Tastes

This is very easy to drink. Nose is sweet with a little oak. Palate is buttered popcorn covered in caramel. Then more caramel. It's easy to drink. Finish leaves quickly. There is nothing to dislike here with no noticeable flaws. Wish it was a little more widely available.

Barrel B01C18.15 @ 110.6% Nose: It needs a minute or 5 to open up and let some of the ethanol escape. Toffee, tobacco, sulfur, corn husk, oak, mint, cinnamon and molasses. It is very distinct and different than your typical mass produced KY bourbon. If you let it sit long enough it begins to morph into butterscotch. Palate: The mouthfeel is thick because it is unfiltered. The flavors have some scotch notes to me. There is a lot of earth, savory bacon bits, maple syrup, sweet corn, root beer and diet Dr. Pepper. It is very strange but kind of a nice change of pace. Finish: Finish is somewhat long for a craft bourbon. There is some leather, tobacco, oak, earth and cinnamon. Lastly there is a little heat and some vanilla before the fade occurs. I've had several of these from MB Roland and they all need some time to open up. The first couple pours I would add rocks or maybe make a cocktail as it has a rye backbone at 17% of the mash bill consists of rye. Then after a few weeks pour a couple ounces and let it sit for 5 minutes before you sip it. Enjoy!

It is punchy and there is plenty of apple and pear. A nice clove spice rounds out the sip, but it's a little disappointing for the price.

What's not to like here ? 13 years in used charred oak, and full proof. Nose: Strawberry pop tarts, sugary cereal like frosted corn flakes, ethanol, carmel apple Palate: cotton candy, candy corn, vanilla, caramel, butterscotch and oak Finish: Oak, lingering heat which is not over the top, vanilla, maple and light smoke Simple yet enjoyable

Nose is complex with Banana chips, oak and finishes with big league chew bubblegum. Occasionally I get some artificial grape almost like grape popsicle. Flavor is corn syrup, banana milkshake, white granulated sugar and then some soft oak. If you look hard enough there is a little rye spice that comes across as a little black pepper but it's very much in the background. Finish is very short and pleasant but it's weak in strength and tends to have me use this as a mixer instead of a sipper. It makes good sours and old fashioned style cocktails because it has some fruit elements and some oak.

Good Old McKenna. I can't believe I have not reviewed this. It used to be more available as recent as even a few years ago. The variation in single barrels can be observed frequently but this one along with Blanton's has the most variation. I've had barrels that were 5's and also had to drain pour a bottle as well. The complexity after being in oak for 10 is usually here. On the nose I get a myriad of different aromas and they increase as the whiskey warms in my snifter glass. I get Cherry Nibs candy, root beer, vanilla, sawdust, butterscotch, earth, cedar, lemongrass, shoe polish, ginger root and carmel candy. On the palate I get a little prickle that is reminiscent of some great Camp Nelson Turkey barrels. The viscosity then turns really oily and mouth coating which is an interesting transition. Palate gives you sweet cherry, vanilla wafer, freshly oiled leather, orange rind, root beer, sassafras and mild oak. Finish is medium in length but for the most part very enjoyable. This barrel is a little dry but they aren't all that way as I've had some creamy finishes from this brand before. Cherry, root beer and pipe tobacco hang out for awhile which makes it interesting. This has a little cinnamon and maybe a little almond but more like an artificial almond as it doesn't get nutty. There is a nice subtle warm hug that appears with a nice 2 oz. pour. It's always a little bit of a lottery when you purchase McKenna and that's why I wouldn't overpay for this but if you get a chance to snag one around retail or close it's a great change of pace bourbon and I've impressed scotch drinkers with the nose on this one for whatever that is worth? Cheers!

So this is an 11 year pick that I picked up a while back from the Cox's Creek warehouse and bottling center. Master Distiller Brent Elliot selected this barrel himself. So looking back I should have bought 2 bottles instead of this 1 as it is a dandy. The scent starts out with a cherry pastry that is still so fresh and warm. The next scent is very floral and smells like walking into a huge conservatory that is nice and warm but filled with plants that are thriving. Lastly that Q yeast always gives me the smell like an antique shop or my grandparents basement back in the 90s. I mean it just gives all good vibes before you begin your sip. Taste has honey, cherry, caramel, toffee and a little vanilla mixed in. Not really complex but the flavors all pop and are balanced quite well. Finish hangs around longer than other Q bottles I've had in the past. Finish is sweet and floral. There is a little clove, cinnamon and cherry as well which I enjoy greatly.

Batch KY-01 Nose is really dominated by cherry, dark chocolate and mild oak. There is clove and then some banana laffy taffy scent. Some marshmallow, coconut oil and sweet chocolate show up the longer the whiskey sits in the glass. Tobacco is the prominent note towards the end of the nose. Flavors pop immediately. Banana sundae appears. Cherry syrup, chocolate fudge, vanilla, and then some oak creeps in with a little black pepper on towards the back of the flavor ride it puts you on. Mouthfeel is pure velvet. Finish is ginger snap cookie with heavy dusting of granulated sugar. There is a little leather and tobacco that flash before a nice warm oak and carmel syrup finish off the sip. The finish keeps going and leaves that little banana bread note. There is a certain barrel char and dusty funk here that makes you want to sip again and again. Excellent release! Phenomenal complexity here from some Barton bloodlines. One of the best bourbons I've had.

This is good but not for everyone. It has a great nose with fruit and leather are the stars of the show. The palate has caramel, toffee, and grape flavor from the cognac. It's a little dry though for my liking. Interesting story and blend though.