Tastes

I have to judge this on being a wheater. It is exceptionally smooth and avoids the wheater funk that ruins a lot of attempts at wheated bourbon. The nose is sugary, almost syrupy. Some warm baking spices and white pepper. Light cherry and a slight hint of ripe apple. On the palate it is really sweet and sugary like cane syrup. Fruit is difficult to find on the palate, but the warm baking spices do show up in the middle and warm through the end revealing the pepper and slight oak. It is a pleasant mouthfeel but is not very oily. The finish is medium short with baking spices giving way to cane sugar. Despite the other reviews that you might read this is not a long finish bourbon. I like the Jefferson’s Ocean series. It is reliably good and an easy drinker, plus it is a fun and unique concept. This bottle is not bad, but you can do a lot better with your $70-80. But let’s be honest, no one buys this for value. It is a unique and somewhat difficult to find bottle, so if you find one buy it. After all there are not too many bourbon offerings that give you an “experience.” So pop it open, pour a glass, and sit back and enjoy the voyage.

To start with it is hard to believe this is 100% rye. Why? Because it is very tame and uneventful. The nose is grassy and slightly herbal but surprisingly for a rye there are not a lot of discernible notes. That follows on the palate. Slightly grassy and herbal, hints of dark chocolate, slight vanilla, but it is really a tame and boring palate. It doesn’t drink as hot as its proof. A poor value for its price point, with much better rye options available at cheaper prices. I am glad I tried it, but I won’t revisit it. Give me Sazerac, Old Forester, Woodford, or pretty much any other rye over this one. Is it bad? No. Is it worth the price? No. Should be a $30 bottle.

Nose: Apples, honey, slight smokiness, oak and vanilla. Palate: sweet and smooth. It very much follows the nose, though the apple is very muted on the palate. Vanilla, orange zest, slight hint of smoke, and a nice oak note. Finish: medium long vanilla, with slight smoke and oaky bitterness (in a very good way) This is the best Jack Daniels expression I have tried. The flavors are definitely turned up to 11 here. It is a perfect fall sipper. The divisive part of this whiskey is the price point. The taste and quality are definitely there. Can you get better whiskey at a better price? Absolutely, but this is a treat. You aren’t going to buy this regularly or probably keep it stocked, but it isn’t going to disappoint you either. Is it worth the price? Probably not, but neither are any of the other rare and hard to find whiskeys. You don’t buy a whiskey like this for value, you buy it for special moments with special people, for telling stories around a fire, or talking through life’s joys or struggles. This whiskey is perfect for those occasions.

Nose: classic Heaven Hill peanut, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, chocolate, like sniffing a melted Snickers in a glass Palate: follows the nose with a slight peanut note and all of the sweet notes mentioned before, this drinks like a dessert and that is definitely a good thing. Milk chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar, good mouth feel. Finish: medium, with some barrel bitter, then the nuts and chocolate come back If you like a Snickers bar this is your whiskey. It isn’t overly complex like the other barrel proof offerings such as Elijah Craig and Stagg Jr that it will inevitably be compared to. It does fit nicely between Makers Mark Cask Strength and Elijah Craig as far as the flavor profile and it is worth having in your collection. If you can find this around $60 buy it, but don’t over pay for it. There will be two more batches this year so if you miss this one wait on #2 or #3. Also, if you do get a bottle, let it open up. Some air and time definitely does it favors.

Nose: cherry, vanilla, slight acetone, apple and baking spices, classic bourbon nose Palate: Vanilla, brown sugar, baking spices, very slight barrel bitterness, a little pepper, leather and pipe tobacco Finish: Medium, pepper fading to a hint of anise and barrel bitterness then the sweetness comes back for a really pleasant finish At its MSRP this is really hard to beat. I can find it pretty easily under $30 where I live and it seems to be more abundant in the last 6 months. I have seen it for as much as $129 while I have been traveling, which is just stupid. Under $30 it is a strong buy, but don’t pay the inflated prices. This is a bourbon classic and it is meant to be a high quality, enjoyable, and affordable bourbon. Let’s keep it that way.

Nose: this is a really strange nose for a bourbon. On the nose it has a hint an anejo tequila. Very strange! It is rounded some sweet corn, but that anejo alcohol note is inescapable. You could argue that it is briny, but it smells like tequila to me. Palate: young and woody, spicy and drinks hotter than its 91 proof. Still smooth, a slight nutty flavor and also slightly bitter from the youth and barrel. The tequila-esque bite does show up again though. Strange! Finish: medium finish, still tasting the wood, with a sweetness on the finish. I have to say that this is slightly disappointing after tasting Nelson’s First, the two year preview batch aged in small barrels. I will let this open up for a bit and give it another go. I think barrel selection didn’t do this any favors, but there is a silver lining to this otherwise lack luster review. It is an interesting Tennessee whiskey, which is something you cannot say for a lot of the bottles in this category. At its price point of $29 to $35 it’s worth a taste. I think the Belle Meade stock is getting the best barrels and this is getting the b-stock. I think a lower entry proof, a few more years of aging, and being more selective on the barrels could do this wonders. I’m a fan of the NGB distillery and I am confident they will get this right before the national roll out. The Belle Meade line is superb and I think this will get there, eventually. Update: After letting this bottle open up for a few months I went back to it. The strange nose has dissipated although there is still a hint of the tequila smell far in the back ground. Now it it sweet, sugary maple with a nose close to brown sugar oatmeal. Much better than before. The sweetness comes through on the palate, again sugary maple, sugar cane, sweet breads, with a little bitterness, caramelized sugar, and bread on the medium short finish. You can still taste the youth of this whiskey, but it is better and more interesting than a lot of Tennessee whiskey in this price range. Probably too sweet to mix with cola or really sweet mixers. Original rating was 2.25 and I’m adjusting it to a 3.

Nose: Classic rye notes but they are soft by design. The herbal quality is there, slight hint of dill and other green herbs. Some apple and pear too with a little tobacco. Palate: again soft and well rounded. Apples, vanilla, and honey. Very delicate for a rye, but the spice and herbs still show up just not as bold as some high rye whiskeys. A crowd pleasing rye that would be great in a cocktail. Finish: medium finish with some spice lingering and hints of tobacco, leather and honey. If you search you can find some more flavors hanging around, but I wish the finish were longer. I am usually completely unbiased in my reviews, but I bumped into Woodford Master Distiller Chris Morris in a package store in Atlanta while he was in town for an event. He put this bottle in my hands so this bottle is going to always be a little special because of the story behind me finding it. He says it was intended to be a softer rye. Mission accomplished! At the price point you won’t be disappointed and it is a great introduction to rye if you are looking to get your feet wet without melting your face with an herb bomb. Are there better ryes a little cheaper? Yes, a few, but you can also do a lot worse at double and triple the price of this one.

This is to Makers what Small Batch Select is to Four Roses, the peak of Makers Mark that deserves to be a regular release. Nose: Light smell of under ripe banana, baking spices, cherry vanilla cola, and a hint of earthy barrel Palate: vanilla transitioning to sweet cherry cordial with baking slices exploding across the tongue, earthy barrel note follows through with cocoa, with slight anise moving into the finish Finish: long and enjoyable, slight anise followed by rich chocolate and slight vanilla and earthy barrel. Phenomenal bottling from one of the best known brands in bourbon. I am not a fan of regular Makers Mark, but Makers 46 is a staple. This is the best Makers product I have tried to date and I am stockpiling this when I find it.

Nose: Delicate spiced fruits, think apricot or peaches, with a hint of cocoa and cinnamon, hint of vanilla, smells like a wonderful pie filling before baking, exceptional nose Palate: delicate fruit and spice, with more cinnamon and cocoa, slight mint to chocolate mint (like the herb not like a York patty), with vanilla, just plain delicious Finish: Long finish with more chocolate mint (again the herb), with vanilla Bourbons do not get much better than this. Given the price point and availability it is nice to be able to sip on this with regularity without the fear of not being able to find it. It is such a rich and balanced taste that it still feels special when you are drinking it. Simply superb! Well done Four Roses!

Nose: Ripe bananas and cream, hints of maple and vanilla, ghosts of nutmeg and slightly floral Palate: Toasted oak, cream, maple, turning slightly floral toward the finish Finish: Medium, with palate flavors giving way to slightly smoky barrel notes and a hint of nuttiness and pipe tobacco It is hard to believe this is just 2 years old. This definitely benefits from opening up. I have had this bottle open a few months and it is far more impressive going back to it now.