Tastes

Fruit forward nose with notes of dried raisins and dried cherries. Palate is complex and forward with stone fruit and nuances of apple pie and peach cobbler. Sour orange and citrus peel also come late to the party and tingle towards the front of your tongue. Very long and enjoyable finish like a delicious peach dessert continuously reminding you of the first bite. Admittedly surprised, since adding ice usually layers positive notes, ice dilutes the sweet richness and body that attracts you in the first place. Strongly recommend leaving ice out of this one; neat all the way. Overall the complexity of this bourbon greatly punches above its price in comparison to bottles selling for double.

This one’s for the haters that just copy and paste what the idiot next to them said. If you take the time evaluate this whiskey in its own category of ‘fairly young pot distilled (not column) bourbon’ then you’ll come to appreciate and enjoy it. Does the fancy bottle match the taste? Well, the question you gotta ask is, compared to what? Judged in its own category, for the price point and years aged, the pros and cons leans towards the pros. Cons? The wide bottle takes up too much room in my cramped whiskey cabinet lol. Enough soap box, here we go: For the nose, right away you get an aroma of molasses, or caramelized sugar from a crème brûlée. The palate presents warming spices like pop-rocks without the fizzle. Couple of sips later, currants and macerated raisins join the party. Unsurprisingly, the finish is short enough that I find myself quickly reaching for another sip. A couple of rocks will bring out more sugars but not overly sweet.

Been a while, I’m back! For a young rye, it’s more complex than others with similar ages. Nose opens as slightly sweet, grilled peaches, and warm strawberry jam. The palate has herbal spices like rosemary, and a tannins-like mouthfeel dries the mouth slightly but does not retract from the enjoyment. Subtle tobacco meanders in the background slightly with each sip. Finish is leggy, surprisingly long, and pleasant remaining at the roof of the palate reminiscent of anise. No need for ice with this one but fine if you do.

Not too long on this one, just going through my daily sippers. The nose reminds me of pancakes, bringing warm brown sugar and maple syrup, just needs a cup of coffee and a fork and knife. The palate delivers oak barrel charr, nutmeg, and a subtle fruit filling like apple pie and woody figs. Finishes short with the similar notes of nutmeg, brown sugar, and heat eavesdrops at the very end. Ice will clarify the charred oak quite pleasantly.

Trying to be unbiased as this might be my favorite classic rye. Took a few glasses over the course of a month to hammer down the intratester reliability. The nose starts with vanilla extract and a grassy hay note like the wicker smell from an antique store. The palate is complex ranging from bitter chocolate to tobacco leaf and you may find the similarities in good freshly baked cracked rye bread. Ice brings out deeper hay notes and syrupy grain reminiscent of sweet corn. The finish is pleasantly lasting inlaid with freshly sawed pine and licorice.

With how unique this aged rye is, I had to taste it several times over the span of a quarantine month to finely tune the profile. Especially since it tended to change with how frustrating the news was that night. The nose will reveal a slightly astringent, but still inviting, bouquet of herbs with hints of rosemary. Palate is a highly complex and delectable maze of flavors. Starts with brown sugar, bordering on molasses, and roasted pecan coming through together simultaneously. The maze meanders with deep red wine barrel staves and dried apricots. Adding ice opens up the grassy and hay notes from the rye. It also uncovers dark chocolate that hides before the ice. The finish, if you can put your glass down, varies back and forth between sweet and spice so candied cinnamon comes to mind covering both flavors.

This quarantine leads me to drink and what better thing to do than review more whiskey. I’ve been drinking “double” for years and it’s a constant staple in my cabinet but never dissected it until now. The nose is richly sweet like vanilla merengue drizzled with caramel. Reminds me of standing next to a cotton candy machine, waiting my turn as it spins sugar. The palate tells a similar story but with hot, thick-cut, French toast and maple syrup. The classic Woodford vanillas and caramels that I recognized years ago are now grown up and more nuanced but ever present. Adding ice helps bring out the oak and toasted caramel. The finish subtly brings back the spun sugar and vanilla without overtaking the oak.

The nose reveals molasses, vanilla, and you can dig for honeysuckle as well. Palate is highly complex as a 15 year should with ever changing notes ranging from bitter chocolate, to anise, and an herbaceous subtle hint of lavender. The finish is lasting reminiscent of deep earthy red wine berry notes and nutmeg.

The nose brings agave to the foreground with vanilla bean pod intermingling back and forth. Palate is highly complex with brushes of candied orange peel, elderflower, toffee, and even notes of candied pecan towards the end of the glass. Finishes gently but lasting with dark oak and a pleasant slow lingering spice release that will be surely be remembered.

Neat to start and added ice halfway. Berry jam, perhaps raspberry jam, on the nose along with vanilla bean freshly scraped off the pod. Palate reminiscent of scotch origins with mild peat coming through first but then opening up to a wider array including macerated cherries, a sneaky grassy note, and something nutty between walnut and pecan, maybe even both. Peat lingers in the finish and adding ice brightens up the cherry with every sip.