Tastes

Received a sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium-dark amber. Nose: Caramel, vanilla, dark fruit. Palate: Cinnamon and baking spices, with some mild fruit notes. Finish: Long with medium heat. Splash: A slight nutty note appears that wasn't there before. Overall: 8.5/10 - Everything about this is classic bourbon and the proof doesn't really show until the finish. The nutty note that opens with a few drops of water is a nice bonus. Too bad it's too expensive and rare to be a daily.

Received a sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Light amber. Nose: Caramel and vanilla. Palate: Nice mouthfeel, with moderate notes od cinnamon and clove. Finish: Short with medium heat. Splash: No new favors are revealed. Overall: 5.5/10 - Although it seems like 93 proof Blanton's watered down to 80 proof, I give it a slight bonus for the surprisingly thick mouthfeel. The classic notes from the nose are sadly wasted.

113.9 proof. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Caramel, apples, vanilla. A bit of oak. Palate: Cinnamon red hots and baking spice. Finish: Medium heat but long length. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 6.5/10 - Another fine dram, but not one that stands out in any way. The higher proof makes me want to try it in a cocktail.

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Dark fruits, some nuts and a little spice. Palate: Pepper, nuts, and some baking spices. Finish: Medium length with medium heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 6/10 - This is a fine dram, but in a crowded >$40 rye market it doesn't bring much to distinguish itself from a sea of other ryes. It does drink below its proof, but is not nearly as good as KC9 for around the same price.

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Caramel and dark fruit. Palate: Cinnamon, clove, baking spice. Finish: Long length with medium heat. Splash: A delightful minty note appears. Overall: 8.5/10 - This bottle may need some time to breathe, as the minty note only appears with a few drops of water. If it was present from nose to finish, this would easily be a top 10 rye for me.

Glass: Old fashioned at a bar, neat. Color: Light amber. Nose: Sweet with some fruit & floral notes. Palate: Fruity and floral with some (peat?) smoke. Finish: Short with medium heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 8/10 - This is a nice pour that deserves to be reviewed in a glencairn.

Barrel house 1-09 Barrel# 24-02685 Bottlling date 3.14.24 - Pi Day Proof: 135.7 Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium-dark amber. Nose: This is apple pie. Apples, caramel, graham crackers with a fair amount of pie spices. Palate: Big clove and baking spice, with some of the apple pie from the nose just beneath the surface. Finish: More warm than hot, but the length is impressive. It just won't quit. Splash: Some of the spice from the palate is calmed, but no new flavors appear. Overall: 9/10 - This lives up to the hype. I had lazily chased this for a while before lucking out at a store that had 4 bottles on the shelf, with no limit. It's not quite a daily drinker at 135.7 proof, but it will make some killer cocktails or hold up to a large ice sphere.

Received a blind sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Caramel, apples and some graham cracker. Palate: Lots of cinnamon red hots and some sweet clove notes. Finish: Medium heat, but the finish just goes on and on. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 8/10 - This has classic bourbon written all over it. Would stand up nicely to some ice or vermouth. The finish just won't quit.

Received a blind sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Caramel, apples and a hint of nuts. Palate: Some cinnamon and clove, but not as strong as expected. Finish: Medium length with medium heat. Splash: Minty clove notes appear that weren't there before. Overall: 8/10 - The nose is the star of the show, but a splash brings out some nice notes.

Received a blind sample from a friend. Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Caramel, apples and graham crackers. Palate: Dry oak tannins and a note that's hard to place. Almost like rubber. Finish: Medium length with mild heat. Splash: No new flavors are revealed, but dry oak is diminished. Overall: 7/10 - This is a fine dram, and I suspect that it's been in oak for a while. The proof doesn't seem particularly high but the odd note in the palate makes me curious.