Tastes

This is a solid whiskey though, given the hype, I thought it would be more balanced. Too sweet but otherwise good. Nose: Roasted nuts, vanilla, heavy brown sugar, and leather. Flavor: Toasted pecans, more leather, heavy caramelized sugars to the point where it was a little too sweet, baking spices, heavy vanilla. This had an excellent oily mouth feel that I really liked. Given the proof this was very muted in terms of the alcohol bite. Finish: Spice and leather with some alcohol burn. Not as long as I'd expect but long enough. Oddly enough the finish was very dry after such a sweet nose and initial flavor. Overall I'd give this a shot if you can find a pour but I wouldn't spend more than MSRP on it if you can find it as I've seen bottles at secondary going for $300 or more.

A sample gifted from the "Whiskey Transfer Program" from dthom. I feel like I say this a lot but...I really wanted to like this. Nose: I hate the way this smells. It smells like burnt orange (which I like) mixed with eucalyptus and mint (which I don't want anywhere near my whiskey). Taste: Candied orange and corn flakes. Not super complex which is not at all what I'd expect. A little hot at first. Finish: More mint, heavily sweet candied orange, cedar, and baking spices. A long and hot finish. I think the thing is that I like a lot of the individual flavors/scents as I pick them out but I don't like them together. Mint/eucalyptus/orange...Wrong!! Mint/orange/cedar/baking spices...WRONG!! It just clashes with itself. This whiskey doesn't know what it wants to be and is trying to be all things to all people. Sometimes barrel finishes just don't work and this is an example.

A sample gifted from the "Whiskey Transfer Program" from dthom. I like this. A lot. I just wish I could get my hands on the barrel proof stuff. Nose: Vanilla, light oak, clove, cinnamon, and peach. Flavor: Bananas, walnuts, baking spices, basically banana walnut bread. Also candied orange peel and candied ginger. Very smooth with barely any bite from the alcohol which is surprising given the 100 proof BIB rating. Nice thick oily consistency that I really like. Finish: Shorter than I'd expect given the age. A little bit of spice and oak with some baking spices finishing with more banana and nuts. If you can find this at MSRP or just above I highly recommend it. Maybe not worth it at some of the ridiculous prices I see this going for in various liquor stores.

A sample gifted from the "Whiskey Transfer Program" from dthom. A very complex whiskey with the signature Beam nutty flavors that I've come to expect. Nose: Musty wood, butterscotch, a slight raisin scent, and heavy ethanol (no surprise given the proof). The prevailing smell? Bubblegum like Big League Chew. Flavor: This doesn't bite as hard as the proof would suggest. Sweet vanilla, dried fruits like cranberries, and brown sugar. Finish: Peanut Butter. Lots of peanut butter and then sandalwood and tobacco mixed with cloves that tastes kind of like a clove cigarette. It finishes strong with more chunky peanut butter. The finish is the best part here for sure. My first foray in to the Booker's world and I like it. I'd definitely try more though the price point is a little steep.

A sample gifted from the "Whiskey Transfer Program" from dthom. I like this. It didn't blow me away but it's good and kind of unique. Nose: Heavy wood with flavors I often expect from a sherry aged scotch. A pronounced sweet vanilla flavor with dried fruits. A strong alcohol bite at first but after sitting in the glass a couple minutes this subsided. Flavor: Cherry and lots of it, wood, honey, and more dried fruits. A lot of nutty flavors like pistachio and walnut. Finish: Long finish with more wood flavors and caramel sweetness transitioning to a long minty trail off. I think I like the nose and initial flavors more than the finish but this is a solid whiskey just WAY overpriced. If this were $40-$50 I could see this being something I'd keep around.

This wasn't a bad taste but neither was it something I'd go back to intentionally. Not challenging but there wasn't much depth of flavor or on the nose. Just not a lot going on here. Nose: Very subtle, sweet with vanilla and honey and...that's pretty much it. Taste: High alcohol punch with some wood, vanilla, light sugars, and walnuts. Finish: Short and spicy with wood notes. Overall not my favorite. I'm glad I tried it so I can "check the box" but I wouldn't go to it again.

Holy dessert whiskey Batman! Nose: Raspberries and butter. Honestly it smells like a buttery raspberry pastry. Some light oak notes as well as vanilla. Taste: Dried fruit like fig jam, brown sugar, light oak, a little bit of leather, light honey, and dried cherry. Finish: Longer than I would have expected and back to raspberry Danish again but heavier on the wood. This is my favorite cask finished whiskey to date. I'd like to experiment putting this in to desserts for baking purposes. Give this a shot if you can find it.

This was a special barrel pick by Emeril Lagasse (Bam!) at Delmonico at The Venetian in Las Vegas. I was told that we purchased the second to last pour from the last bottle. CHECK THIS PLACE OUT! Nose: Heavy alcohol burn, vanilla cream soda, poached apple, honey. Flavor: Punchy alcohol. I think I like the Weller 12 better because the aging mutes this some. More poached apples, caramel, crème brulee, toasted marshmallow, and a little spice. Finish: A little spice and some herbiness as well as oak flavor but kind of an odd wood finish. Pencil shavings really but not in a bad way. I liked this a lot.

Definitely a bucket list whiskey. I was super excited to find this for what I'd consider a very reasonable price and boy did it deliver. I should point out I tried this after the WLW so it's possible my flavors were a little confused. Nose: Wood, lots of it, light vanilla, some alcohol burn. Not a lot going on in the nose and very simple unlike the complexity of the taste. Flavor: Toasted walnuts and pecans, some wood, vanilla, baking spices, light honey sweetness but not cloyingly sweet. A very unique flavor. Like nothing I've tasted before. Finish: Medium length, oak leading in to some rye spice, red hots, cinnamon, and waxy walnut or brazil nut. This was excellent! If only I could find a bottle for a reasonable price. I recently saw one for $300 but...really???

Wow. The "It's Bourbon Night" folks described this as "it smells like my hopes and dreams". Let's just say I was angry when it was done because it was so good, it was done, and because secondary prices are stupid and I can't find a bottle. Period. Nose: Honey, vanilla, slightly tart apples like yellow delicious, slight grassy notes, butterscotch, and very little alcohol for such a high proof whiskey. Off the charts amazing! Flavor: Crème brulee, caramel, slight apple fruitiness, toffee, burn from the alcohol. Super buttery like buttered rum and caramel sauce. Finish: A long finish starting with oak and then heading back towards buttery toffee. Seriously. This stuff lives up to the hype.