Tastes

I'm tasting this from a sample, but the Total Wine site here in Albuquerque lists a fifth at $59.99. This bourbon has a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley, and is 86.6 proof. It's a disappointing whisky - for all the hype, and the price, it ought to be considerably better. It's drinkable, but I've had better for less. The color is ripe wheat, with a faint tinge of copper. The legs are narrow and close together. NOSE: Alcohol - not a burn, just the smell - appears first. Then there are notes of vanilla, oak, and caramel, none of them very strong. Even with my nose right in the glass, the nose on this whisky isn't really there. TASTE: Corn sweetness, the burn of alcohol, rye spice, all with a slightly creamy mouthfeel. FINISH: Medium, with nothing in it but spice.

At $79.99 at Total Wine in Albuquerque I won't buy a bottle anytime soon, but I am so glad I received a sample of this rye whisky. If it weren't for the price this would have immediately become my favorite rye (though generally I prefer sweeter, less spicy whiskies). This is a barrel proof whisky, and this particular sample is 108.2 proof. Yet it's not until the finish that the alcohol really asserts itself; going by the nose and taste I'd have thought this was 100 proof or lower. It's a lovely copper gold in the glass. The legs run quickly and long, and a leg will run down in the track of a previous leg. The mash bill is 95% rye and 5% malted barley. NOSE: Rye spice is definitely the first thing that comes through, but then there are notes of vanilla, a slight smokiness, caramel, and honey. Upon putting my nose fully into the glass I detected salt, apple, citrus, cinnamon, something faintly but pleasantly medicinal, and new-mown grass. TASTE: This is a very creamy whisky, considerably more so than anything I've tasted hitherto. It's rye forward, with honey, vanilla, caramel, and oak involved. FINISH: This is long, and begins with oak. Then there's a long stretch of emphatic spice, fading to a smoky oak. This is certainly a rye whisky, but in some respects it resembles a bourbon. I suspect the difference here is that being barrel proof, water hasn't reduced the complexity and washed away the sweeter notes from the wood of the barrel. Whatever the explanation, the only thing keeping this from moving to number 1 on my rye list is the exorbitant cost.

In my short experience with whisky - I just began drinking it in September - I've changed favorites, as is only natural. This is my brand new favorite. This is tremendous stuff, the best whisky of any kind I've ever had. Someday another whisky may displace it, but for now this is definitely the best. This is the most complex, and the most consistent, whisky I've thus far encountered. The mash bill contains roasted blue corn, Texas wheat, Texas rye, and malted barley, though I couldn't find any information about percentages. Either the wheat is sufficient to cancel the rye, since this is a sweet whisky and not a spicy one, or there's just enough rye to keep the stuff from being overly sweet. It's 92 proof in the bottle. I got a fifth for $29.99 at Total Wine here in Albuquerque. I tasted the whisky in three regimes - right out of the bottle, with a splash of water, and after setting for 10 minutes. There were some differences between the three regimes, but very few. In the glass this whisky is the color of ripe golden wheat. The legs are well-spaced and long; they formed quickly on one side of the glass and slowly on the other, which is weird. RIGHT FROM THE BOTTLE Nose: With my nose approaching, but not in, the glass, I got this wonderful complex aroma. I found notes of roasted corn on the cob, toasted marshmallows, a hint of smoke (mesquite? it would be appropriate for a Texas whisky to have mesquite in it), and mingled caramel and butterscotch. Upon introducing my nose into the glass I got additional notes of cool spring water, and something warm and furry that I can't identify, but which is very pleasant - perhaps it's the mesquite coals of a barbecue. Taste: Corn, candy, smoke, and plenty of alcohol, with smoky oak coming in underneath it all. Finish: Plenty of long-lasting smoky oak. WATER Nose: All the notes are the same, and if the water dilutes them at all, it's very little. Taste: There's less alcohol on the tongue, but the flavored are the same, though perhaps slightly weaker, and now there's a creaminess that didn't introduce itself right out of the bottle. Finish: The same as before. 10 MINUTES Nose: Everything the same. Taste: Vanilla now appears for the first time, mingling with the previous notes, which are somewhat toned down but still clearly present. Finish: The same as before, but with a smidgen less force.

This cost me $21.99 for a fifth at Total Wine in Albuquerque. The color is amber with a reddish tinge at the edges, and the legs form and run quickly, far apart. It's 80 proof, with a mash bill of 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley. First, I tried it straight out of the bottle. The NOSE was fruity, with apples and something else I couldn't identify. When I put my nose all the way into the glass I got apples and vanilla, caramel, and a very faint oak. There was almost no alcohol burn. The TASTE was spicy fruit and caramel, with oak coming on, and a butterscotch note. The FINISH was medium, giving oak with a little spice. This whisky loses a lot when you put in a splash of water or let it set for a few minutes, and while I made notes on those portions of the tasting, the only way this stuff is really worth drinking is right out of the bottle. But there it's good. This isn't a very complex whisky, but it's miles above Jack Daniel's, and has restored my faith in Tennessee whisky.

I couldn't find any information on the mash bill, but I would wager it has a fair amount of rye in it. It aged for nine years and is 100 proof. I spent $18.99 for a 375ml bottle at Total Wine. The color is a deep amber. The legs are long and close together, forming at different times around the "swirl edge." RIGHT OUT OF THE BOTTLE Nose: Caramel, vanilla, a faint something - oak? - that was very difficult to identify, and a slight alcohol burn. As I put my nose further into the glass I got oak, vanilla, and a little bit of honey. Taste: The mouthfeel is a nice creaminess, not sloppy or sticky but definitely creamy. First there's a refreshing taste of spring water, followed by oak, spice, and a faint generic sweetness. Finish: Long, spice and oak equally, then the spice fading out leaving a definite oakiness. WITH A SPLASH OF WATER Nose: Faint even with my nose all the way into the glass - the notes were vanilla with a little bit of honey. Taste: The mouthfeel remains creamy, but not as emphatically so as right out of the bottle. There's much less spice on the tongue, and the taste is just tepid spring water. Finish: It's long again, predominantly oak with spice coming in, and then the oak fading. AFTER SITTING 10 MINUTES Nose: Notes of vanilla, oak, and alcohol. Taste: Creamy, though not so definitely so. The first note is creamed corn, with spice and oak coming in. Finish: Oak and spice, with the spice peaking and leaving a dry oak. This isn't bad bourbon, but it doesn't quite measure up to Bulleit, and it's a fair way behind Maker's Mark. It doesn't take well to modification; it's best right out of the bottle, and falls off noticeably when you put in some water or let it "rest."

The Albuquerque Total Wine Web site lists this at $51.99 for a fifth. It's a 95 proof bourbon, from a mash bill of 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. This bourbon is a red gold in color, and the legs form and run quickly, run long, and are here and there around the glass, without any pattern. Nose: Begins with caramel and vanilla, with some slight spice. Moving into the glass I got some alcohol burn, and a strong vanilla. Taste: The spice from the rye is very forward; it tastes like a rye whisky when it first hits the tongue. Then there's a medicinal note, which I don't want in my whisky, chocolate, and an oak note that leaves a grainy feel on the tongue. Finish: Fairly short, with mixed oak and spice. This is a very over-priced bourbon. It's not bad, but it's not even as good as Bulleit, which costs considerably less. I expected far more than I got; if it were a 20 or 25 dollar bottle I would have expected what this whisky actually delivers.

This whisky comes from a mash bill of 80% corn, 8% rye, and 12% malted barley. It's 80 proof, and cost me $8.29 for 200ml at the Total Wine store here in Albuquerque. The color is amber, and the legs form quickly, run long, and have an even spacing. RIGHT OUT OF THE BOTTLE Nose: Alcohol first and foremost, which is always a discouraging sign. Then come a faint floral note and some vanilla. With my nose further into the glass I got vanilla alcohol. The nose gave a comfortable warm feeling throughout. Taste: There's a thinly creamy mouthfeel, and notes of spice (more than I expected from so little rye), vanilla, oak, and a faintly medicinal note. Finish: It's short, and consists of nothing but spice and oak. WITH A SPLASH OF WATER Nose: Weakly floral, with some vanilla, a hint of oak, and with my nose fully in the glass strong vanilla with bananas. Taste: The thin creaminess is still there, but the only taste is spice and some oak. Finish: The same as before - spice and oak. AFTER SETTING FOR 10 MINUTES Nose: Vanilla - nothing else. Taste: Still the thin creaminess - that seems untouchable. The only taste is still spice and a little oak. Finish: Spice and oak again. This just isn't much of a whisky. Perhaps it works well in mixed drinks, but to just sit and sip it's mediocre at best. I frankly don't know what the big deal is about the Jack Daniel's distillery; this is better than Jack black, but only because the Old No. 7 is undrinkable.

This rye whisky has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. It's 97 proof, and isn't available at Total Wine here in Albuquerque - I'm tasting a sample someone gave me. The Tucson Total Wine store lists a fifth at $49.99. The color is amber, with perhaps a faint red tinge. The legs form very slowly and close together, run down very slowly, and are erratic - one leg will be far down while the one next to it will be just beginning to run. The nose on this whisky is fantastic. It begins with a very clear floral note, then a fruity aroma, with a very faint note of oak coming in. Putting my nose deeper into the glass brought forth smells of gingerbread, bananas, caramel, and a tinge of rye spice. This was a very pleasant nose, and prepared me for great things, which, alas, didn't come to pass. On the palate this whisky was far less complex. There was most definitely the spice of the rye, with a slight fruitiness and a faint taste of oak. The finish was short, with a very powerful spice, and oak along with it. I frankly much prefer Bulleit rye, which has a simpler nose but a more complex taste and finish, and is better overall, or even Knob Creek rye, which isn't quite up to the Bulleit standard. The nose is by far the best part of the whisky. The distiller needs to put in a lot of work to get the taste and finish up to the standard the nose sets. I would be willing to pay $15 or $20 for this, but there's no way I would ever pay $49.99 for it.

As I always do (now - I've formed this system only in the past couple of weeks), I evaluated the whisky in three different ways. I nosed and tasted it straight out of the bottle, then with a splash of water, and then after letting it set for 10 minutes. Maker's Mark is 90 proof. It comes from a mash bill of 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. It's the wheat that moved me to try this brand; I wanted to give a wheated bourbon a whirl. At Total Wine a 200ml bottle ran me $9.29. In the glass the whisky is a butterscotch color. The legs form quickly, and are long and evenly spaced. BOTTLE Nose: For the first time I was certain I was getting corn in the nose; apparently the rye in other bourbons drowns it out for me. There were also notes of caramel, and it was a very mild and gentle nose. Even with my right nostril, which only detects the alcohol burn (and does so better than my left), I experienced no discomfort. Taste: The mouthfeel is slightly creamy, with notes of caramel popcorn, caramel (separate from the caramel popcorn), and honey. Finish: Mild, with oak coming in slow and gentle. Corn and honey are there very faintly. WATER Nose: The alcohol comes through more strongly, along with corn, a slight honey note, and a faintness of oak. Taste: The mouthfeel is still creamy, and there's a strong taste of butterscotch. Rainwater comes in as well, but with water the taste is less complex. Finish: It begins as oak, with corn growing as the finish goes on. SET Nose: Corn, faint oak - it reminds me somehow of an old, comfortable wood house. And then there's a note of caramel Taste: Again it's less complex than right out of the bottle - all I got was sweet corn. Finish: Sweet corn, oak, and caramel. OVERALL Various adjectives come to mind - luxurious, sensuous, voluptuous, gorgeous, glorious. Whisky reviewing is, as I've learned, a highly subjective process, and this whisky is extremely so. I find myself reacting to it emotionally, as the adjectives indicate. This is a comfortable whisky, something like sitting with my wife in a warm room while it snows outside.

This whiskey isn't as bad as Jack Daniel's Old No. 7, but it's not any better than Jim Beam. I have to believe that this stuff isn't representative of Irish whiskey. It's 80 proof, from a 100% malted barley mash bill. The color is amber, with long and well-spaced legs. Nose: The first whiff is truly amazing - the most glorious nose I've yet encountered in my short time with whisky. But it breaks down into strong butterscotch, mountain water, and an underlying smoky mustiness. It's not a complex nose at all. Taste: Sip after sip yielded only a watery mouthfeel and a generic whisky taste. Finish: The finish is medium long, and is nothing but alcohol and oak. I just have a sample, so I don't have enough to give it a thorough test with water or time, but I can't imagine that either method would greatly improve this mediocre stuff. It's drinkable, but that's all. The Albuquerque Total Wine site lists a fifth of Sexton at $28.49, which is about twice as much as it's worth.