Tastes

Nose: a unique doughy aroma. It’s a little funky but not off putting. There’s cinnamon, caramel and a strong fruity aroma like a red starburst. Faint wisps of oak. The more I sip it the more oak and caramel come forward. Body: light-medium Palate: cinnamon, peppery caramel. Vanilla and faint oak Finish: short Note: another pick by Don. This is tasted neat. This is ok. Not great. Unique nose pretty classic palate perhaps a little more peppery and cinnamon than the norm. It’s nice, I can drink the whole bottle but I don’t want another.

EC single barrel 1010 pick 118.9 proof Nose: neat: caramel and saw dust, pencil shavings. Something fruity… some kind of fruit at first Im struggling to figure out what. Later tootsie roll. Later as it opened peanuts. More caramel. Ethanol. Later a cherry dipped in crushed peanuts. A very yummy nose as it opened. Even later I got a salty funk. Water: gobs of salted caramel. Totally different than the first pour out of the bottle. More caramel with some pencil shavings. Later cherry. Oh shit … baby Ruth bar. Later as it opened salted cherry cordial. Caramel dipped in cherry. So on balance the nose was ok neat and great with water. Body: neat: full Water: full Palate: neat: initially the spiciness is forward. And it gives a nice Kentucky hug. Later the oak & wood comes forward. There is sweetness coming out Water: salted caramel. Spicy caramel. So with water the palate is sweet spicy caramel. It’s good not great. The water cuts out the wood. Interesting. Finish: neat: medium to long. But not smoky like I love. Water: and long finish with smoke. Whoa. The finish is great with water. Note: barrel aged in the Bernhiem warehouse… cement. I’m excited for this. Don notes it is off profile. Neat, this was good. Kind of a half step off the normal barrel proofs… similar but like maybe not as coherent as a standard BP. With water: this opened up like a flower in the morning. Like a big muscular manly flower. On first time through this is much better more coherent and delicious with water. Actually really very good, it just needs to open and be tamed a little.

Nose: interesting right off the bat. Making me think. Certainly your standard caramel and wood/oak but also different something hard for me to define… burnt chocolate maybe. But it’s more like a red licorice smell. Later rye spice stood out. 1/4 of the way through I’m thinking oak, chocolate and rye. I swear I smell creme brûlée but that’s probably because it says that on the bottle 😂. The nose just swirls around with caramel, licorice, burnt sugar and oak. I think later I’m getting some of the nutmeg and ginger on the nose fricking crazy town. A good nice nose. Body: medium to full, which is good because this is robust, the proof coming through. Palate: first taste “oooo that’s different”. This taste like a perfect Christmas with its spiciness but not pepper spice like Christmas spice (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger). That’s what makes this stand out as so different. The spice is so interesting and not at all off putting. And for those that like “smooth” for 60 proof this doesn’t drink at all at that proof it’s very easy going on the ol’ esophagus. Finish: long and tasty. The finish is good because with whiskey length matters. Note: this is a pick from the great folks at 1010 Washington in MPLS. They (Don) have great taste in bourbon. I’m excited to taste this. I don’t usually get into color but this struck me as a beautiful dark bronze, just a nice looking bourbon. This is really good, the base caramel, vanilla, rye is there as a base but has a dominant non rye spice flavor which is so unique. So good.

Nose: loads of caramel, gobs and gobs of caramel but interestingly it does not nose hot given the proof. I started this neat and on letting it open I got peanuts and saw dust. Later red fruits maybe red twizzler. I put a few drops of water in and the nose was more vibrant, still lots of caramel, peanuts and I swear twizzlers. Body: medium to full, initial sip I felt really coated the mouth and with water it did take some of the big mouth feel down a peg, thinned it out.. so note to self don’t put too many drops of water in this one. Palate: no Kentucky hug which I find baffling given the proof. Caramel. Almost chewy but not dry. Barrel char (I like this flavor). With water I lost the barrel char and replaced it with rye spiciness. Near the end I got some saltiness out of the dram like salted caramel which was not expected. Finish: initially I felt this was long, lingering which a characteristic I really like in a good bourbon. Smoke, tobacco leaf (I love it). This finish was unchanged with a few drops of water in it. Note: I was excited when don at 1010 got this barrel pick. This is now the highest proof bourbon I have open. I let this dram sit I. The glass for at least 30 minutes before sipping but I nosed it right away and as above it did NOT nose hot. To me this is a good perhaps great bourbon. It’s in the same league as ECBP and larceny. The flavor is big maybe a little monochromatic in that it feels like a lot of caramel but there is other stuff going on. It doesn’t drink or nose at it’s proof and if you like bold flavor don’t drop too much water in this it seems responsive to just a drop or three but it doesn’t need more. I like this one a lot.

Nose: caramel, vanilla Palate: caramel, vanilla, red licorice Body: medium Finish: short Note: I’ve had it before never rated, but it was always good. This is also good.

Nose: oak, sweet oak Body: medium Palate: oak, Kentucky hug is present on first sip. Second sip more apricot. Malt third sip. From there on lots of fruity maltiness Finish: short malt Note: cool story, from Nate. This is interesting, tastes more like a young scotch then a bourbon but it’s not a bourbon so

Nose: caramel, vanilla, Palate: caramel, vanilla Body: light Finish: short Note: another dram with Nate and mark at Lake Michigan 2021. This is a nice dram, but oddly I drank this after the parkers heritage and they tasted oddly similar. Maybe it’s the glass.

Nose: caramel, salted toffee, faint smoke, citrus Palate: oak, citrus, salted milk chocolate. Body: medium Finish: Uber long, smokey, salty, chocolaty. Note: first dram on Lake Michigan, with Nate & Mark during delta surge. We’re in need of something nice while we’re chillin’ on the beach at sunset with the camp fire. I wanted to like this more. It’s definitely unique and I appreciate that, a lot of citrus but also a lot of salt. Fun to drink but not my fave

Last tasting of the night with Wootten wu-tang, this was a pretty standard bourbon with requisite caramel, vanilla and smokiness. I like it.

Second or third favorite of the night. Surprisingly good given Wootten’s average appraisal.