Tastes

This is in the port-finish/other-finish division of my finished bourbon bracket. Quick recap of the blind taste tests so far: Joseph Magnus, Noble Oak, Wild Turkey Revival, Rabbit Hole division. WT Revival won division. This division: Isaac Bowman vs Angel’s Envy IB won. This next round is Amador Double Barrel vs Jefferson’s Grand Selection (Sauternes). After this is Jefferson’s old rum cask vs Beer Barrel Bourbon. Did I mention that this is for science? Nose on this is a double-Oaked bourbon, or maybe plain Jack Daniels. And by that I mean banana, sugar, and a bit of wood. Body delivers on that banana and wood, but in a really bizarre and unpleasant way. The doubled-Oaked profile is bitter and dry, but the white wine finishing here introduces an unforgivingly sweet profile. And rather than neutralize or meet in the middle, this bitterness and sweetness is still fighting it out in my mouth. I do not like that one bit. Finish goes back to the banana and wood. So I threw some shade at a banana flavor profile clashing with dry, port wine. This little guy is way worse. I’m reading through the other tasting notes for this one, and I just don’t get it. There are times when I thought it would trigger a gag reflex. And I don’t think the flavors are gross, I think it’s the mouth feels. Will not buy again, but I’m hoping that before the bottle is gone, I can find more enjoyment from it. Jefferson’s wins this round.

This is in the port-finish/other-finish division of my finished bourbon bracket. Quick recap of the blind taste tests so far: Joseph Magnus, Noble Oak, Wild Turkey Revival, Rabbit Hole division. WT Revival won division. This division: Isaac Bowman vs Angel’s Envy IB won. This next round is Amador Double Barrel vs Jefferson’s Grand Selection (Sauternes). After this is Jefferson’s old rum cask vs Beer Barrel Bourbon. Did I mention that this is for science? Nose on this is very faint, which is surprising to me. Very low astringency, and if you really jam your nose down in there you can get some hints of jelly and possibly tomato sauce. If the whiff hits me as a sweet scent, it’s the jelly. If it’s savory, it’s the marinara. Can’t get both together. The body delivery’s on the grape jelly flavor. The sweetness from the wine is super evident. I can’t get much besides the grape jelly. Finish carries off more grape jelly, with a bit of cinnamon. Don’t know where the marinara thing comes in, but even now I’m getting on the nose despite the flavor being nonexistent in the drink. This is a bit less interesting than I’d hoped given its sticker price. I enjoy it, it’s just very basic. That grape flavor is intense. Definitely would not buy again, but it won’t keep me from getting excited about the other products in the Jefferson’s lineup. For me, this beats Amador, but that’s less a statement of greatness for Jefferson’s and more an indictment of Amador.

So there’s a few reasons I know this is going to be awesome. 1) This dram is from a 200 mL plastic bottle that was opened and half-drained over a year ago. 2) My taller and far less attractive friend snuck this into my suitcase as a joke. 3)The bottle boasts that it’s made with “natural flavors.” The nose is sugary sweet. A hint of peppermint. Surprisingly, it reminds be of some barrel strength bourbons out there. Oh crap. That’s the P.C. version of the thing I just said out loud the second this liquid touched my lips. It hits your lips like mouthwash. There’s a spearmint flavor. I get cough syrup. NyQuil maybe? Finish is mercifully short. A bit of cinnamon and mint trail off. This is nasty. I know it’s cheap. Despite that, I still somehow can’t make a value for cost argument here. It’s rare to be able to be a douche to someone via a gift. My taller and far less handsome friend somehow found a way.

So I’ve been raving about this little guy in many other reviews now, as a standard bearer for how to do good bourbon cheaply. I’m actually a bit surprised that this is the first time I’ve checked it in here. I get a bit of green apple on the nose. This is absolutely a first, and I’ve had many drinks of this guy before. But I’m very happy with this new reveal. Reminds me of the flavor in the body of EHT small batch. That green apple carries through on the body, and compared to EHT or RHF, it’s a bit more enjoyable in this moment to me, probably because of the lower proof. I’m not getting pulled out of the flavor by heat. I’m still getting a bit of the standard flavors from previous hits of this bottle, which would be caramel, chocolate, and powdered sugar. But that apple is new to me. Finish carries off chocolate, a bit of apple, and leather. So has my ranting over this little guy been justified? I’m honestly not sure I’ve been annoying enough about it. You can buy two of these for the price of one Blantons. Damn near three for the price of one RHF in primary, if you’re insanely lucky. And my favorite new stat: you could get 5 of these for the price of one Kentucky Owl Confiscated. The quality that this little guy brings for $25 is insane, and it’s readily available, at least around my parts. I’m going to beat the drum one more time: I don’t believe there is a better bourbon out there for $25. That’s not a thing. If you don’t believe me, do yourself a favor and run (don’t walk) to your liquor store and buy this bottle. Do some blind taste tests against other bottles <$40. I think you’ll be surprised.

The nose is astringent, but no real takeaways beside a bit of sugar. Body is a burst of sugar and caramel. Bit of oak in there as well. Finish turns bitter quickly, and trails away with oak and almond. So have you ever had a friend who built up a video game for like 2 years, and for whatever reason you couldn’t find it in your area, so you just wait in anticipation of how delicious this video game must be. Years later, it finally shows up in your local GameStop in new packaging, and you’re like... is this the same game? Did they change something? And the sticker price seems a bit high, but you buy it and give it a spin only to find out that the graphics are a bit outdated and you regret wasting your money, because it’s just okay, but there’s tons of better games out there that you could’ve bought instead? Yeah me neither.

This is in the port-finish/other-finish division of my finished bourbon bracket. Quick recap of the sherry-finished blind taste tests so far: Joseph Magnus vs Noble Oak: Joseph Magnus won. Wild Turkey Revival vs Rabbit Hole: WT Revival won. Joseph Magnus vs WT Revival: WT Revival won. This next round is the two that inspired this whole event: Isaac Bowman vs Angel’s Envy. After that is Amador Double Barrel vs Jefferson’s Grand Selection, followed by Jefferson’s old rum cask vs Beer Barrel Bourbon. Did I mention that this is for science? So off the bat... I like both of these whiskies. This was the most effective blind taste test to date. I wasn’t 100% sure which was which until I flipped over the cup. I was correct, but it was close. I came in with a believed preference toward Isaac Bowman, and Angel’s Envy lost here. The nose: Never gotten this before, but next to Isaac Bowman, this nose is yeasty with hints of banana, akin to Jack or Woodford. The body: Very smooth compared to IB. I get oak and sugar with a very soft cherry flavor. It’s subtle but it’s there. I think the Bowman brings it out more, back to back. The finish: There’s a syrupy sweet mouth feel that I don’t remember. Some oak and leather in there too. I’m sure that back to back with a standard bourbon, this would be a huge departure, but it’s limited port influence when compared to Isaac Bowman makes this the diet version. It’s good, it’s smoother, and it’s expertly made, but I can’t imagine ever reaching for this when I wanted the port-finish flavor now that I know what Isaac Bowman has to offer.

This is in the port-finish/other-finish division of my finished bourbon bracket. Quick recap of the sherry-finished blind taste tests so far: Joseph Magnus vs Noble Oak: Joseph Magnus won. Wild Turkey Revival vs Rabbit Hole: WT Revival won. Joseph Magnus vs WT Revival: WT Revival won. This next round is the two that inspired this whole event: Isaac Bowman vs Angel’s Envy. After that is Amador Double Barrel vs Jefferson’s Grand Selection, followed by Jefferson’s old rum cask vs Beer Barrel Bourbon. Did I mention that this is for science? So off the bat... I like both of these whiskies. This was the most effective blind taste test to date. I wasn’t 100% sure which was which until I flipped over the cup. I was correct, but it was close. I came in with a believed preference toward Isaac Bowman, and good ol Isaac persevered here. The nose: Watermelon and sangria. Next to Angel’s Envy, the deep red fruit scents are amplified. The body: Sangria, and for the first time (back to back with AE), I get orange. Like a delicious sweet orange flavor. Body also packs more heat when compared, but I don’t mind. The finish: Sangria flavor trails off, with a bit of almond. The almond is new to me, brought out by the AE. It’s encouraging to me that Isaac won. By popularity, a bit of an underdog. By cost, it’s cheaper (first time doll hairs =/= value in this bracket). At the risk of sounding hypocritical, (because I just mentioned how Revival beat Magnus because I preferred a subtler sherry influence), when it comes to port, it turns out more influence is better for me. I feel like the underlying bourbon of AE may be higher quality than that of IB, based on tastes theoretically not affiliated with the port finish. But damn... that sangria flavor. The sweet orange. This little guy may be in the conversation for the most underrated bourbon of our time, IMO. Can’t wait to see what the next competitor brings out of it in the next round.

I mean... I just twisted off the top of a 50 mL bottle that Santa left in my stocking last December. What kind of expectations would you have going in? Also - this is officially my first taste of any Tennessee Whiskey since I’ve been cognizant of what the word “neat” meant. That’s right. Dear TN, I’m gonna judge your whole state based on the quality of the stuff Ke$ha brushes her teeth with. We’re counting on you Jack. Don’t screw this up. Nose is yeasty. Mild astringency. I really do get baked sourdough bread here. Body is bananas. Wow. Never had anything that true to that flavor before. Straight bananas all day. Finish rolls off softly, low heat, no changes. It’s a one-trick pony, but what if you just really liked bananas? This would be your jam. I feel like this deserves a skosh more credit than it gets in the “drinking whiskey neat” market. It’s not dynamic, but it’s cheap as hell, and if you like that banana flavor, this is it.

This is in the sherry-finish division of my finished bourbon bracket. It was Rabbit Hole vs Wild Turkey Revival, winner to go against Joseph Magnus. In a blind taste test, Wild Turkey Revival won. As always... this is for science. This one was a lot closer than I thought. WT comes in around $140, and Rabbit Hole around $70. I’d love to say this bourbon was half the bourbon of WT, but that’s simply not true. WT basically ticked more boxes and was a smidge more complex. As for this guy... Nose smells of sugar and butter. Body has a genuinely good flavor. I get watermelon, cherries, and the same butter from the nose. The finish is a bit of a let down for me, taking a very bitter turn away from the body, trailing off with walnuts and raw wood. This bourbon is really interesting. Compared to WT it packs a value for the dollars. Compared to other finished bourbons (port finished, for instance), not so much. Am I to believe that finishing in sherry barrels costs 50% more than port? Rabbit Hole, I can tell you’re young boo. Overall, very tasty, I’m a fan, not my favorite, and I’ll probably buy another one at some point. Fair? Edit: WT Revival won out for the Sherry bracket, beating Joseph Magnus.

This is in the sherry-finish division of my finished bourbon bracket. It was Joseph Magnus vs Noble Oak, winner to go against Wild Turkey Revival. In a blind taste test, Joseph Magnus won. As always... this is for science. Blind was kind of impossible. Although price doesn’t always mean better, $90 vs $30 was meaningful here. I wasn’t fooled for a second. The oak is strong with this one. Doubled, some might say. The nose immediately lets me know what I’m getting into: heavy oak scent mixed with artificial banana flavoring. It’s reminiscent of Woodford Double Oaked in that way. Body is a hit of that same banana flavor, and the finish carries away an almost imperceptible raisin flavor, again overpowered by that artificial banana. The main recognizable sherry influence is a dry mouth feel on the finish. For those of you who dig Woodford Doubled Oaked, this is a variant on that flavor profile at 60% the cost. I’m not convinced that banana/oak is the most compatible flavor profile for a sherry finish, but it’s interesting.