Tastes

Neck pour- Nose: maple, charcoal, banana hard candy, a hint of acetone Palate: banana candy, a dash of astringent oak, sugar in the raw, vanilla pudding, some distant strawberry cream candy, a touch of acetone, citrus rind Finish: short and clean, a little vanilla, mild cooling menthol…no barrel spice detected This is sweet, very smooth for the proof, not bad for the price and better than standard Jack. However, after reading all the rave reviews I expected more. Having said that, this is a newly opened bottle and some just need a little air and time to show their true potential (Evan Williams bonded a great example. That got immensely better after sitting for a few months after the first pour). I’ll come back to this and reevaluate.

Tastes of sweet rum and bananas. Different but really easy to drink if a bit thin. Price is reasonable for the quality. Abv needs to be upped from 40%

Smooth vanilla ice cream. Well made if a bit of a one note wonder. A good scotch to start with for a bourbon drinker new to scotch whisky. Also nice to see Glenfiddich up the abv to 43%. If this was bottled at 46% it would probably be a bit richer and up the score to a 4.25 However, bottom line: well made and a tasty vanilla bomb. Edit: as bottle gets a little air it develops sweet Fuji apple on the nose and palate. Delicious

This is good. But it tastes like you took Aberlour Abunadh and watered it down to 43% abv…which is basically what it is. Given this is only about $20+/- cheaper than Abunadh…get the Abunadh. It’s a better value in the end and you can dilute it (or not) to whatever you like. Update: after several months open and oxidized, I retried the bottle. Much better palate. All caramel and fruit. Great mouthfeel too. Viscous. Going to up score to a 4.0

Nose: caramel, vanilla, butter, brown sugar, a little boozy alcohol, bread, sour red fruit. Hint of smoke. Nice. Smells like a confectionary. Palate: cherry, brown sugar, mild citrus, strawberry candy, caramel Finish: white pepper, citrus rind, strawberry menthol, boozy alcohol, sourdough bread Nice. A really decent pour for $39.99 (in Colorado)

Nose: boozy apple juice, smoky charcoal, roasted walnuts, drunken cherries Palate: caramel, cherries, brown sugar, hint of menthol, strawberry waaay at the end Finish: some astringent wood, fresh red fruit, some pepper on back of the tongue, the walnuts make a reappearance With water: makes it very smooth, flavor profile consistent, but you lose the punch of flavor intensity. One to drink neat if youre looking to analyse it. But, its great with one large rock if you want to just sip and enjoy Sips smooth for its proof. I thought the mouthfeel was a little thin. Good bourbon overall.

Nose: vanilla ice cream, fresh and dried red fruits, and a nice bubblegum hint Palate: deep caramel, citrus, dry red wine Finish: strawberry perfume (odd, I know), citrus pith, lime juice, faint reappearance of the bubblegum The nose is the best part. Not as sweet as nose would suggest. Very smooth for the proof. Substantial and silky mouthfeel. Update: after sitting for a year and oxidizing, this bottle picked up a TON of thick, caramel sweetness. If you have a bottle and don’t love it, put it away for 6 months and come back to it. Its really good. Its now easily a 4 star.

Nose: baking spices like allspice, nutmeg, some Beam yeast funk, a little boozy ethanol, char, white smoke, grape soda, root beer, mixed cocktail nuts. Palate: brown sugar, salted caramel, some fresh dark red fruit, roasted peanuts. Finish: fruit hard candies, green melon, mixed cocktail nuts, a little citrus rind, char. If you like Beam products, you’ll love this. It also drinks surprisingly smooth given the proof. Good stuff.

Nose: vanilla ice cream, vanilla cream soda, vanilla bean pods. Yes, it’s a vanilla bomb Palate: literally everything in the nose, some mild smoky char Finish: everything above with a tail end of oak and a little drying astringency This thing piles on the vanilla with some barrel char smoke and oak. Yes, it’s a little one note. But it’s sweet, smooth for the proof and really tasty. Almost a decadent bourbon. Good stuff!