Tastes

How have I not reviewed this? I’m on my third bottle. Crazy. I guess I’ll get to it, then! (The bottle I’m currently reviewing is an Uncle Jack’s Barrel Finish Select, so it’ll have some slightly different notes than other bottles.) Appearance: maple syrup, long legs Nose: one time, while studying “Little House in the Big Woods”, we made some of that maple sugar syrup candy they make in the book. That’s what it smells like. Like cooked and hardened maple syrup, with some vanilla and tobacco. First sip neat: Raisins and coffee. It’s dark and deep and rich. Definitely some oak notes that cut the sweetness- and it’s not super sweet to begin with. Normally I would protest the lack of sweetness, but the depth in this makes up for it. It’s so rich. With water: not much change, except it maybe pulls out a tad of the sweetness (or maybe it cuts the bitterness, making it appear more sweet). Finish: long and bitter (but not unpleasantly so). There’s a hint of vanilla that reminds me of tasting vanilla extract straight from the bottle. Some black tea and a little spice. An after-dinner bourbon. A dessert bourbon, not because it’s sweet, but because it would balance the sweetness of the dessert. Maybe it’s trite, but I never dislike Woodford. It’s always good, always dependable, and it’s not straightforward. The Double Oaked is certainly more nuanced than their other less expensive expressions.

Tried at a bar in a tiny Route 66 hotel, just out of curiosity. Nose: corn and vanilla. Sweet. Mouthfeel: oily and drying First sip neat: like another reviewer stated, not as sweet as it smells. Surprisingly smooth. Corn and oak, some vanilla and caramel. Typical bourbon with some spice on the finish. With water: I feel like it actually gets a little spicier. The corn is more pronounced, but becomes a buttery caramel corn. Slight hints of orangey citrus. Finish: medium, spicy, and mouth-drying. All in all, it’s not terrible. Pretty decent, for the price point. I like it better neat. I tend to like mine a little sweeter, but I would drink this again. I wouldn’t buy a bottle, but I’d drink it in a bar or restaurant.

Color: dark amber Nose: cornbread with cinnamon butter. Some wood and ethyl alcohol. (My husband says it smells like nail polish remover.) First sip neat: surprisingly spicy for a wheated bourbon, so it must be pretty young. Dark fruits up front. It’s sweet at first, but almost immediately becomes bitter- a bit like if you were to taste vanilla extract on its own. Walnuts and leather. After letting it sit for a few minutes: some baking spices start to appear. Still bitter. After adding water: the spiciness is toned down, letting the raisins shine. I’m still not getting a lot of sweetness- just bitter, mouth-drying wood notes. Finish: short and spicy. More wood. I chose this primarily because of a recent write-up I read on it, plus the reviews and other tasting notes. It sounded right up my alley. Alas, the bitterness never really went away, and that makes it a less enjoyable experience for me. I think adding a few drops of water makes it the best experience, but this is not one I would reach for. At $80, it’s not really a cocktail bourbon, but that’s probably how I would use it.

Color: a greenish gold Nose: hay and vanilla and spring water Neat: earthy. Grass. A little vanilla. Finish: short. A very slow, simmery burn. The thing I like most is that it is very smooth. I’ve never had an Irish whiskey, being a bourbon drinker. It’s not at all sweet. It’s definitely earthy, but not smoky like scotch.

Another Colorado bourbon on my Colorado trip. When in Rome… Appearance: pale yellow, thin legs Nose: hay and butter. There’s something kind of reminiscent of wood glue, but it’s not unpleasant. First sip neat: grass and corn. This is not a sweet bourbon. A hint of black pepper. With water: the grassiness is more pronounced, but is more hay-like. Finish: short, a little spicy Not my favorite, but I prefer sweeter bourbons in general. I think beer drinkers would like this one.

Another Colorado bourbon (I’m vacationing in CO), this one from nearby Montrose. I almost passed it up based on the other reviews (watermelon?! In whiskey?!), but decided to try it anyways. I’m glad I did. Color: copper penny Nose: strong apricot, vanilla First sip neat: It takes some time to figure out what’s going on here- it’s definitely not your typical whiskey profile. Fruity for sure. I actually get the notes of watermelon, but they aren’t unpleasant. Apricot shines through, along with snickerdoodle cookie and creme brûlée. I’m not getting the chocolate notes that the other reviewers got, but the fruit is heavy and pleasant. Not much burn at all. With water: deadens it. Kills all the nuance. Finish: medium. The sweetness lingers with a little oak and vanilla. Once water is added, the finish has a bit of grass or hay. This… is surprising. It’s not at all a typical bourbon (my go-to) or whiskey. This feels more like a dessert drink, like after a slice of pie or a handful of cookies. Easy, sweet. Crowd-friendly and approachable. I like it a lot.

I’m in CO on vacation, so I’m looking for CO bourbons to try. I bought this one on a whim, with no reviews and no information. Basically, I grabbed it because it was a cool bottle and from CO. Bottled in Winter Park from 5 different locally-sourced grains and Rocky Mountain water, and bottled at 80 proof. There’s no age statement. It does say it’s exposed to two other types of charred wood in addition to the charred oak barrel. Color: apple juice Nose: vanilla and oak, a little chocolate. A bit of ethanol. First sip, straight after pour: vanilla and baking spices, straight off. This is a low-proof bourbon, so it’s pretty smooth. Second sip, after sitting: Some peanuts and caramel. Oak. Sweet, but not cloyingly so. A little spice on the finish. Very well-balanced. With water: less spice, more sweet. A little pear. Some tobacco. I think I like it best with a little water- it draws out some new and interesting character. Finish: medium. I’m breathing hints of oak, a little smokiness, a little caramel. Not a lot of nuance, but a good dependable bourbon. I really like it. It’s easy to sip neat, especially if you don’t like the spicier bourbons. I actually prefer this to some of the more expensive bourbons in my collection.

Stumbled upon this distillery purely by accident- I stopped for gas while on a road trip, and saw the sign. Tiny little place, super nice people who work there. The distillery has an interesting backstory. Apparently they are merging with a bigger company, and in the next couple of years should have a wider distribution. Anyhow, bourbon. Color: deep amber Nose: candy. Glazed nuts. Kettle corn. Very rich. First sip: same sort of candy sweetness with definite baking spices. A cinnamon rush on the finish- it’s only 4 years old. It’s relatively smooth for a young bourbon, but there is some spiciness on the tail end. With water: some smoky notes start to shine through. A little dark roast coffee and oak. Some walnut. It cuts the spice, but also cuts the sweetness. It becomes slightly bitter with water. Finish: medium I like it best neat. I’m honestly quite impressed with this offering- I like the 4-grain mash bill (corn, barley, wheat and rye). UPDATE: I’ve continued drinking it while in my road trip, and I like it better every single time. I changed my rating, making it higher, and I’m already sad that I only bought one bottle. This may be one of my favorites.

First of all, this bottle is one of the prettiest I’ve seen. Even if it’s not the best bourbon I’ve had (it’s pretty good), the bottle alone would have me put it on display. I’m writing my review based on a second try with this bourbon. Appearance: honey. It looks exactly like honey. Nose: no ethanol at all- surprising for the age and proof. A little floral, actually. Very light vanilla. First sip neat: vanilla again, mild and unassuming, with caramel creeping in, and then an unexpected cinnamon spice kick at the end. With water: more caramel, with some floral notes appearing. Cinnamon fire is gone, leaving some baking spices with no tongue-tingling. I really like this. With ice: kind of a bitter/sweet combo, like coffee ice cream with a little caramel syrup drizzled on top. Finish: long. I’m still breathing the tasting notes after half a minute. Some vanilla and black tea. All in all, I liked this even more the second time I tried it. It’s best (IMO) with a little water added. I’m actually going to change my rating- I enjoyed it that much more this second time around. I’d even say I’d be happy to display it for both bottle and content. For a young 4-year-old, that’s pretty impressive!

For the price, surprisingly good. I saw this one on IG, and added it to my “try list”. Picked it up on a whim today. Nose: typical vanilla with brown sugar, some ethanol until it sits for a few minutes. First sip: corn and brown sugar. Smooth until it’s gone, when the cinnamon Fireball spice kicks in. I’m trying hard to find those apple pie tasting notes people keep writing about, but they remain elusive. With water: Even sweeter. I actually prefer it. Vanilla and caramel. Starting to get the apple pie on the very last sip, but vaguely. Less apple, more apple pie spice. With ice: Just don’t. It turns it bitter like over-steeped tea. Loses everything that’s good about it. Finish: short and spicy. You don’t realize that this will have a kick until after you’ve swallowed it- and then the spice overtakes your mouth like fireworks, and disappears just as quickly. When the spice is gone, it’s oak and smoke with a bit of residual brown sugar. A good, approachable bourbon that I’d mix for a cocktail or feel fine drinking neat. (So fine that I tried drinking it neat three times this evening, just to re-examine the tasting notes. Maybe I should change my rating.)