Tastes

Nose: Alcohol, Brown Sugar, Candy. Flavor: Brown Sugar and Oak on initial sip. Lemon, Orange, and Vanilla come through but slightly. Had while waiting for dinner out. I will state that it is possible the aromas of the grill I was at complicated or more so hindered my nose and palette. Still I feel a great bourbon should stand up and stand out against these things. I will however try again - at home - at a later time and test my own sampling of this bourbon and edit if need be. Low burn, which is fine, I am not seeking a burn however burn was not due to any specific spices or flavors that I detected, just alcohol that was much like rubbing alcohol. Sadly the flavors, although good, do not linger on palate which for me is not a good thing. It vanishes as quickly as it arrives. I prefer that flavor linger around dancing on my tastebuds! This is not a bad bourbon but it is by no means, in my opinion, great. I would keep it on hand if found on sale but would not purchase with intent. Probably best served to those who are newer to bourbon as there was little burn and some decent flavors to be enjoyed even if for a short time. Probably great in a cocktail. The notes at top with the flavors are good, and some of my favorites but they have no real umph and do not linger therefore not all that it sounds to be. Ratings have nothing to do with cost - just my impressions.

Basil Hayden has been a long time favorite and always rotating in and out of my collection. This is my first time tasting it to make notes on it here on Distiller. While I keep this in our stash it is not one of my favorites after trying other stand out bourbons but its like that friend I keep around anyway. Nose: Strong alcohol boozy aroma. Oak, possibly stone fruit but mostly spice. Nostril flaring spice. After first taste aroma develops into a nice browned sugar. Flavor: Warm, honey, slight butterscotch with a full creamy mouthfeel. Warmth develops as it spreads throughout the mouth and sits awhile. More warm on exhale. Upon second sip the fruitiness comes forward a tad more and a leather feel on the tongue accompanied by more chewy fullness and cream. Okay so maybe this is why I keep it on hand. Its not as awe inspiring as some but it absolutely is a good one! The price point is as inspiring if not more so than the bourbon itself but I do feel worthy of being on the self overall. I think my main complaint is that it does not stick around long once swallowed. There is nothing much left on the palate once it is down the hatch. The mouthfeel alone is a pleasure however with its fullness and creamy texture that I so do enjoy! Ratings have nothing to do with costs - just my impressions.

Nose: Sweetness, Pear, Vanilla Flavor: Candy, Pear, Vanilla, Spice, Melon I attended an Uncle Nearest tasting at our local and quite wonderful liquor store, Gomers. To call Gomers a liquor store seems to undermine them. Not only do they offer an array of tastings they do so often. From wine, to craft beer, to whiskey of all types. They are especially into bourbon! Yay! Regardless, it was a lovely presentation and I quite enjoyed learning about the history of Uncle Nearest, the brand, the person, and his historic journey. As we sat there learning of all the above, with two samples before us, teasing our noses, the one aroma that stood out the most was apple! My mind pondered if I were sitting there with a couple cider samples! This apple aroma was spiced and made my mouth water as I eagerly waited to taste. Thankfully the presentation was intriguing and made the waiting palatable. Once we were allowed to sniff, and taste I learned that the wonderful apple aroma was coming from the first sample, Uncle Nearest 1856. I rated that a 3.5 and enjoyed it very much. For this sample, Uncle Nearest 1884, I was greeted with a wonderful sweet candle like aroma underscored by fruity pear and vanilla. It reminded me of the vanilla pears I used to make for my children when they were young. Tasting was the same but the candy flavor really popped. On second tasting, after about 3 minutes of chatting with the group, I was suprised that a mellow spice had joined the flavors on my palate! No where near as spicy as the Uncle Nearest 1856 but it was present. Then on the final taste I was even more surprised that a melon flavor presented itself! An odd combination - for me - as I have never sampled a whisky like this before. I absolutely want to add this one to my newly budding collection! I do also recommend Uncle Nearest 1856 but for me, this one here is more unique and on my list to get first, between the two. Funny sidebar: The presenter declared that women generally prefer the 1856 so I had to speak up and let him know "not this woman!" I have no idea how much it costs, and am new to building my collection. My 4.0 rating is based on my limited tasing experience and what I have had thus far on my journey. Ratings have nothing to do with cost - just my impressions.

Nose: oak, charcoal, woods, apple. Flavor Notes: apple, spice, cinnamon, red hot candy, sweetness. I went to an Uncle Nearest tasting at our local and quite wonderful liquor store, Gomers. To call Gomers a liquor store seems to undermine them. Not only do they offer an array of tastings they do so often. From wine, to craft beer, to whiskey of all types. They are especially into bourbon! Yay! Regardless, it was a lovely presentation and I quite enjoyed learning about the history of Uncle Nearest, the brand, the person, and his historic journey. As we sat there learning of all the above, with two samples before us, testing our noses, the one aroma that stood out the most was apple! My mind pondered if I were sitting there with a couple cider samples! This apple aroma was spiced and made my mouth water as I eagerly waited to taste. Thankfully the presentation was intriguing and made the waiting palatable. Upon first nose I was greeted with warm oak and charcoal, followed by a woody aroma that made me feel as if I were in a beautiful forest. On first mouth I got that gorgeous apple flavor accented with a light spice. Second sip I tasted more spice - stronger spice - like a red hot candy! Yet, it was not overpowering. As I listened to more of the chatter among the tasters and as we navigated to the next sample before us I decided to wait a bit. They were moving too fast for me, I wanted to enjoy this sample longer. Finally the last sip and I tasted a wonderful sweetness along with all the other above mentioned flavors. Not too sweet but just enough to balance the spice. I have no idea how much it costs, and am new to building my collection. I would purchase this but prefer the second sample more ...Uncle Earnest 1884 so that will be added to my collection first. My 3.5 rating is based on my limited tasing experience and what I have had thus far on my journey. Ratings have nothing to do with cost - just my impressions.

Grabbed a bottle of this at Gomer's of Lenexa on sale. I had seen it many times but ignored it because I made a bad assumption that the gorgeous bottle was masking a so-so bourbon. This is not the case! The liquid gold in this bottle is as beautiful as the bottle itself. Now okay fine, its not as great as many bourbons out there in the world but in a world were bourbon is increasingly becoming overpriced and harder to get our hands on we can not ignore that this bourbon is readily available and not expensive. Not YET anyway. While I do not rate based on price point I still will never ignore when a whisky is not only good but also affordable to keep in one's collection. Nose: Vanilla, butterscotch, cinnamon and smoke are forward on the nose. Apple, smoke and honey come through behind that. Then a light floral summer sunny note on the nose while sipping. There is only a slight alcohol burn. Flavor: Peat comes forward on palate and butterscotch. Flavors of vanilla, honey, apple and smoke come forward just like it teased on the nose. No harsh burn detected. Just as I like it. Buttery finish with cinnamon caramel and spices. Served with one ice cube. I look forward to sipping it neat soon! I will never have bad mid level priced bourbon again. Ratings have nothing to do with cost - just my impressions.