Tastes

I’ll start by saying my bottle is the 2019 cask strength rye humor 115 ABV. 95/5 MGP rye mix. The bottle looks the same as pictured but may be different as all of Pinhooks bottles look the same to me. Okay now for what is in the bottle. I’ll start by saying this was surprisingly “sweeter” than I thought it would be considering the proof and that it’s a rye whiskey. Smooth being in quotations because I think most people would say that’s not a good adjective to use but I think most whiskey drinkers will understand. The flavors reminded me of dickel rye but I didn’t have a bottle handy to try side by side but since this is using the standard MGP rye bill mash I imagine I’m not too far off. For what it’s worth, I love the dickel rye. The price was a little more than I like spending at almost $50 after tax but to splurge once in a while for something I tried before buying and also liked, I’m happy with my purchase. I tried this at home along 3 other ryes the other night (Wild Buck, HW Double Rye, and Templeton 4) and this was second best in my opinion behind the Double Rye which is half the price. I bet this would be an amazing old fashioned so I’ll experiment with that next time I pull it out. Conclusion, yes this was a good rye but it replicates a bottle half the price (Dickel) but also has a much higher proof. So if you like Dickel rye but want a little more bite then this may be in your wheelhouse.

Very nice scotch to make a “godfather” cocktail. Drank a lot of them on the last cruise I was just on. Disaronno and JW Black go together like a match made in heaven. Smoky and sweet. Mmmmm!

Old Crow..... Bottom shelf, cheap bourbon, low proof, not complicated. Okay so I bought a bottle of this based on a clerks suggestion stating “one of the regular that spends hundreds here a week says it’s just as good as Buffalo Trace”. Well it’s honestly not far from the truth because A) Buffalo Trace ain’t that great and B) Old Crow is not the worst thing I ever tasted in the bourbon world. So I found this 1.75 on the bottom shelf of course and on clearance at Walgreens for a whopping $11 so I said “what the hell”. When I first opened the bottle and gave her a little pour I was expecting corn and fire but what I got instead was a smooth boring bourbon. I’ve since had a few drunk friends come over and ask for old fashioned’s and used this of course as the base since I’m not giving them anything good out of my cabinet. I also mistakenly lost the cap to the bottle because of partaking in too many other spirits one evening. I used a piece of tin foil as a makeshift cap and it’s since “aerated” possibly because 2 months later and this stuff is now even smoother?? Weird. I’m not complaining though. If you happen to find 1-3/4 liters of this stuff for $11 don’t pass it up because it has many uses.....Eggnog mixer, cakes, bourbon infused meats, or even a knock-off Buffalo Trace for drunken friends etc. etc.

After all the hype again for a BT product that is mediocre I’m once again letdown. Maybe I’m not a wheater but I just didn’t enjoy this and to me it’s honestly not worth the $40. The packaging is nice and any non bourbon drinker would think it’s more expensive than it really is but it’s just that a load of marketing and hype behind this one. Update: Even after a second bottle still not a fan. Update years later. I realized a long time ago there’s no wheat in the mashbill. I was fairly new to whiskey over 3 years ago. I do like wheated mash bills and EH Taylor has grown on me after another 2 bottles. Of course now that I can’t find it, I actually enjoy it.

Okay recasting this one since opening the bottle initially and for a $29 blended 80 proof scotch it’s not too bad. I find a lot of sweetness in this which I don’t care for too much as I like stronger flavors in my scotches.

I hate you Distiller. I’m not rewriting my entire review because your app sucks. Ugh! About Evan Williams BIB...... Definitely worth the $17 I spent on this bottle at Walmart liquors tonight! Okay I’m editing this in hopes it works this time..... So for the money this costs I’m blown away. Yea sure the taste doesn’t linger or stick around like a russels reserve or elijah Craig but it’s got flavor and I like it! I see friends who spend $150+ on bottles and I just don’t have that kind of disposable income so for a value bourbon, this is it.

Haven’t been able to pull the trigger on $75 bottles of rye so when I saw the $4.99 minis at Walmart liquor it was a no-brainer for me. Bought a few of them to keep around and gift to bourbon friends also. So this is my first WhistlePig product and the first rye I’ve had in a while (been sticking to straight bourbon lately). So with that info out of the way, here’s my thoughts.... Well I’m fairly impressed at how good this is. The flavor profile is very spicy rye and if you’re into that, this nails that profile. At first sip I wasn’t feeling it but remember I haven’t been drinking ryes lately. After my initial few small sips I was really digging it. The flavor lingers for a loooong time on my tongue. Smooth is not a descriptor I would use because it is a bit harsh but mainly due to the abundance of rye. Harsh in a good way. There are a lot of vanilla tones to it that stick around. And it certainly has a profile all its own that I’ve not had before. Certainly a unique profile that I enjoyed. My verdict is that, yes, if I had a disposable income and was capable to purchase this occasionally at $75/bottle I’d probably have one in the cabinet at all times. But alas, here I am buying $4.99 minis at Walmart. Can’t wait to finish my MBA so I can spend more on my whiskey habit!

Tasted yesterday at a Mexican restaurant because well you know it’s FL and were allocated to anything Buffalo Trace and can’t find it anywhere in an actual liquor store without paying ridiculous prices. Quick review tonight because last night I did a review but it didn’t upload to Distiller so I’m a little upset. Quick review.....overhyped. Honestly didn’t like it that much. It’s a solid 3 and I probably wouldn’t ever seek it out. I’ve heard the full proof and some other versions are better so I may seek those out.

Surprisingly “okay” for a $20 bottom shelf bottle. I pick up a significant apricot/citrus taste. Smell is sweet and unsurprisingly very similar to Knob Creek’s scent. For 86 proof though, it zings you pretty good certainly not a smooth drinker. I’ve had barrel proof whiskeys (and Knob Creek 120’s) that go down smoother but this has a nice flavor profile to it. Can’t knock this one too much as it’s a staple in most bars for happy hour cocktails. It will certainly make a nice old fashioned. Cheers! Knocking this one down a 1/2 star. Haven’t developed a palate for it. It’s astringent and hotter than the 86 proof says it should be. I’ve had 125+ providers that are smoother. Of course they’re not $18/bottle. 3/3/20 Update: I just read my original review and it is pretty much exactly what I said the first time, at least I’m consistent.

Waited to thin the herd down a bit before opening this one. Picked up at Walmart liquor store for $40ish if I recall. Smell is sweet, deliciously sweet. First taste tells me standard knob Creek flavor profile. No complaints so far. Mouthfeel is a bit warm since it is 120 proof I’m not surprised but it’s not overwhelming either. Goes down well for the proof also. I really like what I’m tasting here. Outstanding bourbon for a non-allocated item and an age statement on the bottle too. I feel for the price point I’d certainly go back to this one again. As a tasting note I also added a small cube to open the flavor profile and bring the proof down and it worked wonders. I’m thoroughly impressed with this one. Thanks KC for putting out readily available bourbon that doesn’t taste like crap.