Tastes

5 YO Green River distilled… I’ll take a shot for $25. Nose is traditional … sweet, light vanilla and a touch of grain. On the taste, definitely get that spice and the grain notes come through. Finish isn’t very long. Pretty good mouth feel for an 88 proofer. Touch of cinnamon. Not too bad for $25 so OK with the buy. I’ve definitely had a lot worse.

The nose is absolutely wonderful … sweet with nice tobacco notes and overall classic fruit notes some bourbons have. It’s the highlight of the pour as the taste is good, but all of that goodness doesn’t fully transfer to the palate as it does not pack a robust taste or mouthfeel. It’s about 89 proof and does well for that proof point, but really holds it back in the end as the finish is also quite short. A buy at retail, but don’t chase or pay over that. My rating may be a touch high.

We did a side-by-side of this 10 year with a 13 year and we both agreed that the 10 year fell well behind the 13 year. Has some nice notes on the nose pepper some mild sweetness, maybe a little tobacco and marshmallow, but with a tad of astringency. on the taste it is thin, and does not taste like the nose would suggest as it’s not spicy. It’s fine just nothing special. Short on the finish. Overall, it’s OK but one I would not buy again. 

This is very nice bourbon and an appreciable step up from the 10 yearly with only a modest price increase. And while I am not a real fan of the 10 year I do think this 13 year is quite a nice bourbon. on the nose I get a bit of oak and it is quite mild however. Maybe a dash of pepper and some orange zest on the taste it’s a very nice mouth feel very balanced and quite enjoyable and follows the nose not a long finish with maybe just a hint of spice on the backend. Recommend.

Very spicy on the nose .. not ethanol but that spice really comes through. Definite wood notes as well. Some slight traces of peanut. Taste follows the nose. Not much sweetness … actually a bit of caraway which is unusual in my experience but possibly it’s licorice. Finish is not very long but the spice follows through the entire drink. Enjoyable …. Not remarkable but glad we have

Pleasant rye spice on both nose and taste. Fruit notes which is probably a cherry. Get some mint as well. Finish is pretty short. Pleasing enough

Caramel and brown sugar on the nose with maybe a touch of tobacco sweetness. On the taste, the banana and spice comes through into a longish medium finish. Peppery on the backend, but not proofy … likely from the rye portion of the mash. Excellent bourbon (and yes it’s bourbon) that non JD fans may appreciate.

Very nice oak forward note . Definite sweetness with just a very slight tinge on proof. Taste really follows the nose. Spicy on taste and finish. Just a slight hint on the proof, but the finish is very long. Nice cherry on aftertaste as well. Again my only criticism is the very slight ethanol I get on the taste and nose. Recommend.

It’s a poor man’s Old Forester 86. The 100 proof CC (just like OF100) is vastly superior. Bought this one for $10 on clearance so no regrets but just way too sweet, light, and thin. Some nice light fruit notes. Good for new bourbon drinkers maybe.

A slight bit of grain but some nice fruit and vanilla notes. One of the better BiB bottles but in the end just know you are getting a $20 bottle so don’t expect an allocated unicorn. Solid , drinkable blind, and definitely mixable.