Tastes

Starts out light, smooth, and sweet. Then some heat kicks in and the sweeter flavors change to spices and clove. That transition is not smooth and the flavors clash, which is why I think this one seems so disjointed. It's not bad but I don't know if it's all that good either. Adding water seems to push it further in the direction of clove oil (and not in a good way).

30-35 ppm phenols. Aged (most likely) in refill ex-bourbon casks. Smoke, brine, vanilla, and a hint of seaweed. On the nose, barbecue/bonfire smoke and ash, some vanilla and hay, and something from the spice rack, maybe oregano or sage. Oily pepper and vanilla on the palate. Briny finish with some pepper. The underlying spirit is complex and can take some getting used to. Anyways, I know it did for me.

MB is presumably: 80% corn, 8% rye, and 12% malted barley. Aged 6-7 years. Barrel char: toasted barrels. (Brown Forman). Here the company used "a long, slow toasting prior to charring. A further tweak was using a much lower than usual entry proof (100, lower than even the distilleries that claim low entry proof as a selling point!) and putting those specially made barrels on the top floor of a warehouse...Lower entry proof simply means more water in the barrel with the whiskey, so it will absorb more of that wood sugar and break down volatile chemicals in the spirit faster. Finally, the top floor of the warehouse is where the building’s internal climate is hottest, so the contents of the barrel expand more in summer, pushing deeper into said toasted wood" (Whiskyreviewer.com: http://whiskeyreviewer.com/2018/11/jack-daniels-single-barrel-heritage-tennessee-whiskey-review/). Full of vanilla and brown sugar on the nose. Flavor is sweet and surprisingly spicy with some licorice and another unidentifiable, though good, flavor. Additional water seems to hurt this whiskey. Interesting enough to be happy that I tried it but at this price there is just better stuff out there.

Aged 6-8 years. Mash Bill: 55% Rye, 35% Corn, and 10% Malt. (Beam Suntory). 2018 single barrel sounds like it has a higher than average age (perhaps 6-8 years).

MB: BT#1. Aged about 9 years in barrel char #4. (Sazerac-Buffalo Trace). I would never normally buy this watery whiskey, however, this one was a single barrel and I've heard good things about some Buffalo Trace SiBs. It turned out to be the standard watery whiskey that I’m used to.

Mix of MGP’s 51% and 95% rye mash bills. Aged 5-6 years in barrel char #?. (MGP). Flavorful and smooth; a nice sipper. Nose: mint Palate: minty and spicy Finish: Overall:

Luxco, sourced from Heaven Hill and/or Beam. Aroma is loads of caramel and vanilla with a bit of sawdust and wood. The palate has a peppery bite. Overall very good, both straight and as a mixer. This is a great value. Add a drop of water to this and it changes a bit. Something like Beam funk in the aroma.