Tastes

Drinking this neat, neck pour. Four gate is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don’t have a huge in investment in my bar, but I’ve gotten to try some spectacular pours. Right off the bat a nice creamy vanilla with oak aromas. The finishing is playing a pretty big roll I think in some of the fruit, leaning towards raisin. I don’t know if this pour has fully opened up yet but it’s gives me the impression that it’s holding back. Will have to revisit after a day or two. A bit of cherry cola to round it off but it is just a bomb of sweetness I assume coming from the sherry finish. I don’t know if I was to go as far as candy but certainly your favorite fruit pie and then some more sugar. The undertones lean more red licorice and black pepper, there may be a more elegant way to describe it but at the moment, that hits it dead on for me. The pallet is the wow factor here. It hits you again with the sweetness but there’s a spice that hits you quick and holds on for dear life through the finish. Then there is some oak again. They really brute forced the pallet on this one and I kinda like it! It’s like my tongue has been held prisoner. I went in on a deal with this bottle where I was able to get less than retail. At $200, I’m not sure it lives up to some of the heavy hitters 4G has put out there. But I sure do love it at the price I was able to get it.

Drinking this neat, second of the neck pours. This one sat on my shelf and overtime got pushed to the back. I completely forgot about it until I started to reorganize and it was a pleasant surprise. Just a little dust, bought it still in 2020. This sucker pops out of the glass right away with intense sweetness and orange zest. The flavors zig zag through vanilla, cinnamon, and aromatic spices. Sweetness is akin to corn syrup or a light brown sugar. You get tobacco and leather in the tails. Heat is really nice. If you’ve read some of my posts, I tend to really enjoy whiskeys 110+. Nothing wrong with BiBs but I feel that your getting your gravy at 110+. There is a continuation of citrus and nuttiness. I almost picked up walnuts on the nose. Finish is worn leather with a refined woodsiness. I like this one, price tag is a little perplexing still and when your in the upper tier of bourbon pricing, I feel that consistent juice is mandatory. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about the Barrell barre proof releases but if you see 024, it’s a looker for sure. Cheers!

Drinking this neat, neck pour. This is my first tasting experience of a Larceny BP. I’ve had their regular offerings and it’s very unimpressive so I’ve been a bit skeptical that the extra proof would get it there. No regrets on the purchase. Note for the collectors out there, it’s frustrating bottles like this are considered “rare” finds these days. I love the hunt as much as the next guy but the value of finding one of these bottles just seems unwarranted. It’s a good bottle, but damn, it shouldn’t be harder to find than ECBP. The nose is one of wholesome peanut butter wrapped caramel apple. It trails off to corn syrup or cotton candy. The deeper dive finds strawberry shortcake or even an apple toaster strudel. The mouth is rather light bodied for a BP, we’re just around 115proof and this is around where I find those delicious milk chocolate notes. More corn but instead it’s buttery popcorn. There also is a subtle citrus continuation from the apple nose, spice level is a balanced allspice. The finish is char and natural scents. Not too long, but pleasant. I think this is solid pour, but it doesn’t rise to the level of BPs that I’ve been giving 4+ ratings. It’s a bit of a shame due to the hype around this bottle, I’ll have to give it another go in a couple weeks to see if I’ve changed my mind on it. Cheers!

Drinking this neat, neck pour. Alright folks, this is my first BTAC experience and I’m absolutely stoked. I’ve been waiting about 4 months on this bottle and finally was able to get it last week. Okay so going into this, I knew GTS ‘20 was hitting all the marks and getting a shit ton of hype from the boards. Very excited it is on the higher proof side so let’s get into this. When people talk about cherry bombs, I thought I knew what they were talking about. Nope. THIS is a cherry bomb. Cherry pie, cherry twizzlers, maraschino cherries, chocolates covered cherries. Pretty much any variety of cherry I’ve been able to associate to the nose. The oak is high but not disappointing at all. It carries that dust oakiness which is something I am quite familiar finding in a lot of the 15+ yr bourbons. There is a deep fruitiness as well like strawberry preserves but I’d go even further into the caramel candies. The mouth is oily but it doesn’t last super long. For 130 proof, this drink amazingly smooth. It is incredibly sweet, like dessert wine and again I get hit with chocolate covered cherries. Tannins hit late on the back end. Finish is oak and lightly charred wood. It has an appropriately length burn that leaves you unable to sit this glass down. This bottle did not disappoint. I think is my highest rating so far I given so that’s cool. I always say though that the true test will be a blind flight. I’ll have to write back in after I do some blinds. Now as far as where this bottle goes. I think the trade value is higher than what you should be paying online. I said the same thing about SJr. The secondary has gone absolutely nuts on BTAC, so you might be able to get 1.5-2x value on a trade. Keep that in mind if you’re ever faced with a purchasing choice. Can’t wait to share this with some good friends and a stogie. Cheers!

Drinking this neat, neck pour. Holy cow. That pretty much sums it up. I’ve been pretty fortunate to get my hands on the last couple batches of SJr, and this one my friends, is every bit as good as any bourbon out there. In a lot of the prior batches, I feel like the heat was a bit over powering on the neck pour. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of the hazmat just as much as the next guy. But there usually is something missing. Not this time folks. No need to let this open in the glass. The nose starts with a syrupy goodness. It’s is cherry galore. It not super oak (remember that SJr is effectively 9 year bourbon) but it still does present itself a little older than what it’s quoted at. There are pretty nice honey overtones mixes with dried cranberries, almost like a spiced cranberry sauce on thanksgiving. The mouth continues with that honey, a shot of maraschino and pecans? Finish of subtle leather and oak. Full disclosure, I’m drinking this side by side with GTS ‘20 and it is very much punching above it’s weight class. This bottle is awesome, full stop. if you see it retail/msrp, buy it. It terms of secondary. Maybe.... $200 max in this current market? Definitely don’t need to go above unless it’s not really worthy of the price and you’re just tatering hard. It *could* have higher trade value. Cheers!

Drinking this neat, bar pour. I am trying this so others may smarten up a bit before they unload their wallets on this stuff. I really am a big fan of weller at retail but as soon as soon we start talking about secondary, I throw my hands up. This is not worth your secondary pricing so if you need that bit of input before reading on, you can close this review and SIP on something else :) I am not trying to poo poo on weller but I really think it is tater culture and by putting out a SiB, they certainly are self aware. But back to actually giving a tasting review. I get corn, cinnamon, vanilla, and baking spices all at once. It’s hard to say what is dominant in that bunch. Dissecting it further I could compare it to a sticky cinnamon roll without the frosting yet. The mouth has a slight oak and a bitterness that can be a bit overwhelming on the first few sips. The heat is very low. I peg this just under 100 proof but I’ve had a few already tonight so I could be off. Finish has more oak, char, and tobacco. Word on the street is that Weller is pushing SiB instead of FP for 2021. Womp womp. We’ll just have to continue waiting for the SiB FP which in its own rights should be a slam dunk. Till then, buy all the WSR and OWA you can find AT RETAIL.

Sample pour, drinking this neat. Well this is my first ever review of Irish whiskey. I’ve tried a few pours in the past, but they never really hit the spot for me. I’m convinced it’s purely because I’m not drinking the right stuff but with me and whiskies, I have one bad experience, and I tend to move on pretty quickly. Luckily I have some good friends who don’t give up on me. A new friend of mine gave me a sample of this pour and I got to admit, I don’t hate it. The nose is actually really quite pleasant. Delicious honeycomb and green apple hit me immediately. Yes, there is that classic Irish ethanol that is apparent but not offensive - something that has really turned me off in the past. Let’s see, the undertones scream of a sugary granola, yum. Then I get graham cracker at the ends. Pallet is oily smooth. Any more oily and I’d have to start chewing. There is an apparent butterscotch and a font of the mouth pepper which elevates the complexity a hair. Finish has more ethanol. So my overall impression is this *could* be a daily if I could elevate Irish in my cabinet. Unfortunately I’m just not there yet but I do recommend this pour for people looking to shake up their porch pounders. Cheers!

Drinking this neat, neck pour. Not watching football but drinking this on a cold, rainy Portland night. Right off the bat, this bourbon presents itself as caramel, candy apple with delicious kettle corn sugars. It fades then into pear with dark vanilla notes at the very back of the nose. Interestingly, orange citrus hangs like a vail for the rest of notes to break through and then scents of oaks around the middle. The pallet gives off heavy oak and baking spices with salty peanut shells (there it is). It then takes a little pause, then the heat hangs around the top. The finish is same back of mouth heat, more citrus peanut butter with a cigar and wood accompaniment. Mouth feel is oily but not viscous. I was ridding a bit of a high after tasting the Boston Batch the other night so I had high hopes. This does not quite live up to some of its predecessors but overall it has a lot going on that I like. It does miss out on the finish but makes up on the surprisingly interesting nose. I know in a lot my reviews I end with value of bottle remark but I think the value for me here was getting the progression of batches through the year; Granny/Boston have plenty to make up for the downsides of this pour. So open your wallets and buy the whole lot if you can. A flight from this year will make for a fantastic Saturday night.

Drinking this neat, neck pour. Story of picking this bottle up is a fun one. I was driving back from work and I saw this pop up on some of my bourbon finders. 99% of the time, it’s a red herring but I felt I had to call into the stores just to see. First store location, the sold out the day before. Second, bottle had sold as soon as the store opened that day. Third store, evidently, the bottle was purchased and return some 15mins later. The purchase was evidently not approved by his wife.. HA. So the store owner said to hurry in before it’s gone. Ok, for all that, I knew the reviews of this bottle were so so. But there is nothing like a good chase for specialty bottles! Opening this up, the nose is pretty bread and butter EC. Peanut, oak, honey and vanilla. It has this cherry danish vibe going on. Hmm I get some baking spices fighting against brine too. I’m surprised the oak is not over whelming for an 18 year. Quite subtle actually. But damn, that spice is persistent. Hmm, this is an interesting pallet. The oak is there with baking spices and toffee, but not producing a much heat as I was expecting from its younger counterparts. It comes in two parts, with tongue getting peppered in the second part. First part is mostly smooth. There is a pepperiness and tobacco leaves on the finish. Probably my favorite part. Honestly, this is good bourbon and I do like how the mouth is more complex than most. BUT this bottle enters tator territory for secondary so watch out. I am not disappointed because I knew what I was getting myself into. Fun shelf pour, cheers everyone!

Drinking this neat, neck pour. This is my first Bookers “tasting” experience. The batch is the “Boston’s Batch” named after the hometown where Booker got his start. Subtext seems like this is a bourbon getting back to its roots or simply a tribute. Well, let’s get into it. Peanuts!!! Tons of vanilla, kinda reminds me of a Reese’s cup. Slight amount of oak with dark fruits/cherries. Get a bit of frosting to here.. and now I want cake. Very fun nose on this one. I feel like I could spend hours picking this one apart. Continuation of peanuts on the pallet wrapped in salted caramel with a touch more of oakiness. Damn this has a nice warming effect. Perfect amount heat for me. I want to say this has that burnt marshmallow it’s what I’m getting underneath the nuttiness. This pour is great. A bit of toasted malts on finish. On the bitter side. I think Bookers just gained a new fan. Excited to see how the third release will compare! Cheers everyone.