Tastes

Vibrant brass color, legs are few and form very slowly. Nose immediately reveals that layer of toasted oak common to other toasted barrel bourbons that I've had. There's a fresh, malty grain character here that almost borders on grassy or vegetal. Cornflakes and cracker Jack in there, too. Immediately soft and full, the sweetness that emerges comes through a bit of heat created by the combination of spice and proof. The sweetness lingers, and is balanced after the heat passes by dry oak and a waft of baker's chocolate. After nosing again a clove studded orange comes to mind. There's quite a bit going on in here, and thats nice. Its a little dry and a little rough around the edges. It is a solid value at $60, ill say that for sure.

Dark copper in color, a faint hint of amber. Legs form slowly, and really sticks to the glass. Nose is light caramel, a bit of tart fruit, hint of eucalyptus, or maybe lemon oil, and a hint of barn must. There's a lot going on. Soft and thin on the palate, its never sweet, per se... but definitely reminiscient of dessert. It warms with spice shortly thereafter. Long finish, is dry with cacao, burnt sugar, vanilla and a return of the lemon and baking spices. Its complex, yet subtle, as far as 15-year-old bourbons go.

Real sticky, the legs come slowly and it really hangs a sheet in the glass... Its a bright golden brass in color. Nose is caramel, toast, a very distinct fruity character, or herbal, or something. It's really interesting. Soft on the palate, it starts warming quickly, and the warmth continues to build. It's initially sweet, but only for a moment. It's well balanced throughout, and retains a character of very ripe stone fruit... Prunes more so than cherries. There's a bit of a chocolate note woven in on the long finish, as well as hints of s'mores or dark chocolate malted milk balls. This is complex, interesting, well-balanced, and delicious. It is nuanced without being subtle... This is really good. It's very different than a classic Kentucky bourbon, and that's not a bad thing!

Dark copper color and quite sticky on the glass... It definitely smells like a buffalo trace product... Lots of vanilla, baking spice, green apple, barn must , and dry oak. Soft and sweet upfront, it dries out quickly and is surprising in terms of how it flips from sweet and soft to dry and oaky... Comes back on the finish wity milk a milk chocolatey finish... Its all its cracked up to be. Nothing here really jumps out, yet everything one would seek in a bourbon is here.

VA Release After a long pause, tons of legs form and move with speed. Its more bronze than brass, it definitely shows its age... Nose is heavy vanilla... Notes of banana bread, subtle clove. Not very big in the mouth... It is intensely rich with flavor despite the initial warmth and the dryness with which it finishes. Its sweet, bur so well balanced, that i would not use it as the prima6 descriptor. Some notes of chocolate and cherry. Its got excellent complexity and a very long finish. The dark chocolatey finish is memorable. This is a seriously complex, nuanced and delicious bourbon. Personally, I like a bit more sweetness to come out through the finish... But that's just my personal preference. This is awesome

Dark honey to light copper in color. Plenty of corn on the nose... A light note of cornflake, good presence of vanilla, a bit of funky barn mustiness. Orande peel, dry toast and caramel, too. Sweet up front, and relatively soft, a bit of spice takes the edge off the sweetness before transitioning into a dryer oaky finish. Finish is medium length and there are some nice lingering sweet notes: milk chocolate covered cherries, burnt sugar and a subtle hint of green apple that emerge to balance the bit of spice and dry oak. Although not terribly exciting, its very good, and thats a win

Dark golden straw with a bit of an amber hue to it. Slow forming but voluminous legs. Nose is caramel, burnt sugar, vanilla, and a good bit of musty stored corn. Notes of citrus oil and eucalyptus pop through. The sweet front is well balanced with barrel char and dry oak. Medium finish. Nothing overly complex, but all the right stuff is there. The send off is a nice blend between the vanilla and a bit of residual warmth of spices

Golden straw in color with a solid hue of copper. Noses light caramel, vanilla, and shortbread. Fruit cake, Christmas cookies and preserved lemon pop through a soft, warm woodiness. Sweet all around, but especially up front. Theres a toasty pie crust character that gives way to a pleasant musty corn note on the mid palate. This part is distinctive and wonderful. The finish is long, but loses its dimension and complexity about middle way through. Its a nice dance back and forth between the dry oak and light char with the sweet notes of carmel and vanilla. Might be my favorite Old Forester that Ive tasted. I can't not give this a 4

Amber hues accent a dark copper body. Alides down the glass in whole sheets, leaving behind just a few legs. Nose is rich: leather and oak with a hint of vanilla and eucalyptus. Reminds me of richly stocked humidor... Unmistakably Willet... Remided me immediately of Noah's Mill and Rowan's Creek. Soft on the palate, but not big in body. The initial sweetness is quickly offset by a spicy warmth and a dry oak that borders on a pleasant bitterness. Pipe tobacco, dark salted caramel and notes of milk chocolate come to mind. The finish is medium length, and basic, yet multi dimensional... The herbal/medicinal thing comes bac a bit before trailing off to lingering spice notes and old dry hardwood. A fer drops of water loosens and softens it up a little. This is an outstanding value. At $42 a bottle, its good enough for a repeat!

VA-ABC 18-0693 Barrel. Golden copper with amber hues. Lots of legs appear very slowly. Nose of golden raisins, toasted white bread, light caramel, faint notes of milk chocolate, and a hint of spice, and vanilla pudding. Reminiscent of a caramel malted milkshake. Soft on the palate, there's a nice note of caramelized pear tart upfront, along with carmel and malted barley syrup. It warms the mouth quickly, resulting in an early peak of spice, dry oak and a bit of heat that pulls away from the initial sweetness. Medium to long finish, it's interesting and easy to drink for a cask strength offering. I like this enough to buy another bottle to stash. It's like a marriage of bourbon and a Speyside Scotch. There's plenty of barrel contribution for a 6 year old, from both the oak and the char, yet it's not short in any way on the subtle delight of malted barley. I wish I could give this a 3.9... still closer to a 4 than a 3.75 though