Tastes

After seeing people rave about this budget bourbon on various forums etc, I decided to try it out myself. What I learned here is to not let a cheap looking label and price tag fool you. Yes it’s got some heat at 114 proof. Let it it breath for 5-10 mins. Adding some water can be helpful for this one too, but not required. But man, it’s got some good flavors going on for the price. The nose is spicey (cinnamon) with light fruits and some nuttiness that I get with regular Beam and some leather. The palate is not overly sweet and immediately jumps into that nice leatheryness and dark cherries. The finish is medium length that gives you that fiery bite at first and then dies down. But never bitter. Overall not super complex, but what it does give you are some very nice masculine notes.

Nose is butterscotch, a little fruity and vanilla. Palate is creamy smooth with a little leatheryness at the end. The finish is short, but fine. Overall I was a little let down because it was hyped up to me. It’s definitely good, but not a very deep or dense bourbon. It didn’t live up to the hype, but I am still enjoying it.

Very nice nose. Fruity with cherries, corn and light wheatyness. Palate is sweet and oily. Followed by a old musty leather, in a great way. This leads way to a fairly smooth medium finish that bursts with cherries.

Very solid. Wasn’t sure what to expect but pleasantly surprised. Probably the most noticeable Christmas spice notes of anything I’ve tried. You get vanilla and oakiness and some leather on the nose. But that cinnamon and cloves are undeniable on the nose. The palate is a continuation of the nose but more leather. And a nice finish with a little heat. Very good.

I had been looking for this and finally found one, since I’ve heard such good things about it. It was the last one they had (they were only allocated 6 bottles for their shipment the day before) I’ve heard that this particular single barrel tends to be very inconsistent. As in night and day. So I went for it and I think I got a pretty good one. The nose is not harsh (in a glencairn). You get vanilla and some lighter fruit aromas that I can’t place exactly, and oak. Very pleasant. The palate is very nice, not too sweet. A continuation of the nose, but more depth and some nice leathery notes on the finish along with a little burn. Very good.

Nose has a creamy banana and slight nuttiness to it. Palate is sweet and light with previously mentioned notes. Extremely easy to drink. I can see why visually on the shelf and in drink it is considered a “gateway” bourbon for those somewhat new to bourbon. It’s enjoyable, just not very complex.

A little spice on the nose along with light fruit. Light coating on the palate. Definitely gets a tad smokey and oaky. Then finishes with a burn, but it’s good. This was after letting it sit for 10-15 mins due to the higher proof. I really think this one will open up well as the bottle sits and airs out a little. Adding some water helps as other suggest and surprisingly thickened it up a little.

Very easy drinking. Not too complex, but nice and light. A little sweet with butterscotch and leather.

I don’t know what’s going on here. It noses and tastes like whiskey and tequila mixed together. It’s not working for me. It tastes like a mistake. Maybe I’ll check after the bottle breathes a little more.

Definitely getting butterscotch and some floral notes on the nose. The palate is fairly spicey for a wheated bourbon with a decent kick at the end (appropriately named).