Tastes

Flavor profile similar to 46, which makes sense. I think I prefer this one slightly. The whole drink is just a bit smoother. I get vanilla, yeast, and powdered sugar on the nose. Body is gentle and sweet, with powdered sugar and caramel. Finish trails off with charred oak and bitter leather. I’m a fan.

So because my friends are fancy, this is the second wheated bourbon I’ve tasted, second to Weller. Big fan of that little guy, so I went in excited. Off the nose is a strong yeast smell, almost of baking bread. I also get hints of banana. Body is smooth, with a bitter taste of dark chocolate. Very bitter. Finish keeps the bitterness but transforms to charred oak and caramel. Mouth feel is extremely soft, as was the other wheated bourbon. I like it a lot. Not as good as weller, but I’m a fan.

Nose is bitter and astringent, but not in a bad way. Sugary notes there. Body hits with vanilla and sugar. Finish is remarkably long, with vanilla and caramel notes lingering. Though pretty basic, this is a solid and affordable bourbon for the ABV. Big fan.

Nose has hints of caramel and honey. Body is a hard hit of banana and caramel, and the finish carries off a sugar flavor on a mild burn. Very approachable for a single barrel. This guy is a bit overrated if you ask me. It’s not bad. In fact I really enjoy it. But for $140, I’d rather shell out an extra $10 for a wild turkey masters keep if I want something unique and dynamic. For a similar flavor profile, I’d rather shell out half as much for the woodford double oaked. So I like it, but I probably won’t ever buy another one.

The nose hits with a sweet cinnamon smell. I’m thinking less big red, and more Cinnabon. Body hits with flavors of maple syrup, toffee, and a bit of nuttiness. Finish is a fulfillment of the promise made by the nose—sweetness, with a slight cinnamon buzz. Very good bourbon. Very good value for the money as well. Edit: another user made me revisit this bourbon, which I initially rated 4/5. I believe now that I was too harsh initially. I’ve grown more accustomed to higher proof bourbons, and this guy delivers. 4.5/5 I far more accurate.

So the bottle brags: “We don’t wait for it to slowly age in a warehouse, leaving the art to chance, the craft to fate.” They continue to say that they use science to not only make “quality whiskey faster- but better.” So out the gate, I dislike this distillery based on their philosophy. And I mean a lot. All the feelings. On to the flavors. Nose has zero astringency, and little to no smell. I find this surprising for a 100 proofer. Nose is faint and floral. Body and finish is s single shot of flavor. I get butter and sugar, no change. Very similar to white dog, if you’ve had it. Mouth feel is very tame— too tame for my tastes. Buttery feel, little heat. The lack of complexity in this bourbon is apparent. Sorry science. For value: I have mixed feelings here. As I said, I am against this distillery’s philosophy. I have lots of love for the distilleries that do it the traditional way. Now I get it, they’ve won some innovation award in Berlin or whatever. But the lack of complexity makes this whiskey conspicuously young. The “Pressure Aging” technique has not overcome that. That said, the label says: “Aged a minimum of one (1) month.” That color in that time frame... I can’t help but be somewhat impressed. And it’s only $26. So for flavor, are there other $26+ bottles on my shelf that I prefer this to? Yes. Will I ever buy another one? Unless something changes, no. Give me Buffalo Trace, done the traditional way, same price, more complexity. I’ll take that any day. Speaking of BT, one last thought: a great deal of the cost of the bottle of bourbon comes from the fact that the US government taxes the living hell out of it. AND although all bourbon is subject to the regional rates per gallon, there is a tax for aging, applied yearly. Combine that with the fact that aging reduces the quantity in the barrel, and it’s pretty easy to see why older bourbons should cost more. I include this rant here to point out to everyone that this 1 month aged whiskey costs the same on shelf as a 7-9yr aged Buffalo Trace. Personally, I would like the Cleveland distillery to tell me why.

Solid, consistent bourbon. Great for the price point. Nose is bitter with just a hint of tea leaves. Body is very simple, with the flavor of sweet tea and bitter coffee coming through. Finish holds on to the tea flavor, introducing a bit of cinnamon as well. I had to search hard for the flavors, as this really is a simple but sufficient bourbon.

ABV: 63.95% I love how unique this bourbon is. Nose is complexly sweet. Part syrup and part jam. Body hits subtlety, with a very clean mouth feel, almost like a wheated bourbon. I get maple syrup and caramel on the body, with a powdered sugar finish. Big fan of this barrel finish.

Previously, on Hancock’s. Liquor barn barrel pick. Yada yada yada. Hard to say what to make of the barrel pick concept when comparing to a generic single barrel. Because every barrel is a barrel pick, right? Whoever chose this particular barrel did a better job than Liquor Barn. And I don’t mean that as a knock on LB, because I liked that pick. But I freakin love this one. Everything that I like in the LB pick is magnified here. When I go back and forth (again, for science), the Liquor Barn barrel pick is bland. On this guy I get immense green apple on the nose. It’s awesome. Body is a quick hit of tart green apple, carrying though on the finish with an additional bit of citrus zest. Phenomenal. I will say that this one has a heavier burn on the backend, making the LB pick smoother. However, I’d trade that smoothness all day long for the flavor punch that this dram brings.

Decent bourbon. Nose is yeasty. I get a bit of maple on the body, with a soft cinnamon spice on the finish. One of the quintessential bourbons.