Tastes

Luck seems to be on my side for Blanton’s lately as my brother was kind enough to bring back a bottle of the Blanton’s Black from Japan after a trip which is bottled at very low proof of 40%, but has a very nice black label with Japanese writing on it. These appear to be selling for above $250 online, but he was able to procure one for around $63 in Japan. Time to crack this one open and see if this is better than the original. The nose starts with a very light caramel with a hint of oak spice followed by fruits of Motts apple juice and orange zest that transitions to a very light spice along with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and light oak with no ethanol burn. The taste is almost a water thin mouthfeel that starts with a light caramel with light oak spice followed by fruits of Motts apple juice and orange zest followed by a vanilla seeds then a light pepper spice that fades to faint barrel spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and light oak with light ethanol burn. The finish is short with caramel apple, chocolate, orange zest, vanilla seeds, ginger, cloves, and light oak spice. I thought Blanton’s original single barrel was muted on the notes, but this is even worse. The nose is so light that the notes are difficult to pick out besides some light citrus and barrel char and the palate doesn’t improve things with tasting more like caramel water with a dash of fruit juices, some kitchen spices and a piece of wood on top that finishes short with light fruit, chocolate and barrel spices that turns spicier and drying than the original. No surprise this isn’t worth the secondary prices as I doubt anything actually is, but I wouldn’t even want another one of these for $63. It’s as if BT decided to take a lesson from Jim Beam and go Basil Haydenize their Blanton’s whiskey for the Japanese market.

Bottles of Blanton’s are tough to come by here in Virginia and often require a wait in line first thing on a Thursday morning or going to DC to pay $150+ for a bottle, both options I refuse to participate in. As luck would have it though, I didn’t have to do either for this bottle as my bourbon of the month club failed to notify their distributor of my departure which serendipitously resulted in a free bottle of Nulu Toasted bourbon and this Blanton’s single barrel select with a big Bourbon Festival 2021 Distillers Row Series sticker on it. The nose starts with a light-medium caramel with light oak spice followed by fruits of sautéed cinnamon apples and orange peel that transitions to a mild spice along with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and light oak with no ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel that starts with a light caramel with light oak spice followed by fruits of sautéed cinnamon apples and orange peel followed by a toasted vanilla marshmallow then a Sichuan pepper spice that fades to ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and light oak with light ethanol burn. The finish is short with caramel apple, chocolate, mandarin oranges, toasted marshmallow, ginger, cloves, and light oak. Overall this is a solid everyday sipper that brings in those traditional bourbon flavors that lean toward a drying/spicy profile with those barrel spices and char taking over mid-palate and finishing short with citrus, chocolate and light barrel spices. The flavors seem a bit muted instead of the bold rich flavors I prefer, likely due to the proof it was bottled at and I’d be interested to taste this at a higher proof. I’m very happy to have this bottle in my liquor cabinet as it was a freebie and enjoyable, but it is not a whiskey I would chase nor pay the crazy secondary prices to replace once it is gone. There are already plenty of better options out there such as OF 1920, JD SBBP or Wild Turkey RB to name a few.

The nose starts with pain and slightly watered-down lemon pledge concentrate followed by sour orange juice then dill, pickle juice and burnt caraway seeds with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with light caramel and pears before the sour lemon pledge takes over along with a high spice that transitions to extremely bitter notes of clay, pickling spices and cigarette ashtray water with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with cigarette ash, ground caraway seeds, pickling spices, sour orange juice, and clay. No surprise at all that LAWS was disappointing with a nose that starts with a light jab to your nose followed by a combination of floor cleaner, citrus, pickle juice and burnt spices that surprisingly is pleasant at first on the taste before that floor cleaner with a high drying spice takes over and fades to a mixture of dirt, clay, spices and cigarette ash that finishes with light fruit, some rye spice and mainly earthy/ashy bitterness. Well it appears that I have saved the worst LAWS, hopefully soon to be rebranded CRIMES, for last. I did a side by side comparison with their four grain and this is worse but not quite my least favorite whiskey of Penderyn 12-year ruby cask. A big thanks to @ctbeck11 for the samples of LAWS to review.

When I first opened this bottle, it was a little underwhelming, but after many glasses I’ve found that I was too impatient with it and the glass needs around 15 minutes to breathe to really open up. My bottle is about half full now and seems to not need as much air to open now, but if you pour a glass and don’t smell citrus, the glass isn’t ready yet, put it to the side and let it breathe as it’s a bit shy but once that citrus comes through, be prepared for a hell of a rye. The nose starts with rich tangerine citrus infused caramel along with pine needles followed by banana cream pudding then fresh baked pumpernickel bread, grade A dark maple syrup that transitions to a trickling stream washing over river stones, juniper berries, candied ginger, black pepper, leather and fresh cut hickory that’s burning in a fireplace with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting with dark grade A maple syrup over orange pancakes then pine needles followed by banana cream pudding then fresh baked pumpernickel bread that transitions to a trickling stream washing over river stones, juniper berries, candied ginger, black pepper, spearmint, leather and fresh cut hickory that’s burning in a fireplace with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with tangerine caramel, pine needles, slight minerality, pumpernickel bread covered in whipped butter, baked pears, polished leather and light oak. This is a masterpiece of a rye that starts with a nose of citrus, forest floors, a creamy fruit and syrup mixture, baked pumpernickel bread, slight rock minerality and rye spices with perfectly balanced wood that follows the same notes on the taste with a rich creamy maple syrup mouthfeel that has no spice until the moderate alcohol bite that finishes long with a perfect balance of citrus, rye, minerality and poached pears that pulls you back for another sip. I decided to put this side by side with its younger sibling of Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye and the Lock Stock and Barrel 18 really highlights the astringency and bitter flaws in the Alberta that have faded away through the many years in the barrel. At $230, it’s an expensive treat, but I can’t think of a better rye that I’ve had and think this can easily hold its own or beat some of the WhistlePig Boss Hogs I’ve tried at twice the price.

The nose starts with hair spray mixed with black shoe polish followed by slightly browning apple slices, light cereal notes that transition to nutmeg, roasted chestnuts and wet bandages with light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with that hair spray and wet shoe polish mixture followed by Apple Jacks cereal then a medium spice that fades to burnt chestnuts and used bandages with medium ethanol burn. The finish is short with bitter melon, rubber tire mulch, clay soil and wet bandages. This is just bitter with light fruit and cereal on the nose and mid-palate, but the finish is just earthy clay, bitter melon and bandages freshly removed from a pool. Comparing this to the Henry Road Malt and Centennial Wheat, this is the worst of the three and makes some of my whiskey that I rate at a 3 taste like 5-star gems. I’m not sure how Distiller put this at an 82 or how this would hit any of the important notes. Just to put this into a better perspective, Icelandic whiskey is basically sheep turds, ice, wool with some malt and is quite frankly a world class dram compared to this one. A big thank you to @ctbeck11 for the sample.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. This turns out to be my last sample of this set that I saved to last due to the X on it. The reason I saved it for last is due to me being a little kid instead and believing that this is some sort of buried treasure that Lex marked with an X on it. Time to crack it open; channel my inner bourbon instead of rum drinking pirate and find out if this was the best of them all. The nose starts with See’s candies peanut brittle along with a balanced oak spice that then fades to caramel apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, macerated cherries and candied orange peel then light baking spices of ginger, cloves, leather and rustic reclaimed wood furniture with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with dark chocolate Reese’s peanut butter cups with a mild oak spice that fades to sautéed caramel apples with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, macerated cherries and candied orange peel then a medium drying oak spice mid-palate before fading to light baking spices of ginger, cloves, leather and rustic reclaimed wood furniture with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with dark chocolate Reese’s peanut butter cups, candied Granny Smith apple, macerated cherries, candied orange peel, leather and medium tannic oak. This is fantastic polished bourbon that brings in those traditional bourbon notes but with creamy peanut butter candy, but has a slight higher oak spice than I would like and the notes are more dialed back to create a softer, gentler, creamy bourbon than a big, bold, brash flavor bomb like a Bookers or Garrison Brothers Cowboy. In a side by side with the Saint Cloud 7 year(4.5), the Saint Cloud has a better balance and really highlights the higher oak tannins in this one, but this is much better than my Bardstown Goodwood Walnut Brown Ale finish(4.0) with more of the sweet nutty flavors and a better balance coming out on the comparison. Alas this was not my favorite of the series, but was indeed worthy of some buried treasure expedition to uncover this tasty treat which is, rip open this decoder and it is none other than……………………… Kentucky Senator 15 year. A huge thanks to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for all the samples as this was a lot of fun and I found a few new favorites as well as a new skill of being able to proof down whiskey to my ideal proof without ending up with some caramel water anymore.

The nose starts off with a youthful astringency reminiscent of applying hand sanitizer in which the alcohol hits hard before fading yet remains in the background of notes frosted shredded whole wheat cereal followed by dehydrated tart cherries, apple chips then light floral notes that transitions to black pepper and fresh cedar wood chips with a medium ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with that youthful astringency that blocks any notes before finally fading to reveal frosted shredded whole wheat cereal followed by cherry flavored NyQuil, apple chips then light floral notes that transitions to black pepper and fresh laid bags of cedar wood chips with a medium ethanol burn. The finish is short with cherry flavored NyQuil, shredded whole wheat cereal, roasted chestnuts, black pepper and fresh cedar wood chips. Comparing this to the Henry Road Straight malt, this is slightly better but still youthful and offensive. I think the company might reconsider changing their name to CRIMES instead of LAWS because there have been some crimes committed to my palate with these whiskies so far. A big thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample for me to taste.

After the rave reviews from @ctbeck11 and @PBMichiganWolverine , my interest was piqued to sample this one, plus they are currently available for purchase from Seelbachs, so time to try it out before I buy it thanks to a generous sample provided by @jonwilkinson7309 Once I opened the sample and poured it in my glass, the first thing you notice is that this is a hot one that caused some sinus damage on the first nosing. After a good dose of water and a little time, it calms that alcohol bite down then really opens up with a thick rich butterscotch cream cheese frosting that seems to be filling my living room at the moment. The nose starts with that rich butterscotch cream cheese frosting followed by toasted marshmallow and fresh made cornbread then fruits of sautéed cinnamon apples and black cherries that transitions to barrel spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, rugged Cowboy boots and sun soaked old barn with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich mouthfeel starting with a high wood spice that fades to rich butterscotch cream cheese frosting followed by burnt black marshmallow and fresh made cornbread with honey on top then fruits of sautéed cinnamon apples and black cherries that transitions to barrel spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, rugged Cowboy boots and sun soaked old barn with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with butterscotch pudding, stroopwafel cookies, apple pie filling, black cherries, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and old polished oak. Wow, I did not expect a young corn whiskey to be so good with a rich decadent nose, mouthfeel and taste with notes of thick caramel, citrus and fairly well balanced oak. The only downside for this one is that the oak comes on a bit too much, overpowering the taste in the front before finally fading to allow those notes from the taste to come through. In a side by side with Saint Cloud 7 year, the Saint Cloud was much better balanced while the Ironroot’s high oak bite was its main fault. At a price tag of $108, I’d say that this is a good value for those that enjoy big bold Texas whiskey.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has a B7 on it. The nose is thick and rich starting with caramel pecan clusters covered in dark chocolate followed by fruits of grapefruit, pears and nectarines that transition to spices of dill, anise, cardamom, cloves, leather and antique polished oak with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting with caramel pecan clusters covered in dark chocolate followed by fruits of grapefruit, pears and nectarines that transition to a medium spice mid palate that slowly fades to spices of dill, anise, saffron, cardamom, cloves, leather and antique polished oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with dark chocolate orange, poached pears, dehydrated cherries, candied pecans, spearmint, anise, cardamom, cloves, leather and antique polished oak that linger for minutes. This is exactly the way I like my bourbon with those traditional bourbon notes, along with some different fruits and spices than normal that are turned up to a 10 with a viscous mouthfeel that maintains the same notes as the notes before a long lingering finish that once it fades brings me back in for another taste. Well this is gunning for a 5 for me, so time for a whiskey cage match. The first round was with Lux Row 12 year which was close, but the Lux Row came out ahead due to its better balance whereas the faults of this started to show with more of a spice on the mid-palate than the Lux Row 12 year. The second match was even closer with the Heaven’s Door 10 year Redbreast finish, but again that spice was the Achilles heel in the match that made it lose. Still this is an amazing whiskey that deserves a high score and I can’t wait to find out what this is. So Lex, what is this mystery whiskey that’s incredibly delicious but just shy of perfection………….. Saint Cloud 7 year “Pegasus”.

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has a B6 on it. The nose is thick and rich that draws you in with sautéed caramel apples on a plate of fresh waffles followed by maraschino cherries and a cup of mandarin oranges that transitions to dark chocolate covered candied pecans before spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, vintage leather and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with sautéed caramel apples on a plate of fresh waffles with Hershey’s dark chocolate syrup on top followed by maraschino cherries and a cup of mandarin oranges that transitions to a high drying spice mid palate before fading to barrel spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cracked vintage leather and medium tannic oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is drying and medium length with dark chocolate, apple chips, orange peel, ginger, cloves, cracked leather and tannic oak. The nose seemed so promising with a thick and rich caramel along with big and bold traditional bourbon notes which carries over to the palate that starts with those big bold notes before a high spice kicks in overwhelming and drying out my palate with spice and tannic oak with high ethanol burn before the dry spicy finish. So, this blind tasting challenge has taught me a lesson that sometimes a higher rye mash bill can be a bit too spicy for me. To correct that high spice mid-palate, adding a healthy dose of water can be extremely beneficial for me. So, there’s plenty of bourbon left to fire hose with my water dropper to find out if this calms down. Aha, 20 drops later and I’ve landed on my correct proof to really enjoy this one. The nose keeps the same notes but more butterscotch is revealed with medium ethanol burn. The taste becomes creamier with the same notes and brings down that harsh spice mid palate to a mild spice while changing the tannic oak to polished mahogany and a medium ethanol burn. The finish is no longer drying, but rather creamy while still medium length with dark chocolate, caramel apple, blood orange pudding, candied pecans, vintage leather and polished mahogany. Whew, Lex you sure are teaching me some things about bourbons and so glad you gave me two of those Old Ezra 7s to learn from. Another great one during this blind challenge that was a bit too spicy for me, but the water saved the day. So what is this flaming hot whiskey that needs some firefighter style watering to ease up on my palate………….. Barrell Bourbon Batch 019.