Tastes

Believe it or not, this is only my second bonded whisky (the other was Mellow Corn). I got a fifth from the Total Wine Uptown store here in Albuquerque for $24.49. The mash bill is 63% corn, 27% rye, and 10% barley. It's 100 proof, of course, being bonded, and that also means it's at least four years old, though there's no age statement on the bottle (which isn't necessary for a straight whisky that's four years or more old). In the glass it's copper gold in color. NOSE: The first thing I detected was fruit, which I was able to differentiate into apples, pears, and bananas. Then come sweet corn, something grainy, white grapes, peanuts, cashews (I think), vanilla, caramel, and a bizarre corn tortilla note. MOUTHFEEL: Soft and thin. TASTE: Corn, orange, cinnamon, honey butter, apple juice, vanilla ice cream, pecan praline. FINISH: On the short end of medium, with oak, walnut, and faint honey notes. SUMMARY: It's not as complex as I expected, but it's very good nonetheless. For the price this is an excellent juice, with some surprising notes. RATING: Fine.

I reviewed this once before, back on November 25 of 2021. I liked it all right back then, but not as well as I do now. The mash bill is 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley. It's 101 proof, thus the name. There's no age statement. In the glass it's a reddish gold. I only got a pint (the same as last time), since I was trying it to see whether I liked it better, worse, or the same. But with more experience I find it good enough that the next time around it'll be a fifth. The pint cost me $13.49. NOSE: The first note is something grainy, perhaps puffed wheat or corn pops, I can't decide which. Then comes definite alcohol, a metallic vanilla note, fresh cut alfalfa, honey butter, lemon zest, something yeasty, ground corn, something musty or dusty, and a faint charred note. MOUTHFEEL: Slightly creamy - perhaps silky would work as well. TASTE: The first note is honey, followed by black pepper, bananas and whipped cream, brown sugar, milk chocolate, something nutty which might be peanuts, and butter. FINISH: Oak, honey, red pepper - and it's short, which is something of a disappointment. SUMMARY: This isn't a hugely interesting whisky, but it's nicely complex enough, and tastes good. Why only liked it as bourbon and branch last year I can't feature. I like it just fine now. RATING: Fine. (Above average, in the system I use; Fine comes above Good, and only Right Fine and Mighty Fine are higher. It's based on my colloquial southern English, in which I might say something like "This is fine bourbon" or "This whisky's right fine.")

I had this whisky last year (I disremember the date I reviewed it), and while I liked it, I didn't find it outstanding. Drinking it this year I'm glad I gave it another try. The fifth I have cost me $29.99 at the Uptown Total Wine store. NOSE: Grass (but not offensive, as grass usually is), honey, cinnamon, caramel, custard (custard?!), apple pie spice, kumquats, honeydew melon, sweet lemonade, buttered sweet corn, candy corn, vanilla, honey lemon, banana-pear juice. I don't know when I've found such a complex nose, nor a more varied one. MOUTHFEEL: Creamy, oily, buttery - I don't believe I've ever used three adjectives for the mouthfeel before. TASTE: At first this whisky was just bourbon on the palate, but as I continued to sip, I found a lot of different notes. There's cornbread, grapes, butter, spiced butter, a faint oak note, brown sugar, black pepper, cinnamon, buttercreme icing, vanilla ice cream with bananas, chocolate honey, and cream cheese icing. FINISH: Medium long, beginning with oak, then black pepper, red pepper, and then a lingering vanilla oak note. SUMMARY: For a 90 proof bourbon that doesn't cost much, this is surprisingly complex. I absolutely will buy it again, and it amazes me that I thought less of it last year than I do now. RATING: Fine.

NOSE: Musty grain, vanilla, bananas, musty sweet corn, an herbal not that isn't grass - maybe leaves?, some kind of mixed spices, rye bread, buttercream icing, black pepper MOUTHFEEL: Oily TASTE: Spicy vanilla, black pepper, honey, something floral, cinnamon, spiced tea FINISH: Pepper, spiced honey, fading into oak - medium SUMMARY: The legs promise an oily whisky, and it is. The nose and the taste are very pleasant. With such a low rye percentage (only 55%) I'd expect this to be more like a bourbon, but it's not - it's something distinctly different. I like it. I just got a pint, not being sure whether I'd like it; next time it'll be a fifth. RATING: Fine

I'm dealing with a cold, so at a later time I probably will experience this stuff differently. NOSE: Sweet corn, butter, grass, honey, lemon, some sort of mustiness, brown sugar, a generic grain note, and buttered roasting ears. MOUTHFEEL: Watery. TASTE: Here's where my cold really began to assert itself. I got honey, black pepper, red pepper, vanilla, and butter, which is an unusual profile for a bourbon. FINISH: Uncharred oak, and a red pepper that lingers. SUMMARY: This is not a bad bourbon, and probably would be better if it weren't for my cold. Getting both black and red pepper is a real surprise, especially since this is a wheated bourbon. I was doubtful about those notes since at 100 proof this has more alcohol in it than I can usually afford, but no, it's not the heat - the spices are really there, at least tonight. At just $25 it's definitely a good value, and I'll buy it again.

NOSE: Musty corn, caramel, vanilla, sweet smoke alfalfa, fruit - mango? pineapple?, dark chocolate MOUTHFEEL: Smooth and creamy TASTE: Vanilla, honey, chocolate chip cookie, brown bread, brown sugar, fruit - mango? pineapple? FINISH: Long - black pepper, fruity honey, oak, dark chocolate SUMMARY: For a $30 bourbon this is GOOD. When I reviewed it last year I didn't think much of it, but I was new to whisky then; with more experience I like this juice. The nose and the taste are about the most interesting I've ever encountered. I'll definitely buy it again.

NOSE: Caramel corn, caramel, butterscotch, a summer meadow, vanilla, something floral - roses?, cold spring water, honey, sweet corn, roasting ears. MOUTHFEEL: Creamy. TASTE: Honey, black pepper, sweet corn, oak, brown sugar, butter. FINISH: Medium long - spice, honey, oak coming on, black pepper, fading to peppered honey. SUMMARY: The nose is wonderful, and promises a lot. The taste doesn't quite deliver, though - it's certainly good, but not quite up to the promise of the nose. The finish, though, is one of the best I've ever encountered. I'd pay $10 more for this stuff. RATING: Fine, the second highest (the highest rating in my new system is mighty fine).

NOSE: Peanuts, honey, honey lemon cough drops, apples, dark chocolate, ointment, corn going bad, grass hay, dust, straw MOUTHFEEL: Watered down creaminess TASTE: Honey, oak, black pepper FINISH: Medium - oak, slight honey SUMMARY: This is a fair $20 whisky, but no more - at $40 the cost would be double what it's worth. The nose is complex, but with some unpleasant notes, and the taste is very simple. RATING: Poor

NOSE: Alcohol, brassy vanilla, grass, honey, scorched grain, something musty, butterscotch. MOUTHFEEL: Slightly creamy. TASTY: Caramel, dusty honey, butter, brown sugar. FINISH: Short, with grass, faint oak, and alcohol. This isn't the worst bourbon I've ever had, but I'll not buy it again. It's merely mediocre.

I got a 375ml bottle at Total Wine for $17.99. It's 94 proof, from a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and $12% barley. A Whiskey Magazine color chart comes closest with the designation auburn; I'd call it dark copper. There's no age statement, which since it's a straight bourbon means it's at least four years old (anything less would require an age statement). NOSE: The nose is very complex. It begins with Caramel, vanilla, and cinnamon toast, and continues with a surprising hot chocolate note. Then come bananas, a light mint note, melted butter, pancakes?, Golden Delicious apples, buttercreme icing, and finally a very surprising sweet potato pie. All along this is a warm nose - not alcohol burn, but a very pleasant warmth as of a fire on a winter night. MOUTHFEEL: Very creamy and thick. TASTE: Orange, cinnamon, a pleasant alcohol burn, vanilla icing, honey, brown sugar, and green chile - it's not exactly like green chile, but that's the closest thing I know of to that final spicy, hot note. FINISH: Creamy and long, with notes of orange dream bars, black pepper, a very faint oak, and finally pecans and walnuts. SUMMARY: This is a very fine bourbon. The nose is highly complex, and the taste is less complex but still very good. I'll definitely buy this one again.