Tastes

Dovetail is another showcase for the blending talents of the folks at Barrell. It's a combination of 10yr MGP whiskey finished in cabernet barrels, along with 11yr TN bourbon finished in black strap rum and port casks. 122.9 proof cask strength bottling. Color is reddish-copper, and a quick swirl shows medium-thin legs that dissapate fairly quickly. On the nose, rum notes hit up front - molasses, raisins, banana, and some vanilla. There's also some oak along with ethanol/heat (reminds me of varnish). Finally some more fruit notes become apparent: apples, cherries, even rasperies. Not the dark fruits I would have expected from the port/cabernet casks. Palate follows the nose. If anything the first impression is even more rum-like than the nose, with burnt sugar, vanilla, and some nuttiness and funky ripe fruits. Mouthfeel is creamy, and after the rum notes I get red fruits (dark cherry, raspberry again). The finish lingers with toasted marshmallows, vanilla, and some faint baking spices. There's not much in the way of bite/burn, the finish is smoother than the nose suggested. Given that part of the blend comes from Dickel, I was worried this might have the dreaded flintstones vitamin note that I can't stand, but fortunately it was nowhere to be found. A few drops of water intensified the nose without really changing the balance. On the palate the water increased the sweet/creamy notes. I could see this being polarizing. There's a lot of complexity, and some really interesting flavors; but it's different from pretty much anything else I've tried. I think anyone who has dabbled in rum will find this interesting, but the slight funkiness could throw some people for a loop. While this isn't something I'll necessarily on a regular basis, I think it deserves a solid 4 just for the sheer uniqueness. Sourced MGP/Dickel whiskies are a dime a dozen in today's market (despite being massively overpriced in a lot of cases), but with Barrell you're getting something beyond just a NDP label.

There have been several releases of the Makers Private Select hitting the Houston area recently, and I've been sampling a few of them. This is one was picked by Nasa Liquor. The stave selection is as follows: 2 x Baked American Pure2 3 x Seared French Cuvee 3 x Makers 46 1 x Roasted French Mocha 1 x Toasted French Spice 110.9 proof/55.45% ABV This was tasted neat in a Canadian glencairn Nose - Leads with creamy vanilla, apples, cherries, and graham crackers. More faintly I also get orange peels and varnished oak. The creamy fruit notes actually remind me of the 'V' recipes from Four Roses, but the graham cracker note makes this recognizable as wheated bourbon for me. Palate - Starts with rich butterscotch, vanilla, and cooked pastry dough. Also some of the same fruit notes from the nose, especially the apple. The sweetness lingers on the finish, where the baking spices finally start to show up. My only criticism is that I feel like there could be a little more spice; this one is all sweetness up front, with the baking spices arriving a little too late to keep things balanced. Overall I liked this one quite a bit. I definitely seem to have a preference for the selections that are heavier on the first 3 stave choices, with the French Mocha and French Spice used sparingly (the first Private Select I tried was a 0/0/2/4/4, and it was just too bitter and tannic).

Getting down towards the bottom of my bottle of this, and realized I never got around to reviewing it. Nose - cinnamon graham crackers, apples, pie crust, lemon zest, vanilla, and oak Palate - Rich, mouth-coating flavors of caramel, graham crackers, cinnamon and baking spices. Lingering finish follows with brown sugar, cinnamon and oak. Not hugely complex but there's enough spice to balance the sweetness and keep it interesting. This is a really great bourbon. I'd say it's easily the second best wheated bourbon I've had, behind William Larue Weller.

Tasted neat in a glencairn. Nose - Dominated by the standard bourbon notes of caramel, oak, and vanilla with some faint varnish. Also some fresh apples and . Palate follows the nose with caramal, oak, baking spices and orange peel. The rye spice lingers on the moderate finish without being harsh. Not much bite at all. As it had a chance to breathe in the glass, caramel and vanilla became more prominent on the nose while the palate become a bit sweeter. This is a good example of a well-crafted KY bourbon. I'd rate it better than the 1792 Small Batch or Single Barrel - the rye spice and heavier oak make this more interesting to me. Previously the BiB was my favorite from 1792, I'll need to do a side-by-side to see if this one edges out the BiB.

Had a pour of the 2018 M10 at Whiskey Cake. Nose - Pretty standard bourbon nose of oak, vanilla, and a bit of ethanol. Maybe a hint of leather. Palate - Caramel, vanilla, baking spices, toasted nuts/toffee. Moderate finish was on the dry side, and a little hotter than I would expect for the proof. Overall it's was nice but nothing extraordinary - not worth chasing down IMHO and definitely not worth secondary prices. The taste profile reminds me a lot of Heaven Hill; this drank like a proofed down, slightly older version of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

Nose - caramel, apples, and varnished oak Palate follows the nose with caramel, vanilla, apples, and baking spices Finish is pleasant but short, with some creamy vanilla and spice

Tasted this a little while back (not my bottle) so I don't have detailed notes. This one surprised me, not at all what I was expecting from a 15-year old KY bourbon. Sweet and herbal/floral both on the nose and palate, not nearly as much oak influence as I would expect for the age. Mouthfeel was thin, but it had a nice mint-chocolate finish. I think this would have benefited from a higher proof. It's just too thin at 86, and a higher ABV would have balanced the sweetness and hopefully added some complexity. Should make for an easy sipper for anybody new to whiskey, though.

Tasted at a friend's a few nights ago (along with several others). Nose - started with chewing tobacco, seasoned wood (but different from the typical bourbon oak note), leather, and baking spices. With some breathing time the tobacco faded and the wood/spices became more prominent. Really unique nose, hard to describe but I liked it. Palate - Followed expectations from the nose, except drier than I expected, without the sweetness that most Woodford expressions tend to have. Some sweetness did show up just before the finish, just not as much as I expected. Mouthfeel was a bit thin. Medium finish was dry but without a lot of bitter tannins. I didn't get the 'oatmeal cookie' flavors that Woodford talks about in their marketing materials, which was a little disappointing because that sounds really good. Overall I liked this a fair bit, it was really unique. A bit drier on the palate than I might prefer, but still enjoyable; and the unique flavor profile was a nice change of pace. At $110-130 I think it's substantially over-priced, unfortunately. I'd probably pay $75-ish for it just due to the uniqueness.

Color - copper brown. A quick swirl shows sparse legs in the glass Nose - maple syrup, vanilla, varnished oak Palate - maple, caramel and baking spices, with a fairly rich mouthfeel for the proof. Finish - pretty quick, some lingering spice but more subdued than I usually get from OF A few drops of water muted the maple/oak on the nose but brought out a hint of dark stone fruit and more vanilla. On the palate, the water brought out more sweetness, with the caramel coming to the front and lingering a bit on the finish. I liked this both ways, although I think the nose was better neat. I'm not really a huge OF fan. I like Statesmen and 1920 OK, but not nearly as much as other brands. To me this 1910 is a bit darker/richer, with the spice softened a bit compared to other OF expressions. For me that's a good thing. People who love 1920 probably won't like it as much due to its lower proof and lacking that bright/spicy character.