweet with hints of honey, apple, and sweet corn. The mash bill is 68% rye, 35% corn, and 5% barley., so it's no surprise to get the sweet corn notes. But even with the sweeter nose, the rye is very prominent. My neat pour was spicy and really engulfed the front of my tongue. The finish was long and pretty bold. Some of the sweetness was still there, but overall more heat and spice. I will say that it's something you get used to as you sip on it. Adding some ice takes some of the heat off, but I think it taste better neat. Overall, a nice surprise from an Indiana distiller.

The worst thing about these experimental bottles is that they only come in 200ml bottles. Because I’d love to get a full 750ml of any of them. The nose on my neat pour was sweet and citrusy. I gave it a sip and picked up some mint really quick, which surprised me. Then the finish was long and peppery. But that mint note faded away with future sips and morphed into burnt marshmallow and molasses. At 92 proof I think it’s very accessible. Too bad the little bottle didn’t last long!

I remember having Blanton’s early on as I started getting into whiskey. At the time I thought it was the best thing ever. Fortunately, it still holds up. Nose is sweet. Like a mix of vanilla bean and a caramel apple. It just smells refreshing. I drank it neat. It’s smooth. I’d say pretty inviting for most drinkers. But the back end has some heat. Which I appreciate. Got a citrus note that taste like burnt orange, but not in a bad way. The finish was long on my first few sips, but that faded the more I drank. If I see a bottle at MSRP, I’ll always buy it. I’ve tasted a lot of stuff since the first time I had Blanton’s, so I’m not inclined to hunt for it or pay an exuberant price for it.

It was sweet on the nose for me. I was picking up some peanut butter that made me think of a Reese’s peanut butter cup. I was caught off guard with the spice that came with my first few sips. It was smoky and full of cinnamon like a stick of Big Red. I was ready to give it a lower score, but as it aired out, the neat pour grew on me. I usually pick a rye for most of my cocktails, but I think this would serve as a good base as well. It got sweeter as well and the spice subsided a bit. It does have a nice, long finish that got better the more I drank it. I’ll have to try a pour with a big ice cube next time to see how the flavor changes.

Maybe I’ve been tasting too many high proof whiskies, but this one fell flat for me. Nose is fruity, some caramel apple and citrus. Hint of honey. I also get some sweet corn as well, which makes sense due to its mash bill. None of that sweetness really comes out for me as I taste it. Getting a lot more spice. Black pepper and rye. And the mouth feel was pretty thin. I picked up some smoky, black cherry flavor after a few more taste. It added some complexity, but not enough for me. It’s not a terrible whiskey by any means. But I’d personally spend my $50 on something else.

Off the bat I’m getting a lot of sweetness on the nose. Everything from cherry, vanilla, caramel corn. Whole lot of sweetness jumping into the air. My brain is also saying “fresh baked bread”. So that’s the barley talking. I tasted all of that sweetness on the tip of my tongue, and then the heat and spice hit. It wasn’t unpleasant, just a little unexpected since I got so much sweetness on the nose. I think my brain was ready to taste something with the sweetness of a wheated bourbon. The flavor does linger for a while, and I got some orange notes after a bit. Added little bit of water and that softened it a bit as well. Overall I really enjoyed this. Might try to track down the cast strength and give that a go. Batch 254 94 Proof

Man this one packs a punch, in a good way. You get that pepper spice and rye at the forefront. And it lingers for a while. Can really taste the rye notes as it fades. There is some sweetness, but the spice really makes my brain jump to cinnamon. I am getting smoke and cherries on the nose. It’s a solid single barrel for being aged about 4 years. Some ice and water tone down the spice, so now I’m getting some more of the vanilla that New Riff has on their tasting notes. But that spice is still there. This would make a really good Manhattan.

Gave this bottle a try neat and with some ice. The sweetness of the vanilla hits early. The sherry oak staves did their job. Some spice hits soon after, black pepper and cinnamon. But as they fade, I’m left a little underwhelmed. I think this would work well if you like your cocktails on the sweeter side. But at this price point, I’d go a little higher and consider Russell’s Reserve if you prefer a neat pour.

I got a good amount of orange peel on my nose, and a hint of brown sugar. A few sips of a neat pour really engulfs the mouth with pepper and spice. I get a little bit of the sweetness that I smelled, but a lot more heat that I was anticipating. But not in an unpleasant way. The sweetness comes alive with a little bit of water or ice. Got a taste of sweet corn and cereal. Overall I really enjoyed it.

Nose has some caramel and butterscotch to it while it’s neat. Some fruity, floral notes as well. Mouthfeel was underwhelming at first, but then the pepper spice and heat kicked in. It’s a pleasant surprise. Added a drop of water and the charred, burnt flavor really intensified. Adding an ice cube brought out some sweetness, but overall I didn’t notice too much of a change.