Tastes

Cherry and oak nose; musty oak, brown sugar, vanilla palate; corn, oak, vanilla finish. Thin. This is fine but nothing special, especially at this price point.

Some faint honey and oak on the nose. Palate is soft and very sweet with initial tastes of vanilla and honey pastry. Some spice appears and fades into fresh corn and some burnt caramel. Short finish that's mostly bitter but not totally unpleasant. I like this bottle at this price point and probably prefer it to Maker's or Larceny, but I won't be rushing for a replacement.

This would be fine as a well bottle in a small town dive bar. Pretty inoffensive, but no substance. If you look hard there are some vanilla notes. Thin mouthfeel and no finish.

Shelf bottle, 128 proof aged 37 months An absolute bruiser. It smells like warm cornbread covered in about an inch of melted caramel and served on wet oak. Palate is more caramel corn than cornbread, but surprisingly creamy for the proof. Finish is long and ringing with charred sweet corn and spice mixed with vanilla notes. The proof isn't overwhelming but it cleared my sinuses. No subtlety here. If you don't like Balcones or Texas whiskey in general, you can safely skip this bottle.

Oak and candied orange aroma with typical vanilla/cinnamon/caramel notes on the palate. There's a long soft vanilla and rye spice finish, and I'm not picking up much of the malty/musty taste I commonly find in Texas bourbon. It would be fair to call this unremarkable, but: It is aged [at least] two (2!) years. It is grain-to-glass Texas whiskey. It is $39.99. I'm definitely curious to see what Still Austin releases in the future. I will enjoy this bottle and likely purchase another.

Oak, leather, and vanilla that's pretty consistent from nose through the finish. A little roasted peanut comes through at the end along with some rye spice. Maybe a hint of spearmint. I think the alcohol bite is a little out of balance, but this drinks closer to 100 proof than 114. My go-to bottle for mixing and simple cocktails, and it's solid neat. At the intersection of flavor, proof, and price, OGD114 doesn't have many neighbors. A home bar staple, in my opinion.

(Total Wine single barrel pick) Fresh corn fades to black cherry, overbaked banana bread and dark chocolate on the nose. I'm getting caramel soaked cake (tres leches comes to mind) with vanilla icing on the palate. Hints of overripe banana. There's a brief buttery note. The flavor and mouthfeel can support the alcohol content here (125 proof). Finish is corn husk into a grassy spice rounded with a soft, almost chocolaty barrel char, then lingering corn. The raw corn on the initial nose and tail end of the finish is a little overpowering and ultimately smothers some delicious notes along the way. I'm not disappointed for $40, but this is probably best used in a cocktail.

Initial nose is straight alcohol with some oak. It fades to sweet cherry, some orange, almost unsweetened tea. Palate is vanilla, barrel char, musty wood, and bitter burnt sugar. Short to medium finish with a pop of alcohol then more vanilla, oak, and some spice. Not very complex or particularly interesting, but hard to beat at $25 a liter and bottled in bond.

Peat, smoked meat nose (I'm smelling crispy bacon on pizza crust. Unmistakable and bizzare.) More peat and smoke on the palate that's nicely balanced with tart apple, honey, pear. Long, drying finish that brings another wave of peat, with a little spice leading into a slight grassy sweetness. There's more going on here than I expected, but this is too balanced and pleasant to be a "monster." This is assertive, not aggressive. Will revisit with a cube or splash of water.

Oak and vanilla nose, some caramel. Vanilla into burnt sugar, butterscotch, then dark chocolate and spice. Slightly creamy. Plenty of oak on the palate. Medium to long finish. S'mores references are appropriate, but I don't get as much marshmallow in the shelf version.