Tastes

Haven't gotten to it neat yet, but was in the best old fashioned I've ever had.

Not terribly special neat, although it was my first rye so I didn't know what to expect. A light spice on the palate. If you must mix whiskey, this is fantastic in coke. It retains plenty of flavor if you're not trying to drown it.

Update 12/24/14. Gave the black another shot, at my brother in laws encouragement. I'm still not a huge fan of scotch as a whole, it feels flabby and bland compared to bourbon. But on the rocks I enjoyed some nice floral tones and citrus, supposedly there is some peat here, maybe I don't understand that flavor yet.

At first I really enjoyed it, there was a unique tingle on the finish. But as the bottle vanished so did the tingle ( not in one sitting of course) now it just seems to be cloyingly sweet.

Of the "bottom shelf" offerings, this is near the top. It blows jb white away in smoothness, and jd 7 in complexity and actual flavor ( rather than brutal sweetness) Bottom line: it's cheap, it tastes like actual bourbon, but not fancy bourbon.

Very oakey, as expected. But not in the integrated/melodious way careful aging contributes, more like when someone adds a bottle of liquid smoke to meat rather than take the time to actually smoke it.

I made the mistake of going back to this college go-to, and trying it neat. Very similar to just deeply inhaling the fumes from industrial chemicals. Don't be a hero, drown it in something.

For me this american icon is ridiculously over rated when forced down straight. It comes across as sickeningly sweet and thick.

Nose: butterscotch and similar candies, some alcohol burn that fades as it rests. Palate: smooth, slightly thick mouthfeel, more of the candy flavors with a little bit of cinnamon thrown in, alcohol burn is entirely negligible. Finish: moderately long with a thick mouthfeel for a while after, the alcohol returns but only slightly, again smooth. It kind of reminds me of a more developed and even smoother version of Crown.