Tastes

Visually it’s not a terribly heavy whiskey. Nothing striking about the color; beautiful and amber colored. The nose is super sweet and citrusy. Dried fruit, raisins and cranberries, fresh apples, and pastries and molasses. A little bit of pepper and charred oak. I love the way this smells. Rye comes forward but it maintains a sweetness even as the rye burn shows up. Carmel, leather, oak, smoke, and maple syrup. The finish is smoky and a bit bitter and sweet. It’s a long finish and settles into fried apple and cinnamon.

Light in color and on body. Buttered toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, and toasted oak in the nose. Butterscotch and vanilla with dried fruit. Gets spicy after a couple seconds and that smoky wood in the nose shows up. Rye is present in the finish and that spiciness lingers, but it maintains its sweetness. Just a little bit of a barbecue taste too. I used this in an old fashion and it is the best bourbon I’ve had in one (McKenna used to have that spot but then it went on allocations). I’ll keep this around as a sipper and a mixer since it easily handles both rolls. Not the top shelf, but it holds its own.

The first thing that hit me was a smell like grape flavored Big League Chew bubble gum! To a lessor extent there’s cinnamon and vanilla. It smells terrific! It’s flavor is like candy indeed, and you get that flavor of grape candies. Sugar and rock candy, and some dried fruit smell. Very little finish. This isn’t the strong point for this, but you do get some green oak and caramel for a moment. Quick note: I had a bit more after my tasting with ice and it changed that flavor. Just calmed it down which wasn’t really necessary.

There’s a bit of a sherry smell to it, and lemon. Dry wine and pepper. Pepper and oats in the finish.

Super sweet in the nose with brown sugar right up front, and lots of fruit and grass. The flavor follows suit with grape soda/cola and dried fruit. The finish is very much like a fruit salad and fresh cut grass. I am a fan.

Nose: brine and alcohol are strong upfront, raisins and dried fruit, and char. It’s strong but not unpleasant. After breathing for a bit it gets sweeter, with chocolate and vanilla. Body: medium body, oily and clings to the glass. The color of strong black tea. Flavor: chocolate, cola, sweet cinnamon, spicy. Finish: cola and cinnamon candy (Wrigley’s Big Red) and toasted oak.

Nose: honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and smoked meat. Pallet: very sweet, very little burn. Flavors follow the nose with brown sugar, vanilla, and honey. There’s some citrus rind in there too. After adding some water it brought out a sweet bread flavor as well. Finish: very sweet with the honey and a smoked oak that lingers. Turns into a new leather after a minute.

This was included in a recent tasting I attended at Heaven Hill. The cost of attendance was far too little considering this bourbon’s inclusion. This is a thick spirit, a little darker than amber, about the color of dark maple syrup. The nose is oak, and leather, and pure manliness. It’s every bit as good as the taste. Flavor follows suit with oak, leather, and dark chocolate. The finish is long and nutty, and keeps many of the same flavors. Excellent spirit all the way around.

Fairly oily, and clings to the glass. Dark amber color. Oak, nuts, leather, and caramel nose. This is the epitome of the Kentucky hug. There’s immediate warmth that is pleasant and calming. This feeling is by far my favorite thing about this bourbon. The flavor is leathery, and the rye shines through deliciously, with dark chocolate and coffee notes. The finish is extraordinary oaky, a bit of brine, and lingers, fading into a roasted grain flavor. It’s a long finish. This will forever be a favorite.

I bought a bottle at the Turkey Hill Distillery shop prior to the release. In a word, it’s great. Medium body, about the color of honey, and nice and clear. Apple butter, toast, and syrup in the nose; I also noticed the mesquite used to finish the bourbon in and just a slight hint of bacon! It smells like breakfast. Smokey wood, oatmeal, maple syrup, and vanilla. It almost has a peated scotch kind of flavor. The finish maintains a strong Smokey taste and with the sweetness reminiscent of barbecue in the finish. This is a solid bourbon, with a character I doubt can be found in the average bottle. I’ll be keeping a bottle of this around.