Tastes

This is a total madman. It’s everything the standard 10 year is, cranked up a couple notches.

On the nose, you have to look REALLY hard to fond any peat. Its very light: heathery with a whiff of new oak and vanilla. The high ABV doesn’t show itself either. The pallet is a different story! The ABV jumps out here, along with the peat. It’s a dry, briny peat. There’s a fresh sawdust flavor running up through this. The vanilla comes out to play on the finish. This is probably the best Glenlivet I’ve had. Much more assertive than their usual easy going nature.

This has a unique nose on it, the bourbon oak is familiar but the PX sherry is not, as Im used to the drier Olorosso. This is a bit sweet but not cloying. There’s a definite fruitiness going on and plenty of caramel and vanilla. I get that briny “C-town funk” I keep hearing about which Im digging a lot. The finish hits me with a LOT of salty, coastal seabreeze which is totally my jam..it lingers. Almost reminds me of the brine of…fresh dungeness crab? This is really, really good stuff!

The rum cask finish adds a creamy, gentle sweetness to this. It’s nice, but not something I would buy a full bottle of. The 4-pak of tasters is plenty enough to visit this one. *edit* After getting another 4-pak of tasters, this has to come down a couple points. It’s not *bad* by any means, and I would definitely drink it again since its a part of that sampler pak (4 minis for $10 is a SMOKIN deal) but ultimately its just not for me. I love scotch and I like rum…this is neither fish nor fowl, it’s just…something. Maybe this is one to pawn off on the girlfriend…

Really good American single malt. Oaky and Coke-y.

On the nose, it’s like a navy rum with a beefy proof, molasses cookies, cinnamon and raisins. Still a lot of cinnamon on the pallet with chocolate, dark fruit notes that could almost fool me into thinking it’s sherried. On the finish it’s all coffee and chocolate. Almost like a coffee stout beer. There’s a lot of oak running all through this, but it really comes out on the second sip for me. Not much of the traditional rye notes at all, like every other Balcones Ive tried, its definitely its own thing. It could almost be passed off as a rum. Great stuff, but might miss the mark if you’re looking for a traditional rye.

This actually has some nice, delicate flavors. Its a budget blend, but well worth the $24 pricetag.

On the nose, this has that distinctive dense, oily Balcones scent of vanilla new oak and cherry cola. Its fruity and sweet grain/malt funk also. It’s very different on the nose from most bourbons. There’s a lot going on here. The flavor is rich with baking spices and hot oak. I get pecan pie too. Again, it’s one of the most unique tasting bourbons I’ve tasted…could be the pot still. It’s really good, but it’ll be interesting to see how a seasoned bourbon fan would react.

Bull Run’s standard single malt is an excellent whisky on its own. This cranks it to 11…the ABV is almost 59% and the additional time in cognac casks imparts a really rich buttery note that really compliments that cola note of the original. This was a special run so it’s tougher to find, even in Oregon. Definitely worth seeking out! Bull Run is a fine example of why the Pacific Northwest has the reputation it does for craft whiskys.