Tastes

(Batch No. 004) Color: Pale gold Nose: Green apples, dewy grass, and vanilla extract. Honeysuckle blooms add a little sweetness. Palate: Hot and peppery, but with a round, fruity body and richness. A little caramel and a touch of toffee as well. Finish: More Granny Smith apples with mellow oak tannins. Hot and short, though. Diluted: Gorgeous nose with orchard blooms and cider spices. Palate gains a lot of honey and rich vanilla, along with butterscotch and buttered popcorn. Finish isn't improved much, though.

Color: Dirty blonde Nose: Machine oil, wet charcoal, and bright cereal grains. Hint of light orchard fruits under the smoke. Palate: Honey and ashes. Gala apples rinsed in a tidal pool, with vanilla and caramel notea shining through. Finish: Raisins and plums on top of sodden oak. Fruity and woody and viscous. Diluted: Fennel and ripe berries shrouded in plumes of smoke on the nose. Stewed fruits and almonds on the palate, with charred marshmallows punctuating the lighter notes. Finish is tar and a little pepper, retaining good mouthfeel.

Color: Chestnut Nose: Cinnamon and cloves, baking bread, and a pan of brownies just set out to cool. Palate: Lots of brown sugar and dark molasses, but the sweetness is balanced with heavy rye heat. You can feel vanilla hiding back there somewhere. Finish: Good spice but oddly a little flat otherwise. Not much to speak of. Diluted: Immediate sweetness on the nose, like fresh orchard honey. Palate gets into more of the delicate notes, with vanilla and tobacco leaf wafting to the surface. Finish is better, with a little mint and leather, but still the weak spot.

Color: Deep amber. Nose: Burnt toffee, cured ham, and indoor cigars. Subtle holiday spices linger in the kitchen. Palate: Immediate Oloroso notes of almonds and dried fruits. Very balanced peat smoke with an organic herbal tang. Finish: Roasted peanuts meet jars of red fruit preserves. Heavy on malt rather than barrel -- guessing the average here is on the younger side. Diluted: Nose is fruitier, with a lot of the smoke rinsed out. Still a good acrid sting on the palate, but more of the sherry and bourbon flavors shine through. Finish is almost tart, with stewed plums and cherries winning out over the smoke.

Color: Sweet tea. Nose: Vanilla pods, rich caramel, and tobacco leaves. Fresh-split maple boughs complete the sweet and herbal bouquet. Palate: Warm buttered popcorn and an explosion of vanilla. Treacle and butterscotch meet a faint whisper of mint. Smooth and endlessly sticky mouthfeel. Finish: Dark molasses scented with pine needles. Very mild heat for that ABV. Diluted: Nilla wafers and a baker's kitchwn prevail on the nose. Palate also bakes some cookies, but with a hint of dark red berry fruits as well. Finish reduced is a big tablespoon of raw honey.

Color: (Very) Pale straw. Nose: Oiled machinery dotted with cinders, next to rubber boots soaked in a brackish tidal pool. Palate: Barbecued pork falling off the bone. Honey over embers and rich, malty cereal grain. Finish: A little pepper, a hint of vanilla, and a total saltwater bath. Diluted: Citrus creeps into the nose -- lemon rind and maybe some pear. Real banana sweetness develops on the palate, along with sugar over porridge. Finish is a delicious mix of bacon fat and smoked apples.

Color: Syrup from the tap. Nose: Spices, like cinnamon and cloves, saturated with molasses. Sharp campfire soot gives a little bite alongside gently crumbling white ash. Palate: I really do get marshmallow sweetness! With caramel notes and more barrel than I'd expect from something (presumably) so young. Finish: The smoke really shines through here, thick and full like a black plume rising off wet leaves. Diluted: Spice on the nose just as strong, with a little bit more pronounced sweetness (brown sugar?). Water brings a little more smoke to the palate, but gently -- still so sweet and rich. Finish trades smoke for spice, giving a little rye trim with baking spices... maybe nutmeg.

Color: Dusky nectar. Nose: Rum cake and raisins, vanilla extract and cloves. Fragrant coffee grounds linger. Palate: Baked pineapple with cinnamon glaze. Dark chocolate, molasses, and espresso explode to the fore. Finish: Soft and rich, with thick bourbon barrel influence and more stewed fruits. Diluted: Light sweet caramel drizzle on the nose, garnished with spring wildflowers. Palate sings with raw honey and ripe mango. Finish stays sweet and smooth with vanilla extract and a little cacao bitterness.

Color: Pilsner. Nose: Candle wax and damp, sweet Fall leaves. Drying honey and fresh grass clippings. Palate: Oily mouthfeel and drily herbaceous. Sweet flaky pastries -- like a crumbly scone or croissant, or even buttered French toast. Finish: Bourbon cinnamon and vanilla with something a little spicy. Horseradish, or maybe wasabi. Diluted: More floral and malty on the nose. Cereal grains on the palate with a blast of sweet molasses. Finish remains spicy with a pleasant mellow oakiness.

Color: Aged Riesling Nose: Citrus fruits hot and heavy up front, partially concealing a fragrant bed of new pine needles. Palate: Sweet and malty, with a rich kick. Fruit notes still sing, with lemons and mandarins accompanying hot warm tea drowned in sugar. Finish: Bourbon barrel notes poke through, with a little brown sugar and vanilla cutting the bright lemon burst. Diluted: Ripe fruits recede to softer floral and grassy notes on the nose. On the palate, more bourbon barrel notes, including honey and runny molasses. Finish is crisp and grainy, with warm lingering syrup sweetness.