Tastes

After going through several bottles of regular Blanton’s, I have been envious of those able to get their hands on the Straight From The Barrel version, which is not sold within the U.S. But after tracking one down online, I’m finally able to see what a barrel proofed version of this infamous bourbon is like. This one is bottled at 129.6 proof. The nose has an explosion of cooked red apples, cotton candy sweetness, baking spices, oak, and freshly baked bread. The palate is sweet and oily with fresh apples, leather, oak, sweet caramel, baking spices, corn and brown sugar. It’s also fairly drying on the palate, which is common with higher proof bourbons. The finish tingles down your jawline, and the top of the throat for a long finish with lingering vanilla, fruit and spices. Man, this is so delicious. Even though it’s not a fair comparison to regular old Blanton’s at a modest 93 proof, I had to compare. And the Straight From The Barrel is just insanely better, to be expected. If you have the opportunity to get ahold of one of these under $200, go for it!

This is the 3rd and final bottle in the Generations of Proof 3-pack that I have. This is Rob Samuels’ (head of MM) stave selection which comes in at 110.2 proof. The nose has sweet dark fruit, cooked red apples, freshly baked bread, buttery caramel, along with other baking spices, milk chocolate, The palate is sweet, thick and oily with chocolate mixed with cooked apples, leather and caramel. The finish has cooked apples, baking spices and bread hanging out for a long finish. Wow, this is very rich bourbon, as is another private select I’ve tried from my local shop. If you see a Private Select, no matter what the stave combo is, just get it.

I have been anticipating this one for a while. Being a huge fan of the regular Maker’s 46, I had to know what the cask strength version would be like. I found a Generations of Proof 3-pack that included this rare cask strength version of Maker’s 46, so I had to have it! This one is 111.2 proof (55.6%abv) Let’s check it out. The nose has cherries, rich buttery caramel, milk chocolate, cooked plumbs, and leather. Very nice, as expected. The palate is sweet, medium thickness and slightly drying. There is corn, cherries, rich leather, caramel and freshly baked bread. The finish has a burn at the top of the throat that goes into a nice hug. There are lingering cherries and caramel that hang out for a long-ish finish. As I mentioned, I have been anticipating this moment for a while and it did not disappoint! I really hope Maker’s Mark decides to make this a regular offering in their lineup.

This particular bottle came from a three-pack from Maker’s Mark called the Generations of Proof. Which also includes a Maker’s 46 Cask Strength as well as a Rob Samuels stave selection on a Private Select barrel. This Maker’s Cask Strength bottle is 108.8 proof. The nose is rich and full of old leather, cherries, old barn (in a good way), vanilla, caramel, a little cocoa and cooked dark fruit. Very nice. The palate is sweet and oily with more rich leather, cherries and dusty corn. The fruit is bumped up a little here and just a tad of that cocoa. Very rich and full. The finish is nice with just a little burn on the sides of the cheeks. You are left with some vanilla sweetness and corn for a long finish. There is some barrel char that pokes its head out as everything else starts to fade. Wow, this is very good! These also vary in proof from batch to batch, so expect some variances from bottle to bottle. And the best part is, you can find this anywhere! I knew I liked the regular Maker’s 46 and one bottle of a Private Select bottle I have, so I was happy to find it’s right up there. I can’t wait to try the Cask Strength of the Maker’s 46 and Rob Samuels’ Private Select next!

The nose has vanilla, roasted peanuts, light caramel, oak, and a grassy note. There is a slight ethanol note on the back end, but not too distracting. The palate is sweet and creamy with vanilla, a little peanut, a hint of oak and barrel char, black pepper and a slight ethanol note. The finish has lingering vanilla sweetness and a slight bitterness on the back of the palate. There’s a little burn at the top of the chest with a medium-ish length finish. This one is fine. Fairly sweet and creamy, but nothing really special. Fairly one dimensional. I wonder how many drops of the old stitzel-Weller stocks is actually still in this haha.

This is Voyage 17. The nose is sweet and has cooked plumbs with baking spices, pear juice, sweet corn and a little oak. I also can’t deny that there is a brininess, even though I’m trying not to give into the whole “aged at sea” thing, it’s there. It is coming off kind of Scotchy. The palate has a nice creamy and oily mouthfeel with some sweet corn, hints of red apple, baking spices, vanilla, som leather, oak and a little saltiness. There is a quick burst of a scotch type note at the beginning, I guess that’s the brininess coming through. The finish is medium-long that has a very light burn that goes away fairly quickly. You’re left with notes of vanilla and a slight salty/bitterness on the front of the tongue. Overall this makes for a fine bourbon. The salty/briny notes are there, not overwhelming, but present and make this reminiscent of Scorch. And I can’t help but also be reminded of Blanton’s and other Buffalo Trace mashbill #2 products. The sweet, smooth cooked apples and spices are what is reminding me of that. So if Blanton’s were a scotch, this is it.

I’ve just finished a bottle of the older label Baker‘s that was just a small batch, not a single barrel like it is now. At 8yrs and 3 months let’s see how this new single barrel version of Baker’s compares to the sample of the old label small batch I kept for this occasion. The nose has peanut brittle (the peanuts jump out of the glass), barrel char, caramel, some dark stone fruit like a plumb, sweet vanilla and baking spices. The palate has a nice oily mouthfeel with some peanuts, sweet caramel, cherries and vanilla. The finish is long with lingering vanilla and dark fruit on the back of the palate. There’s a slow burn in the upper part of the chest. Very nice. I really like this one. I love the mixture of peanuts, sweet caramel and fruit and how they mix together for a thick oily experience. The original by comparison is less oily and has rye spice that pokes out above the other mentioned notes and seems a little subdued overall. So I have to say, at least this particular single barrel is a great improvement on an already fantastic bourbon. Way to go Beam!

I know that this is the same mashbill as Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee etc. and is a bottom shelf version of this mashbill (Buffalo Trace mashbill #2), but this is the older version of the regular Ancient Age. The nose has sweet corn, rye spice, other baking spices, cooked apples and a light leather note. The palate has a creamy and oily texture that is sweet with baking spices, dark fruit, corn a little bit of leather and vanilla. The finish is long with lingering vanilla and light fruit notes on the mid palate. This is really good, and amazing for the price. I compared it to Blanton’s, which is only 3 proof higher. Blanton’s has a richer nose and palate, but the mouthfeel on the AAA 10 Star is much thicker. The AAA basically hits on the same notes as Blanton’s, but much more dialed back.

The nose has caramel corn, light soft leather, cooked plumbs, baking spices with freshly baked bread. The palate is thick, sweet and coating, and slightly drying, but on the 2nd sip it is no longer drying. I get sweet corn, peanuts, baking spices, oak and caramel. The finish is long and leaves the tip of the tongue tingling. It has lingering vanilla and dusty corn. I really enjoyed this. Defiantly fits the heaven hill profile. I wouldn’t have been able to guess that this was a wheated bourbon if I tried it blind, but it’s still great.

The nose has sweet corn, vanilla, rye, caramel, light baking spices with fresh rolls and a light grassy note. The palate is lightly oily, sweet corn, vanilla, light spices grassy rye and oak. The finish is long with vanilla and sweet corn lingering on the back sides of the palate. I’ve had the 6yr green label (90 proof) and this one is definitely an improvement. It’s more rounded and mellowed. But whether it’s worth the $25 increase, is up for debate.