Tastes

Revisited this on 1.26.22 Although my notes really won't change on this, the rating will. I made the note upon my an original rating that I would have knocked it down 0.25. Today, I most certainly do that and even consider dropping it an additional quarter point. It would be a sure to pay $100 for this ever again. Beautiful golden with amber tint. Really hangs on the glass, leaving a ring of beads. Nose is butterscotch, vanilla cookies, a hint of eucalyptus and clove. Beautiful sweetness throughout the drink. Butterscotch up front, turns more to caramel over time. Light char notes, but lots of wood on the mid-palate and into the finish. The vanilla makes a strong return along with a hint of maraschino cherry. The finish is long and wraps up with toasted oak, dark honey and sticky caramel. This is a good bourbon. Well rounded with excellent balance and a medium- long finish. At $100/bottle I nearly knocked it down .25 points, as one can do as well (or better) at $50, but those are getting awful hard to find

Deep ruddy copper. Lots of speedy legs. Nose is Rich with sweetness, chocolate, syrup and faint smoke and leather. Big mouthfeel... Leaves a great deal of action behind. Ripe fruit, a bit of chocolate, salted caramel and cream. This really is a terrific value. There's lots of interesting stuff going on, it's unique, and stands on its own.

Pale straw. Lots of legs, but leaves some hanging on the glass. A bit hot on the nose. A good deal of rye; sweet hay, light caramel, vanilla and a hint of coconut. Salty peanuts, butterscotch and some spice. A bit of sweetness sticks around... Although nothing special, it's dangerously drinkable. The medium finish and peanut butter notes make me want to take another drink fairly quickly. A terrific value.

Dark golden straw color. Fairly sticky, with sparse legs. Spices pop through on the nose, with musty barn notes and plenty of dark caramel... Hints of eucalyptus in there, too. Warms the entire mouth immediately, soft, but spicy up front. Some sweetness rises up and lingers nicely into the finish. Cacao notes and a good oak kick show through later. Solid long finish to boot. The mash bill is what makes this interesting, for sure. This is a far superior product to the regular MM. Great balance, plenty to enjoy about it!

Rich mahogany, slow legs. Really deep color Nose immediately shows the barrel... Wine, berries, leather and tobacco with a few spice notes coming through. Rich mouthfeel with another layer of flavors consistent with the nose. Almost chewy... Good, long finish with many layers. Maybe even overly wrought, yet maintains a nice balance. Pairs nicely with a rich meal or a Maduro cigar.

Vibrant golden amber. Stuck to the glass, a few sparse, slow moving legs. Nose overflows with caramel, butterscotch, fig preserves, dried apricot and plenty of barrel. The barrel notes are nice balance of wood and char. In fact, the nose's incredible balance unto itself remarkable. Starts sweet, with salted caramel and creamed corn, then warms the mouth and chest showing some spicier notes mid palate. An incredibly long finish and lots of stickiness. Reminiscent of an old oak log sprouting mushrooms on the forest floor. A well-worn in leather couch certainly comes to mind as well. The butterscotch shows up on and off throughout the entire experience. Is definitely a work of art. It doesn't do for me the same thing that the George T Stagg does, but that doesn't take away from the experience in any way.

Dark straw color. Really hangs on the glass with only a few slow forming legs. The nose has a lot going on: definite contribution from Rye comes through with undertones of baking spices and tart fruit aromas, musty barn loft.... Some burnt sugar/caramel. Plenty of barrel: old oak boards, tobacco and a hint of coconut/vanilla. It takes its time to unfold the flavors, but the finish isn't particularly long. No clear winner up front, but the mid palate shows some floral notes, a hint of the tart fruit and more burnt caramel... lots of wood going on, reminiscent of a humidor or a very old cedar closet. Vanilla frosted lemon cookies come to mind late. It has a warming effect that doesn't come from the alcohol alone... Although at no point would I describe it as sweet, there's enough balance to know that it's in there somewhere. This is a complex one for sure... Glad I've got a bottle to figure out what else is going on in there. Overall, it's very high quality, quite complex, well balanced, and very interesting... Reminds me faintly of Noah's Mill with that dark cacao/burnt caramel/tobacco thing going on.

Dark golden straw color, hangs tight to the glass. First note on the nose is rye grains. Also shows golden raisins, a good bit of oak, brown butter and burnt orange peel. Coats the mouth nicely. Soft and sweet up front with lots of caramel. A bit of a salty cornflake character to it balances the sweetness almost immediately. Dry and toasty on the way out of a medium long finish. Some ripe fruit comes back around. It's very good. Well-rounded, well balanced, and tasty but I'm not convinced the value matches the price tag.

Dark copper/ruddy amber. Nose is absolutely massive: molasses, brown sugar, black cherry and rich vanilla. Mild and well balanced upfront. Sweetness comes early and stays throughout. Mid palate brings up clove and cinnamon. Finish is incredibly long. Cacao and cherry licorice mingle with the brown sugar, molasses and ripe stone fruit. The warmth hits late and stays late. it's Chocolate covered cherries, leather and vanilla infused honey with dark caramel. For me, this is it. It's rich, complex and loaded with all of what I love about bourbon. It's the most drinkable 130+ proof I've ever had and it's not even close.

Dark straw/copper color. Very sticky with sparse, slow forming legs. Nose has a good bit of heat, with plenty of baking spices and cereal grain. Lots of dry oak and barn must. Super soft and warm mouthfeel, characteristic of wheaters... Good deal of heat upfront, and an interesting mint or rosemary herbal tone emerges mid palate, with some bitter citrus notes as well. Sweet all the way through, especially for such a high proof bourbon aged 6+ years. Long finish brings some milk chocolate, coconut and vanilla along early, but yields to the dry oak/cereal grain and baking spices that come through on the nose. Salted caramel comes to mind, too. Interestingly, the heat on the palate remains even after dilution. I like this so much better than the larceny small batch, it's actually hard to believe. Love the constant back and forth between the mash bill and barrel from first sniff to last finish note