Tastes

Nose of caramel, rum, vanilla, cherry, grape soda, oak, and charcoal. Palate a little hot, with char, caramel, grape, cherry, oak, cake icing. Long spicy finish. Water, in addition to obviously lowering the heat, also brings the fruit out more.

Nose of rye, duh, something I can only describe as freshly laundered sheets drying in the sun, apple, vanilla, caramel, powdered sugar, plum. Tastes of sweet powdered sugar, vanilla, black cherry, rye, and a bit of oak. It starts off relatively smooth for the strength, but finishes hotter. Water opens it up to cinnamon and more oak. Very well done.

Nose of heavy oak, Cabernet, rye, pear, charcoal, vanilla. Palate sweet vanilla and fruit, oak tannins, dry cab, spicy rye; bold all around. Long spicy, oaky tannic finish. With a little water the tannins really open up and it smells more like the inside of a cabernet barrel than a bourbon and there’s a new chocolate covered cherry element. The flavors are all there but they blend better. Good either way, but I think the water really makes it shine. Procured in Santa Fe New Mexico with @twostal

Nose vanilla, pear, oak, green apple, toffee, leather. Green on the palate, some pepper, toast, apple skin, grain, vanilla. Short finish, peppery with a touch of apple.

Nose of oak, vanilla, apple, nuts. Palate sweet vanilla, cherry, pepper. Medium peppery finish. Rich nose, thinner palate.