Tastes

A good, sturdy bourbon. It’s not the first I’d grab as a sipper, but I don’t MIND it as a sipper. It’s great in cocktails too. A good, well-rounded workhorse of a bourbon. Nose: vanilla, wood, and leather. First sip: wood with some coffee bitterness, burnt caramel and peanut. Black pepper and cinnamon on the end. Medium finish where the peanut reveals itself even more. With water: Sweeter. The burnt caramel becomes a truer confectionary caramel with a touch of citrus. The coffee becomes sweet tea. It definitely cuts the bitterness. Peanut brittle is the overwhelming tasting note. After drinking it a few times, I find that it’s one I pour when I don’t want to reach for my more expensive/hard to find bourbons, but need something enjoyable and easy. The more I drink it, the more I enjoy those peanut notes. I would buy it again!

Whew boy. The rye + cask strength of this is potent. Color is a pale herbal tea. Thin. Using first opening, the nose is ethanol and fruit. First sip upon opening, the heat is really too distracting to start pulling out all of these notes other people are waxing poetic about. Upon the advice of other reviewers, I let it sit for a bit before trying again. After sitting, the tropical fruit notes on both the nose and palate are evident as the ethanol disappears. There’s definitely evidence of rum- a good-quality aged rum. Adding water brings out more fruity sweetness- not overpoweringly sweet. It reminds me in some ways of the fruitiness of WhistlePig, but nothing takes away from the fire at the end. As soon as I swallow, it’s like my whole mouth just catches fire, and smolders for a long time. My tongue feels swollen. I keep waiting for the layers of flavor to present themselves, but the burn is just so distracting and the flavor notes disappear within seconds of swallowing. All in all, I was so ready to love this, but it’s just not a pleasant drinking experience for me. I guess barrel-strength ryes are just not my jam. I’ll try it iced and see how that works for me.

Considering that I’m not a huge fan of rye-heavy bourbons, Whistle Pig as a brand has delighted me. I ordered this as a spur-of-the-moment decision when the original order I placed (at a restaurant) was unavailable. I regretted it… until I tried it. It is now one of my favorite brands. Color: orangey-amber Nose: fruit and vanilla with a little ethanol First sip neat: While there is definitely a lot of heat in this 6 year, the very first thing I always notice is fruit, and lots of it. Banana, papaya, and citrus, with tongue-tingling heat. Adding water bring out notes of black tea. My husband tasted vanilla (but I do not). It’s all fruit to me. Finish: long and hot, with a touch of butterscotch.

I actually like this one, even though it doesn’t fall into my usual preference range. It’s not a very sweet bourbon, but it’s interesting and unique and pleasant. Color: a deep Golden honey Nose: Chocolate is immediate. After that is tobacco and hay. Earthy. First taste neat: the earthiness continues. I can taste peanut and oak, a little bit of cocoa, and some tobacco. Yeasty bread notes. Not a lot of sweetness. Very little burn. I’d say it’s like a peanut butter and honey sandwich. Adding water opens up some sweeter notes, like caramel corn. Finish is super long. I’m still breathing tasting notes a full minute after it’s gone. It’s actually pretty great neat, but adding water adds some great layers of flavor.

While acknowledging that there are differences in barrels and I may have just gotten a mediocre one… I just do not see why Blanton’s has such a following. It’s just very ordinary bourbon. Color: like a strong herbal tea with honey Nose: Ethanol. Lots of ethanol. After about 5 minutes of sitting, you can start to smell buttered corn and honey. First sip neat: Ethanol and the burn of red hots. Once again, 5 minutes cools this off. The red hots are still present, but so are notes of baking spices and vanilla. Adding water adds a little sweetness. Mouthfeel is oily, finish is medium. The spice lingers longer than the taste. Slight hint of something minty on the finish. All in all, it’s not worth the price being paid for it. It has a lovely bottle, but there are far better bourbons, especially at the marked-up prices.

I’ve long been a fan of Smoke Wagon, but I’m currently revisiting the bottles in my collection as I have continued to learn about bourbon. Tonight it was this one! I’m actually tasting two: one from 2020 in the amber bottle, and one from 2021 in the clear bottle (they bottled so much in 2021 that they ran out of amber bottles and had to use clear bottles until their Italian manufacturer began making the bottles again!). 2020: Color: raw honey Nose: ethanol and corn First sip neat: a lot of spiciness from the heavy rye, just a nonstop burn from start to finish. Then there are some notes of popcorn and vanilla, a little smokiness. Adding water yields some notes of tea and leather. It’s definitely not fruity to me- more of an earthy flavor. The water tones down the spice. This feels like a traditionally “masculine” bourbon (I say that as a female), a “cigars in the library” vibe. Long finish, more savory than sweet. My mouth feels dry. 2021: Color: raw honey Nose: sweeter corn and brown sugar, no ethanol, definitely more inviting than the 2020 bottle First sip neat: there is some spice for sure, but far less than the 2020 bottle. First thing I notice is peanuts, followed by toffee sweetness. Adding water brings forward that familiar bourbon vanilla and buttery caramel popcorn. Long finish is baking spices and that same subtle smokiness from 2020. There is a more noticeable spice kick on the finish. I prefer the 2021 bottle, which I think just shows that they are ever improving their bourbon game. I’ll say that Smoke Wagon is usually the one I take camping with me, and it’s one of my favorite bourbons for a good campfire-side Old Fashioned.

Another great expression from Weller, but I’m partial. Nose is more butterscotch than caramel, some vanilla. Caramel appears the longer it sits. Palate is very fruity, cherries predominately. Sweet. A little burn on the finish, but it’s slight. Medium finish, a little vanilla and stone fruit. I only tried it neat- I would usually add a little water just to open it up, but didn’t feel the need to. I’d like to sip it side-by-side with the Special Reserve and the 12 year, to see if it’s worth it to track down a bottle at the current price when Special Reserve is great and easier to procure. TBD.

Eagle Rare is an interesting bourbon. The first time I tried it, I noticed a lot of surprise citrus notes up front with caramel on the back. This time- same bottle, but a few months later- it’s like a totally different bourbon. This time there’s more honey (first sip). Citrus is replaced with green apple (second sip), and then some oakiness. Medium finish with a little spice and caramel. Literally every sip is different. It’s an experience. Very smooth, easy sipper. One worth pondering and returning to. A favorite.

I love Weller 12 year- it’s one of my favorites. A local store had the Special Reserve for cheaper than I’ve seen them elsewhere, so I grabbed a couple. I’m glad I did. In the glass: a honeyed amber, thick, coats the glass long after you have swirled it or even finished it. Nose: corn and honey, almost a kettle corn with some vanilla. Neat: your typical vanilla and caramel with some spicy kick at the end. Like many other reviewers said, this spicy finish was unexpected. A couple of drops of water brings out a note of whole-grain streusel-topped muffin- hint of baking spices and brown sugar, with a slightly earthy quality. Finish: long and tingling. It’s not quite as smooth as its 12 year companion (which I tend to save due to how hard it is to find), but it’s literally all I would want from a daily sipper. I actually like the lower 90 proof. So glad I grabbed a couple of bottles.

An interesting bottle. Surprisingly spicy, given the age, but it’s a high proof. A beautiful deep color, it absolutely coats the glass- almost oily- with legs that linger even after the bourbon is gone. Nose is ethanol and vanilla, unless you let it sit for awhile. Then it opens up with some cherry and maple syrup and a bit of tobacco. The longer it sits, the more it smells like vanilla pipe tobacco. Mouthfeel is oily and thick (no surprise given the legs). Taste is slightly fruity without being sweet, with some cinnamon spiciness from the high proof. Notes of peanut butter. The spiciness is tamed with a couple of drops of water, but it becomes slightly bitter, almost like toasted walnuts with some cherry. The oak is evident after water is added. Finish is is long and chocolate (before water), and oak and vanilla (after). This is not a very sweet bourbon, but it’s complex, pleasant and interesting.