Tastes

Rye, honey, peppercorn, oak, and crisp apple on the nose. The palate offers a near mirror of the nose, starting with a burst of smooth rye before moving to honey, which mingles with brown sugar and apple before the pepper and oak fire back with strong support from the spicey rye. The rye dives down into mellowed honeyed apple with subtle elements of the rye and oak in the background. The progressions are fairly quick but the apple lingers for quite a while after the spice leaves.

Peat smoke and sweet, brown sugar barbecue with raisins and tar on the nose. A subtle herbiness underlies the finish on the nose. The initial sip gives a rush of sweet, nutty smoke that briefly transitions to smoldering oak before the charred pork barbecue flavors take over and settle in for the long haul. The mouthfeel is thin and oily, coating just enough for the barbecue to get your mouth watering.

Warehouse RS, barrel 34-1C. Toasted marshmallow, chocolate, cherries, oak, and a slightly minty vanilla on the nose. The initial sip is a mellow greeting of smooth, dark fruit with plenty of oak and creamy marshmallow sugars that linger until you decide to breathe. Then you’re punched with spicey oak, chocolate, and fruit that ultimately fades into marshmallow, then herbs, and finally settles into a subtle mixture of pear and oak. The mouthfeel is very creamy and the finish is long and lingering.

Charred molasses and grain on the nose. Palate is a quick punch of oak and rye that drops out into a strangely watered down grain taste before the spice of the rye pours back in, chased by oak and apple. Tasty, if not particularly complex.

Orange peel, honey, and sweet grain on the nose. Initial taste opens with a burst of orange, apple, and citrus, moving to spicey toasted grain that flirts with being smokey despite staying decidedly bright. It finishes with mellow herbs and mint with a touch of muddled vanilla at the very end.

Honeyed raisins and plums with a hint of leather and almonds on the nose. An unexpected spiciness on the palate mixes with dark fruit and vanilla, blooming into oak and tobacco tempered with caramelized sugar at the finish before settling into honey and oak with just a hint of marzipan. The finish is clean with the alcohol and spice tapering off into mouth-watering sweet tobacco.

Vanilla and oak with some toasted grain and a hint of coconut on the nose with just enough alcohol to provide some spice to the fairly sweet bouquet. Initial taste gives a quick punch of oak and vanilla that quickly recedes into spice and fudge, with the smooth fudge fighting with the spiced oak for dominance. The fudge ultimately lasts and transitions to marshmallow and marzipan with just the touch of oak. The finish isn’t particularly long and the transitions are fairly quick, but what does last is a nice amber mellow taste that invites you to wait between sips.

Slightly nutty with vanilla and banana on the nose. Oak and hot spice, tempered with a fair bit of sweetness on the palate. Rich mouth feel, slightly hot finish with mostly oak.