Tastes

I’ve heard good things about this and finally decided to try it. Though I’m not sure how easily I will be able to find this variant (their sourced MGP barrels) now that they have been making their own product. The nose at first had some heat to it, but after a few minutes in the glass, the vapors subside and allow brown sugar, some oak and baking spices to come through. After the first sip I get some apricot. The palate is very oaky in a great way. Sort of reminds me of my Stagg Jr., just not nearly as hot. You also get some sweet cola notes and leather. And hint of fruit on the very back. It definitely drys the tongue. The finish has a nice initial burn and then follows through nicely, long length. Also tried it with a few drops of water. It mellows it out, but didn’t bring anything else out of the mix. Wow, this is really good. Now I see why the guy at the store was suggesting that I might not want to try it, since it’s their old product they don’t make anymore. I guess I’ll have to stock up on it.

Saw a little 50ml bottle in Louisville when I was there for a day and thought I’d see what people are talking about. The nose is a little peppery with some oak, freshly baked bread, and a light fruit note with a small amount of burn. The palate has nice complexity. You get some really nice oakiness and light leather, mild sweetness and vanilla. It does dry the tongue a little bit. The finish is medium in length, though I get some tingly lingerings to remind me of what I just had. This is very solid bourbon. There’s a little disconnect between the nose and the palate. Though both are great, they just don’t seem like the same whiskey.

This is a Private Select bottle from My local store Pour Vous in Hendersonville, TN. The staves they chose are: 2x 46, 6x Roasted French Mocha, and 2x Toasted French Spice. I’m excited to try this after having the regular Maker’s 46 and loving it. I’m also going to do a side by side with regular makers, 46 and this private select. The nose definitely has some oak going on, with baking spices, some sweetness, a little vanilla and some corn and dark fruit on the tail end. The palate has a really nice thickness to it. I definitely get a lot of oak and leather along with some musty barn which I love. I also get some corn in there too. It’s sweet too, but just the right amount for me. The finish is long with a little burn, but really nice. I really like this store pick. It’s definitely reminiscent of the 46, but with its higher proof and different oak staves, the private select has its own somewhat unique profile. Though on the initial side-by-side, I think I like where the 46 goes a little more than the Private Select.

At first I thought people suggesting this one as a joke because of the price and the look of it, but then I realized they were completely serious. The nose has corn (duh) and some light leather notes and freshly baked bread with a slight ethanol burn. The palate is sweet with corn and nice leather and some oak with a few baking spices. The finish is on the shorter side of medium. Alright, this one is great. I can’t believe for $16 you get a bottled in bond (at least 4yrs old) whiskey that is actually good for sipping.

The nose has some banana, some nuttiness, red apples? and vanilla. Fairly fruity. The palate is fairly soft and sweet with banana bread, light leather notes and some oak. The finish is smooth and medium in length, like regular Woodford. This was fine. I was really hoping it to be similar to other notable wheated bourbons, but I guess this isn’t one, technically it’s a wheat whiskey.

This one looks thicker in the glass The nose is fairly sweet with vanilla, caramel, slight banana, and light oak. The palate has a very creamy mouthfeel. Not super oily per se, but creamy is the best way I can describe it. Very noticeable. Not overly sweet. Lots of vanilla and some oak. Not a ton of flavors poke out on this one but it is very pleasant and welcoming. The finish is on the shorter side of medium, and has little warmth going down, but also very comforting. I like this one. I wished there was a little more depth knowing that this is blended with young barrels all the way up 20 year barrels.

Always been curious about this low shelf whiskey. The nose is very smokey with freshly baked bread with a subtle fruit note. The palate is nice and oily, was not expecting that. I get corn, some of those baking spices and smokey notes from the nose. Not too sweet. The finish is on the shorter side of medium, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Because this one is only 86 proof, I had to really dig in on the nose and palate, but it’s good. For how cheap it is, it’s really pretty good. No harshness. Definitely on Th younger side, which is to be expected.

After visiting the distillery in Louisville, I was inspired to try and find a Single Barrel, which I did. I’m very familiar with their whiskey row series and now their 100 proof, let’s see how this one stacks up. This one was picked by Bill Sinks at Bluegrass Beverages in Hendersonville, TN. The nose has vanilla, brown sugar, cherries and baking spices and a little oak. The palate has those baking spices leads into a slight yeast/bread note, some light fruit notes as well as some oak. The finish is on the medium side, but very pleasant. It being 93 proof makes this one fairly easy to drink. All in all, I like this one. Compared to their regular 100 proof version (just did these back to back), the single barrel is a little muted, which makes it easy to drink. Nothing off putting at all, just not overly interesting. I think I like the 100 proof 1929 and 1910 better than this one.

After trying most of the “higher end” old forester offerings, I thought I’d give this one a try. The nose is sweet with some fruit (plumb), freshly baked bread, and a little bit of chocolate. The palate is semi-sweet, nice and oily, starting out with some fruit then some Barrel. A tiny bit of bitterness on the finish, which is about medium length. I was pleasantly surprised by this being how affordable it is at 100 proof and not being overly ethanolly.

Nose is vanilla, sweetness, a little leather, Green apple and some light ethanol vapors. Palate is sweet and light with some vanilla and light nuttiness and a tiny bit of Barrel. Not much depth. The finish is short with a little bitterness, but it’s fairly smooth. I was excited to try this port finished version, but it was just ok for me.