Tastes

My preferred bourbon mixer. Has all of your classic bourbon notes (brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla) leaning slightly spicy. Medium body with significant heat. Not super balanced but has complexity not seen under $20 and, as a mixer, that imbalance is corrected. Gets an unfair bad reputation!

Home bar, 5/2019 bottling. Sweet nose of vanilla and cinnamon. Medium bodied, smooth, vanilla dominant but relatively complex. Probably the best of these single barrels I’ve had. For $38, I’d consider it a steal!

Home bar, 2019 bottle. Classic spices and vanilla nose. Medium-/Medium bodied with vanilla and brown sugar dominating. Medium finish. It’s a great daily drinker for under $30!

Home bar, 2017 bottle. Strong nose of caramel, vanilla and spices. Palate is medium+ with vanilla and floral notes with moderate heat and a medium finish. It’s a steal for under $35.

Wink and Nod, Boston ($19/oz). Sherried nose pops from glass. Fruity and vibrant on the medium+ palate. Surprisingly big favor for a low proof. Classic example of a beautifully sherried whisky.

Wink and Nod Boston ($14/oz). Nose of light peat, malt, some sweetness. Medium mouthfeel with a greasiness and bread note falling away to light smoke and sweetness. Medium+ finish. Complex and beautiful.

C917. Nose is spicy, ethanol heavy, with maybe some sugary notes. Palate is an ethanol explosion with a backdrop of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and then some bitter oak on a medium+ to long finish. Needs water to balance it out but that bitter oak never really leaves. Not my favorite.

From my home bar. Batch 25. Nose of blackberries, cinnamon and ethanol. Mouth filling and fruit forward with medium+ heat. Pretty one dimensional but that one dimension is a dark fruit forward flavor bomb. Medium finish. For under $60 it’s something I’d consider again but I doubt I’ll finish it soon.

Bottle from the home bar. Drinks like a bourbon-drinkers Scotch. Medium bodied, light smoke, caramel, malt. Medium finish. This one is a delicate whiskey that you should try if you dig bourbon or Highlands/Speyside malts with a slightly sweeter profile!