Tastes

I'll admit, I don't really know how to stack up Irish whiskies, so the rating could be inflated a bit... Golden pale straw, sparse legs. Really sticking to the glass. Nose is honey, light caramel, toasted white bread, and a hint of golden raisin or other dried fruit. Big and soft on the palate, especially for the proof. The mid palate is warm and carries a bit of spice before moving into sweeter toasted grains and more honey. Long finish leaves toasted pecans, a hint of vanilla and wood. It's really wonderful... Supremely balanced and alarmingly drinkable.

Dark golden/ brass. Hangs pretty tight to the glass for it's proof. Nose is loaded with caramel and fresh oak. Herbal notes and cacao. Dark brown sugar, almost molasses and lots of vanilla. Sweet throughout, but not overwhelmingly so... A cream corn sweetness. A bit dry on the palate. Leaves a nice long finish that returns all of the barrel notes, and dark chocolate balancing the sweetness nicely. Solid all the way around.

Jeff's Spirits 250th Anniversary Warehouse K, floor 8. Dark copper color with a faint hint of Amber. Small number of slow forming legs. Nose reveals that it's definitely an Old Forester product. Good rye presence with plenty of spice. Dark caramel, both ripe and tart fruits. A little hint of cardboard in there and a bit of a hit of ethanol. Some sweetness up front, but it wanders a bit and the sweetness doesn't linger long enough. A little butterscotch candy comes out. mouthfeel is a little bit thin, but there is a solid length finish that shows lots of wood. It comes up short in balance... All the flavors are there, but it's a little disjointed.

First of all, I can't believe that I haven't put in a rating on this yet. For a good 2-year span when Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare started becoming almost impossible to find this was my go-to daily sipper. Putting in a rating without associating the vintage, but I've had at least a half dozen bottles from all years between 2008 and 2012. This is the first I've had of 2013's Pale golden straw in color, medium speed legs of an average number. Leaves a nice ring on the glass. Shows noticeable rye contribution on the nose, with lots of caramel and vanilla frosting. A hint of mint/eucalyptus sneaks out, along with light baking spice and a hint of fruit... Maybe dried pineapple or apricot Well balanced across the palate. Soft and sweet up front, with a hit of warmth at the midpoint... Mostly from those baking spices, as it's definitely not high proof. Gives way to a fairly long finish of vanilla buttercream frosting, fresh oak and a dry almost herbal note on the way out. Overall, this is a bourbon I'm always pleased with. And for now, couldn't be more delighted that it's still consistently available.

9Dark golden, copper hues. medium legginess, and a nice sheet left hanging on the glass. Nose is heavy with corn, barrel char, dark caramel and vanilla with a hint of baking spices. Viscous mouthfeel, mostly sweet up front. Yields to a bit of a minty/clove note before moving into a finish that bounces back and forth between char, oak, corn, and those spices. It's solid. It's bourbon's bourbon. I'd buy this again at $44 if I saw it. It seems like some more age could do it some real good in terms of balance and nuance, but all the high points are here.

Ruddy copper color Even, medium speed legs and nice beads. A bit hot on the nose. Plenty of fresh Oak, lots of rye spice, bright juicy berries and orange peel. The contribution from the Cabernet cask is quite subtle. Soft on the palate, a bit rough around the edges. The wine cask is much more notable in flavor than it is in the nose. Other than that, peanut shells, dry Oak, some cacao and vanilla. A hint of saltiness. Medium finish rolls out and the cab comes through those same flavors. It's interesting, and a good value. Not overdone, but definitely young.

Dark amber/ruddy copper color, fair viscosity. Nose is definitely dominated by the barrel, as would be expected... Cherry, vanilla, a hint of cacao. Plenty of Rye underneath there with some grassy/herbal/minty notes and musty hay/ grain bin. Front is a surprise... Much sweeter than I expected, with maraschino, bing cherries, raisins and vanilla frosting. Rye spices emerge mid palate, after the swallow. Decent length finish, with more cacao, toasted coconut and sends off with a dry, almost bitter oaky note. My initial impression is that it's not what I'd expect from a $55 bottle, but I guess that's the world we're in now.

Dark straw/light molasses color and doesn't even move off the glass. Nose is Caramel, dark toast, cornflakes, some vanilla and a bit of musty grain bin... Big and syrupy on the palate. The viscosity carries the barrel notes throughout. It's a little "raw", but authentic and enjoyable. Finishes with medium length and leaves vanilla and a bit of burnt molasses. Not Stellar but enjoyable.

Light copper/dark straw color. Bonus points for the amazing packaging, of course. Nose is absolutely massive: christmas candies, burnt sugar, butter cookies, notes of mint and rosemary, some barn must, baking spice, vanilla and fresh oak. Soft and sweet despite the proof, the spices and dry oak hit then yield to vanilla, shortbread cookies, peanut brittle, creamed corn and a hint of honey. Alarmingly drinkable for the proof. Finish really takes it's time and although warming and herbal, it shows remarkable balance and all of the right stuff comes through. This is my favorite of the series so far.

Ruddy copper color.. the red really comes through from the Cabernet cask. Very few slow forming legs. BIG nose bounces back and forth between classic bourbon notes of vanilla, carmel and cacao to the dark ripe fruit coming through from The cask. A distinctive earthy tone emerges through all of it. Soft mouth feel immediately leaves a warmth upon swallowing. Sweet front moves into vanilla and caramel. Followed by a dry oak and musty grain/grape skin flavor. Finish is moderate, but dominated early by the Cabernet before drifting off with notes of dark chocolate covered maraschino cherries.