Tastes

*Tennessee only release* I picked up this #10 Tennessee Straight Whiskey Toasted Pecan Finish over the #8 Tennessee Straight Rye Toasted Maple Finish and the #9 Tennesse Straight Rye Toasted High Oak Finish simply because of the proof. I'm not sure why they chose to make the Pecan Finish 120 proof and the two Rye finishes at 101 proof, but at 41.99 for a 375ml, the higher proof is the better buy, and from what I've read, is also the better whiskey. I let the pour sit for about 10 minutes. Color & Texture || Dark, rich, orangy brown with thick legs on the glass. Nose || Upon the first whiff, I would have sworn I just poured some Calumet 16 that's been finished! Definitely does not nose like 120 proof. The most dominant note is the barrel char, woody oakiness. It smells like a well-aged whiskey. There's some maple which is common in Jack Daniels because of the Maple Charcoal Filtering. As it opened up, dark red fruits and burnt sugar became more prevalent. Without knowing what this was, I would have guessed that it was a finished whiskey that was double-oaked and spent a short time in a brandy barrel. I didn't get it early on, but this brandied cherry note underlying the oakiness was sublime. Surprisingly, I never distinctly smelled pecan or banana! Palate || That 120-proof fully coats the mouth and hits going down! Not overpowering, but there's definitely a "Tennessee" Hug. The brandied cherry did lightly translate to the palate, but the charred oak and what I am believing to be the toasted pecan takeover on the front. There's creamy vanilla icing and maybe a dash of cinnamon spice. On the backend, it starts to lean towards the "over-oaked" profile but doesn't quite go there. Still no banana. Finish || And coming off that backend this is where it lost some points for me. The toasted pecan finish is long and stays with you after the heat of the 120-proof fades, but there's a drying, nutty aftertaste that lingers. Similar to eating some plain walnuts that leave you longing for some hydration. It's not unpleasant, but it's also not something enjoyable. It's not off-putting enough to make me stop drinking it, but it does make you go back in for another sip to get rid of it. Final Thoughts || If it wasn't for the drying, nutty aftertaste, I think this would have scored a 4.25. However, everything else about this pour is great, so I'm giving it a 4.0. It's definitely something I would grab in the colder months and would avoid in the spring and summer. It drinks like something in the $80-120 range, and if this was a 750ml bottle, it would be $84. If you haven't had JD in a while, I recommend trying this one or one of their single-barrel, barrel-proof offerings.

Other than Knob Creek Store picks (120 proof), I don't think there's a better value in the bourbon world than Rare Breed. In the $50 price range, it's the easiest rebuy on the shelf. I've always thought that Rare Breed tastes more like a Bourye, which is deceiving with only 13% rye in the mash bill, but that's the beauty of this bottle - complex yet approachable enough that you reach for it over and over again. To add to the complexity, each batch and proof is different, but not so much that you won't find that home-run familiarity in each bottle. I think you have to at least like the rye-ish presence and spice on the palate and back end of a bourbon to think this is something special, and I do!

Rumored to be 12-15 yr. old Dickel/MGP juice. Dark fruits and baking spices on the nose. Dark cherries and delicious creaminess that fully coats the mouth. That perfect amount of heat/spice you want from being barrel-proof. I wouldn't ever spend the money on a bottle, but if you have the opportunity to try this through a friend or at a bar, I would do that.

Cola/Root Beer, bubble gum, bananas, light tobacco nose. I get a bit of toasted marshmallows on the palate with more bananas. It's interesting, but I prefer the 1920.

Strong musty corn, baking spices, peanut fudge nose. The palate is more peppery than I was expecting. It has a rye-ish presence and finish. Good value. This one surprised me.