Tastes

Hmm. Distiller says 90 proof but the bottle says 110. Yikes! The heat pretty much overpowers everything else. Need to sip on this for a while.

Lovely! Honey nose jumps out of the glass. Smooth and mellow. Some citrus peel? Not super challenging but super enjoyable.

Not great but not bad. I know that’s vague but I can’t think of much else to say about it. Not a big-flavored bourbon but not offensive. It’s pretty smooth. Maybe the tiniest amount of vanilla. A bit of corn sweetness up front turns into a touch of bitterness or maybe eucalyptus on the finish - that’s unexpected. Glad I tried it but probably won’t buy it again. Life’s too short and the whiskey world’s too big.

I’m a sucker for smoke. I like my smoke flavor to be just short of ‘house on fire.’ This is really good but I think I’m underwhelmed compared to the regular small-batch Triple Smoke. I don’t have that one in the house now so I’m going by memory but I remember loving that one for its smoky character while this one seems more restrained. Ultimately this Single Malt is probably the better expression but it has me wanting to revisit the original.

Really nice. A little less banana character than that other Tennessee whiskey. A little more oak and spice complexity. Quite mellow.

This might just be the best VA whiskey I’ve tried (not that I’m an expert). It’s full of sweet vanilla and a little spice. Very smooth. Easy to sip. Short spicy finish. I’d love a touch more smoke but I don’t think that’s the point here. Yes it’s young (3 years) and it shows a bit of an edge but in another few years this is going to be a game changer for VA. Better than the VA Distillery Highland Malt, and worlds apart from the Copper Fox Single Malt I’m tasting now.

Like old No. 7, grown up a bit. Not as much of a banana bomb, although the banana is definitely still here. Maybe a touch less smoke and a touch more warm spice? Super smooth sipper. I don’t think it’s worlds better than No. 7, but I like the added complexity.

Wow, lots going on here. Big, bold, chocolate, oak, spice, you name it - it’s in there. Lovely sipper.

Huge peat! Burning rubber smoke bomb. There may be other subtleties in here but I’m not getting any. I don’t dislike it but I’d prefer a bit more balance.