Tastes

Golden straw in color, with a hint of copper. Runs off the glass in sheets, leaving a few legs to run behind. The nose is exactly what I've come to expect from almost everything Beam: peanut brittle is the first thing to come to mind, followed by toffee, rye, lemon peel, and a hint of vanilla. The well-balanced front is reminiscent entirely of peanut. There's roasted peanut shell, peanut brittle, and dry roasted peanuts. It's soft on the palate, with plenty more warmth than the proof would imply. There's almost salty character as it drifts off into the finish. I get dry wheat toast, burnt sugar and lots of oak. Overall, it's light in color, in mouthfeel and in the deep barrel char/sweet notes that I've come to prefer... So although it's not my favorite, it is pretty darn good for having picked it up 20% off at $31.99, and is a fine summer bourbon. I'd imagine it'll make a great long drink, or an OF on the rocks.

Really sticks to the glass .. a few slow moving legs. Nose is dominated by the wheat... Caramel, vanilla and a hint of mint or eucalyptus... Front is strikingly well balanced between sweetness, spice and oak. Soft, sticky mouthfeel really coats. Solid, long finish, is mostly sweet but brings out toasted oak, honey and creme brulee. It's really neat having been able to try various years of this offering, as it's definitely the same "juice" going in... Amazing to experience what additional aging does to it. This one is wonderful and easy to sip. All the right notes are there, and in a wonderful balanced way.

Tarnished but vibrant brass in color. Few, but fast moving legs leave strings of beads behind on the glass. Nose is loaded with barley grain, but the wood makes its presence known too. Honeysuckle, vanilla, buttered white bread toast and conditioned leather. Front is sweet, mid palate has a nice warm spice and warm sweet grassy note. Finish is medium to long with burnt sugar, caramel, milk chocolate covered peanuts, and nougat. Overall, this is interesting and delicious. It's subtle by my personal preferences, but doesn't disappoint. It's a whiskey I'll be proud to share with any highland scotch or Irish whiskey drinker! Special thanks to Abby and Alex for this wonderful gift. We wish you all the marital bliss imaginable, and are so excited for your next chapter in PDX

The bottle indicates that it was distilled in Wyoming, so perhaps it's no longer an MGP juice? Get to thank my wonderful friend Nadine for sharing this from California. Vibrant, bright copper color. Really sticks on the glass with a few realtively slow-forming legs. Nose shows lots of wheat and oak. There's some heat, and sharp corners there when getting a little too far in. Notes of cigar boxes, whole grain bread, baking spices and a hint of ethanol. After some extensive breathing time, some caramel notes come through as well. Soft on the palate and sweet upfront, gives way to a pleasant warmth from the proof and the spices. Wheat influence makes its presence known again throughout... The barrel seems to contribute less char and lots more fresh cut oak than most. There's toasted coconut, pecan shells, a hint of leather and cream. The medium length finish leaves a few additional notes: milk chocolate and burnt sugar with a hint of vanilla woven in with the baking spices. My overall impression of this is that it's just not quite there yet: all of the right stuff is there, but it's a little wonky in the way it unfolds... In some ways it reminded me more of a beefy single malt than a bourbon. It's interesting and tasty, but lacks the symphony and synchronicity of really outstanding Bourbons.

Dark copper/ amber color. Moderate number of slow forming legs. The nose is loaded with fruit: berries, pear and tart cherries. Plenty of caramel, baking spice and barn funk. Undertones of chocolate and toasted coconut come through as well. It brings a good bit of heat, from the proof as well as the spice and barrel char, but quickly unfolds into a caramel, dried fruits and burnt sugar and a little vanilla frosting coming through late. It's not the incredibly complex flavor bomb that made me a believer from past releases, but it's well balanced and delicious...

A dark golden/copper with a hint of Amber. Moves off the glass quickly with lots of legs but leaves a sticky sheet behind. The nose is big and dominated by the barrel, for sure. Barrel char, tobacco, Rich oak with hints of eucalyptus and Rosemary hiding in there. The corn sneaks in there too. Sweet throughout with notes of leather, toasted pecans and creme brulee. A bit of baking spice, black pepper and cacao provides a nice contrast to the rich sweet character and multiple layers of oak and chat. This is a big Rich complex and interesting Tennessee whiskey with a nice long finish.

Golden straw/tarnished brass. Quite sticky with slow forming and slow moving legs. The nose shows a nice balance of rye spices and barn funk with vanilla, coconut and fresh oak. The front is mostly sweet, and yields to a bit of heat mid palate. The warmth comes from baking spices and a hint of green apple tartness. This cuts the silky mouthfeel nicely. The medium length finish lets the barrel shine through a bit more. A peanut note pops up there, too. This is interesting, tasty and well worth $40 given the current market. Definitely shares the MGP feel... A solid product.

Copper body with gentle Amber hues. Lots of legs appear and move quickly, but a good solid ring sticks on the glass. The wheat jumps out to lead the way on the nose... Plenty of caramel, soft, sweet fruits like candied apples and caramelized pears. Notes of clove and coriander pop through the rich fruit. Sip slowly warms the whole palate. Not hot for the proof, at all. Front is sweet, yielding to the spices present on the nose before a drawn out finish that shows exceptional balance... Left with darker caramel, toasted oak and the subtle sweetness of toasted steel cut oats and a faint hint of vanilla buttercream. I'll reiterate how much more impressive this is than their regular offering... I'm buying every chance I get

Dark copper body. Quite sticky for the proof. Nose is dark caramel, ripe fruits, vanilla. Hints of cacao, and a grainy note hanging in there. A tart fruity bite pops through the mostly sweet front. Green grape/granny Smith apples. A good shot of heat carries on with some clove, cinnamon and black pepper. A few drops of water loosen up the reins and bring out more of the sweetness that underlies it all, and helps stretch it out a bit. A solid char character comes through at the end. It's got good complexity and is interesting enough... It tastes different than I'd expect based on the nose. Just caught me off guard a bit in that sense.

Light golden straw, big thick legs and hangs on the glass nicely. Nose is light, grassy, herbal with honey, light caramel and a hint of Orange. Soft and sweet all around upfront, with a sneaky bite of heat on the back and sides of the tongue that follow the swallow. The lingering sweetness and toasty notes are what I'd expect out of a highland single malt. Notes of graham cracker, muscat and oak sawdust stick around for a medium length finish. This is nice. A local product to be proud of... Not really what gets me all excited, but I'd be proud to share this with a lover of highland scotch and heavier Irish whiskies.