Tastes

Clear, deep burnt orange. Fruity nose with cinnamon applesauce, orange oil, and dried cherries, along with dark chocolate, toffee, and some char. Robust, penetrating palate with cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, and concentrated chai tea. Long finish, with oak-driven vanilla. The 127.9 proof makes itself known, but is balanced with the full-throttle palate and aromatics. Hard to believe this bourbon could be better--except as Stagg "Sr."

This is a polarizing, love-it-or-hate-it whiskey. I'm unabashedly in the "love-it" camp. The distillers intended to create a whiskey with the flavor profile of a stout--and they succeeded. The robust nose is the love child of a Russian Imperial Stout and a Mudslide: all mocha and chocolate, with a faint touch of spearmint. Mouthcoating palate begins with dark chocolate and espresso, before morphing into a prepackaged bottle of Starbucks vanilla latte (I say this in a positive way). Very long finish. At a mild 90.4% proof, still packs enough punch to complement the wild aromatics and flavors. Unlike any whiskey you've ever tasted. Nothing traditional here. I am a big fan of Woodford's Master's Collection Series, after receiving a bottle of the 125.8 proof March 2018 release. I found this Five Malt Stouted Mash at my local store for $149 and bought it on sight. If I could find another bottle, I'd buy it.

Burnt orange color. Sweet, penetrating nose of chocolate covered cherries, pipe tobacco, caramel, cinnamon applesauce, and tangerines. Distinct tangerine notes on the palate as well, with some tobacco and leather, and a not-unpleasant essence of Atomic Fireball jawbreaker candy. Smooth: subdued bourbon burn given the 100 proof. No wonder E.H. Taylor Small Batch is scarce: it's good.

Full-throttle bourbon. Natural maple syrup color. Complex, effusive nose with fruity orange peel, red delicious apple skins, vanilla, Chinese five spice, and leather. Assertive, mouthcoating palate with a notable rye spice typical of Wild Turkey, along with a cool spearmint element, and a satisfying bourbon burn (58.4% proof). Despite the heat, drinks smooth, with no hard edges. Great balance, with nose, palate, and finish each firing on all cylinders. Great value for a top-notch barrel proof bourbon at around $50. Easily a top-10 bourbon for me, and top-5 on a value basis.

The Mercedes E-Class of bourbon: neither ostentatious nor gaudy nor showy--no Ickey Shuffles or Griddy Dances here. Not the biggest or the quickest or the best handling, but performs seamlessly. A benchmark of excellence; iconic. Deep, clear amber. Wonderfully complex nose with caramel, candy apples, orange zest, pipe tobacco, vanilla. Fruity palate with chocolate covered cherries, finishing with tobacco and leather. Not just no hard edges, but rather everything in balance, including a soft bourbon burn at 93 proof. Quintessentially smooth and easy drinking, but if you're reading this, you already knew that.

Clear, burnished saddle leather color. Sweet, resonant nose of maple syrup, apples, a little molasses, chocolate, a touch of cigar wrapper, fresh coconut rind. Full-throttle, mouth-coating palate with lots of dried cherries. Long maple syrup finish with vanilla, cocoa powder, and a lingering tobacco element. Noticeable but expected and nice burn at 122.6 proof, but comes across not unbalanced with the robust aromatics and flavor profile.

Talisker Distiller's Edition is the same as the 10-year-old Talisker expression, except that it spends several months in Oloroso sherry casks to finish. Clear, deep orange. Lightly peated (estimated 15-20 ppm) and very complex nose: light smoke, saddle leather, orange oil, cocoa powder, faint briny seaweed. Incredible balance: 45.8% ABV melds a flavor profile consistent with the nose, ending with white pepper. Long finish, fading to pure malt. Autumn in a glass. I prefer this to the regular Talisker 10-year, but the 18-year is hard to beat. A top-10 scotch for me.

Tasted immediately following a tasting of the 2018 release. The former has a more pronounced nose, whereas this one has a fuller palate. The 2019 nose is muted in comparison to the olfactorily profound 2018, but still shows the sherry influence with dates and honey, and cinnamoned apple pie. Modestly higher ABV (52.9% vs 51.2% for 2018) is virtually unnoticeable on the palate compared to the 2018. Noticeably pleasant vanilla on the back end of the finish. Tasted in Glencairn glass.

Crystal clear burnt orange. Unmistakable sherry nose, with other elements: brown sugar, strawberry preserves, thyme, creosote, lemon custard, a whiff of butterscotch, and iodized salt. Has some of that Springbank peanut brittle, which in a blind tasting might fool me, absent the clearly higher ABV. More brown sugar on the palate and some very fine tannins. 51.2% ABV is well integrated, marrying well with the unapologetic flavor profile. Tasted in Glencairn glass.