Tastes

First time review on this one. Enjoying neat. Nose - spicy spicy spicy at first but once it settles you can pick up some goodies. Think caramel and oranges with some brown sugar and honey. Very unique nose once past the initial spice. Taste - good mix here of sweet and fruity start and finishes with a long salty treat. I get more oranges on the palate, some chocolates and honey. This transitions into a nice long lasting finish with some light burn, oak, and salty and bitter very ending. Overall - I like this one. The nose is spectacular, the taste is well rounded, this is a good cheap bourbon that’s easy to sip. Willet did a good job on this easy going bourbon.

3rd time trying, first time review. Enjoying neat after rested 10 minutes Nose - ethanol burn, bland, woodsy. Taste - cherries up front then quickly leads to a nice oak flavor. Spiciness with a slight burn, light maple and caramel. This one is a spicy maple caramel oak. Reminds me of old forester statesman. Overall - not near as good as the blue note uncut store picks I have had, but it holds its own. Decent 40$ pick.

Lucky to find a bottle in late 2021. Third time trying this one out after it’s been open for a month. Enjoying neat. Nose - big time flavors here. Vanilla, brown sugar, cherries galore, with some nice heat coming from the high proof and some spiciness maybe some mint coming through. Taste - super rich and syrup filled flavors. Chocolate cherries, minty spice, with a nice pungent oak ending. The finish just lasts forever of bold spices and oak. Overall - Huge flavor bourbon here. Nose is stellar, big flavors on the palate and all surprisingly smooth as butter for such a high proof. This is a stellar bourbon

Been a while since I reviewed this one. Opened a new bottle. Enjoying neat Nose - cherries and vanilla with hints of oak. Taste - cherries, vanilla, unique flavors from the port barrel like plums and fruits. Very smooth start to finish with a sweet oak finish. Overall - I love this bottle. It’s unique, neat bottle style and relatively priced. I have to give this a solid rating.

Enjoying my first ever glass of this whiskey. A buddy brought this over from Utah and I had never heard of it. Always up for something new to try. Nose - very odd like the color. It’s ripe, salty yet lightly sweet, a bit of fruit, slight ethanol burn. Taste - starts very very light as the color suggests. Roll it on the tongue a few times and some of the flavors slowly start coming. Honey and oats sum this one up with a lightly peppered and citrus finish. Very unique and easy to sip neat. Overall - it’s enjoyable and very unique. Balanced but I wish there was more to it. I do like the fact that it seems to be limited to the state of utah making it a cool bottle where I’m at in the southeast US.

First time ever seeing this bottle and decided to try something new. Enjoying neat. Nose - very odd nose. Not enjoyable at all. Smells floral and like old soggy fruit. Very bitter and pungent. Taste - this is more enjoyable than the nose but still something just off here. It tastes very very ripe, light caramel, bitter, short finish. Disappointed Overall - the toasted wheat grabbed my attention in this inexpensive bottle, but it just doesn’t work here at all. I rarely say this about bourbon but this is almost a throw away. Will definitely be a mixer. One of the very very few bourbons out there that I think stink. The bottle is nice but the label looks cheap. Only points I can give here are its cheap on the price scale and has a Carmel flavor to it.

First time finding and trying. Freshly cracked bottle enjoying neat in a glencarin rested just a few minutes. Nose - wow a lot going on here. Caramel, apples, vanilla, and fruity citrus flavors lasting with brown sugar. Taste - vanilla kicks this one off which immediately rolls into some clove, oak, buttery and oily mouth feel. Very well balanced bourbon with the sweet flavorings that roll into the slightly spice from the clove and 107 proof. Overall- the nose and taste are excellent. I would rate the nose a solid 10/10 and the taste around an 8/10. This tiny bottle with a great bottle design is a must have for any bourbon lover.

First time trying a sample Nose - very similar to regular Blantons. Loads of honey and vanilla. Taste - golden honey graham crackers, vanilla, oak, with a bitter and quick end Overall - I think this is well over priced on the secondary market. Basically it’s Blantons in a Japanese bottle to me. It’s very good but not worth secondary.

First time enjoying a glass neat Nose - mint, spicy undertones, and typical rye smell Taste - tons going on here that is perfectly balanced. Rye, clove, oak, mint, chocolate and a long balanced spicy finish. Superb taste. Overall - nose lacks depth but the palate is leaps and bounds above recent rye whiskeys I have enjoyed. Comes with a hefty price tag of 70+ but it is justified.

First time trying a freshly popped bottle. This is the California exclusive pick. Nose - tons of oak and ethanol. Once you get past the ethanol there is some sweet notes of honey. Taste - starts spicy. Lots of cinnamon, oak and apples. Dry mouthfeel throughout. There is a delicious and smooth vanilla flavoring in the middle. This one ends rather abruptly and more spice. Overall - to sum up the taste it’s apples vanilla oak and cinnamon. The spiciness is noticeable throughout which is probably partially attributed to the 114 proof. Overall good bottle but nothing spectacular.