Tastes

A classic 95/5 Indiana rye. Lots of spice and a solid kick of caramel. Lots of mint and pepper on the nose. Not significant amounts of dill, thankfully. Palate delivers a lot of bite, between the cask strength ABV and massive amounts of rye. Subsides somewhat to give a sweeter finish of caramel. Then more pepper. A nice rich mouthfeel. For the price, it’s solid. I’d suggest you buy if you enjoy the MGP 95/5 profile. Personally, not my jam, but significantly better than Bulliet Rye.

Torn here. This is an excellent value for a solid dram. $50 for a 14 year, higher proof (92 proof) single malt is excellent VFM. The nose is excellent. Fruity and tinges of malt. A tinge of smoke shines on then nose, unsure if from the barrel or the grain. The palate comes in two distinct waves. A sweet vanilla and the grain is realized. Then a little bit of savory and nutty flavor. Solid, oily mouthfeel. The very low level of peat (2 ppm) really only comes through in the finish, with the bitter soda bread and the phenols coating the mouth with a touch of rubber. This is objectively a good drink. Great value (if you like this, get the 1.75L - it boils down to ~$3 a shot). However, it’s just not my favorite profile. The tiny touch of peat makes me feel like this dram can’t make up what it’s mind wants to be. It’s close to a great balance of sweet and savory, but the bitterness and rubbery-ness that coats the mouth at the end without any warning kind of ruins it. I generally don’t like peat, but I like peat when it embraces what it is - a dark deep dram like highland park. But the sweet cask finish dominating the front and the peat dominating the back is un-harmonious. Will I keep a bottle in the bar? It’s great value so maybe. But it will mostly be for guests, not myself.

Paradise Liquor SiB 90 proof. Warehouse O, floor 1. The color is a nice deep amber, making me wonder how much age this barrel had - if only Old Forester released age stated products besides their Birthday Bourbons I might be able to ball park it. Nose: A lot of sweet caramel and brown sugar. It really reminds me a lot of Woodford Double Oak - which makes sense as both are Brown-Forman products. Same with the banana notes that come through on the fruitier side of the sweet nose - very similar to Jack Daniels, another Brown Forman product. The palate delivers more sweet - a big hit of juicy fruit and brown sugar. For 90 proof, this has a surprisingly rich mouthfeel. The finish presents a large hit of that exact same Woodford DO woody/caramel sweetness, with the slightest hint of cream cheese frosting and a tinge of heat - not sure if ethanol or the 18% of rye in the mashbill finally adding something. The wood-y flavors fade with a tinge of cinnamon spice that plays really well with the extremely sweet flavor subsiding at the same time. I don't remember paying $45 for this, but that's what the internet says I probably paid for it. That price is what keeps this from being a true home-run. At $45, a number of better offerings, even from Brown-Forman, such as Jack Single barrel 94 proof and Woodford Double Oaked, as well as Old Forester 1897 (BiB). And that's not even mentioning other brands $45 products. Would I buy this again (though now bottled at 100 proof)? Meh, I probably would. Single barrel offerings are fun, but this isn't widely available like Jack SiB 94 proof - and given the profile similarities, I wouldn't bother hunting for a OF 100 proof SiB, unless it's from a local source known for doing killer picks. But, overall, I'm still happy with this bottle and glad I have it. Middle of the road, very sweet, good bourbon.

Reviewing a 108 proof bottle. Immediately on the nose I am able to recognize this as a willett product - that incredibly distinct cinnamon/walnut scent greets you, with some added woody-ness and a tinge of dill. Palate differs almost completely from the nose - incredibly sweet and fruity with some hints of vanilla - very tasty. The finish is where the classic walnut and cinnamon Willett flavors return for a surprisingly long (but also spicy) finish. The finish ends with a last kick of dill and a jab of spice. This drinks right at proof for me, which is somewhat surprising given the young age of it. I would prefer more wood, and an older version of this would likely be even better. Value for money is where this product really falters. Yes, for all the reasons mentioned above, it is a tasty dram. But $70, for any product including this one, seems excessive. The closest comparison in proof and quality for this would be Russel's Reserve Rye ($55) and Pikesville ($55), both of which are 50% older. Admittedly, very different flavor profiles, as this brings big spice - but many 95/5 MGP ryes offer the spice, proof, and age for less. Overall - tasty, but not sure I'll pick up another bottle of it.

Kelly's Liquor pick SiB. Very different from regular BT. In BT I get a lot of sweet vanilla and brown sugar that transitions to leather, mint, and a little bit of spice. This SiB: better mouth feel, very rich. Nose is a similar, and palate trends much heavier and less sweet. Still some good wood influence, but more leather and tobacco. Finish is disappointingly short. The mouth feel of this SiB beats regular BT, but the finish imo is a little lacking compared to regular BT - the blending and batching probably adds depth and a multitude of flavors that this SiB lacks. Struggle between a 3.75 and 4. Definitely worth the money but personally not my favorite profile (I prefer sweet and wood). But, the SiB experience and difference from the batched product is definitely eye opening on how much single barrels can vary from the blend, so we'll give it a 4. I imagine the ceiling on these barrel picks are sky high, and the floor can't be much lower than this.

Very tasty and solid value for money. Nose and palate give a barely legal rye type feel. Lots of sweet, and polished spice. As many have noted, very different from spicy MGP ryes. Nose: surprising amounts of wood and carmel, with some strange notes of almost rubber or nitrile, but not in a bad way Palate: starts sweet vanilla and trends to woody, cinnamon and licorice. Heat ramps up from alcohol as well. Finish: a little thin and heat from the alcohol ramps up with some generic, not too memorable spice. Verdict: strong and polished. The age and mashbill work well together. The value and reasonable availability are also high points for this. If anything is disappointing it’s the finish, where the lack of rye means it doesn’t have a strong core to lean on. But, at the end of the day I definitely enjoy and recommend picking this one up.

In short: Tasty and perfectly serviceable bourbon that I would likely buy again, but lacks the wow factor. The 45-55 price range brings fierce competition: Rare breed, 4 Roses Small batch select, 1792 Full Proof, Knob Creek Single Barrel, makers mark cask strength, Russels Reserve SiB 10, Dickel SiB, Old Ezra 7, and more. To stand out among those heavy hitters takes a lot. And it’s not that OF 1920 has any major flaws: the nose brings solid classic bourbon, vanilla and char spice with ethanol, which the palate delivers on. It is a sweet vanilla brown sugar turning to bitter taste of cherry and char, and all flavors are robust thanks to the higher proof. The classic palate tends spicy towards the end, giving way to the underlying ethanol which is not well masked. The finish is in my opinion the most lacking. It is short and lacks the mature sweet oak and more delicate tannins that older bourbons carry. I’m left at a loss: this is good, robust, and classic, but feels hot and young. This simply won’t do in this price bracket. I’m unsure if they simply used too many young barrels in the batch or I simply don’t like the flavor profile they’re going for in this specific release. An age stated OF product doesn’t exist (besides birthday bourbon), but would do wonders for the series. I would buy this again and recommend all to buy it at least once, but I will likely not always keep a bottle on hand.

This is damn good bourbon and especially for the price it’s hard to do better with a bottle that is widely available on shelves. Nose: that characteristic WT tart and smoke that I find in all their products (and for the record dislike) immediately let’s you know it’s a Turkey. Solid doses of vanilla and brown sugar creep in on the nose as well. Palate delivers almost identically to the nose: tart (like citrusy, but not quite), Smokey, dry and dusty, with the sweetness of vanilla (almost vanilla latte) and brown sugar hanging in the background. Finish: thee extremely long finish is what makes me give this a 4 star rating. The finish lingers forever - but more Smokey and dusty than truly oak-y. I’m a big sweet and oak guy, so my personal palate and the more bitter/tart finish is what keeps me from giving this any higher. I absolutely understand why people include this in their list of favorite bourbons or best value for money. On the now short list of good bourbons that actually are widely available, this is without a doubt up there. As good as ECBP or Stagg Jr, no. But I’m not a Turkey fan in general because of my palate and I still love this stuff. Always keep a bottle or two stocked away. Always.

This is exquisite, in my top 5 all time. The nose is a fresh, complex sweet, with tons of vanilla, char, wood chips, and caramel coming through. A deep wiff shows marshmallows, and even chocolate orange vibes. Rich, in a word. The palate delivers, and then some. The palate begins with some heat - reminding you of the rye in the mashbill. Spicy, with rich almost pepper jelly/mexican hot chocolate flavors coming through. The spice subsides to deliver the sweetness the nose promised: again, almost like a s'more: smoky, sweet, and a thick amalgam of flavors. The wood starts to kick in about halfway through the palate, and the finish is extremely long, almost on par with ECBP. The finish is sweet, and my favorite kind of wood taste: dusty, charred, and almost caramelized. I think that from a value and availability standpoint, this is almost unbeatable. I have multiple SiB KC offerings (120 proof, 11 years old), and they are also delicious, but I feel that the lower proof (100) of this product almost lets everything shine brighter (counterintuitive, I know). I think a good comparison here is ECBP. ECBP is higher proof but just as good a value for money, but extremely hard to find. KC 12 doesn't grow on trees to be clear, but it will at least be on shelves sometimes. And once again, the proof is closer to that of my liking. One of my favorites and I hope it is a yearly release with high standards maintained. Buy on sight.

Another KY exclusive I was able to grab. Tastes a lot like Rowans Creek - lot of cinnamon spice and leather/walnut. But not as good as Rowans Creek. A decent enough whiskey and definitely not bad for the price. But thin, with very little finish (just sweet cinnamon lingers briefly) and drinks a little hot for the advertised 100 proof. Unlike heaven Hill 6 yr, I would not buy this by the case if I ever went back to KY. Probably wouldn’t even buy if it was available here. With that being said, if Rowans creek or Noah’s mill are your favorite bourbons, then this might be a nice alternative to explore especially to achieve a similar flavor profile in cocktails for much cheaper.