Tastes

Nose: Charred oak, caramelized sugar, vanilla. Cream. Creme brulee comes to mind. Cherries and blackberries. Peaches, bananas. Salted caramel. Buttermilk Biscuits. Slight herbaceousness. Dusty corn. Palate: Caramel, toffee, corn, oak, vanilla. Medium tannin. Mango, banana, dragonfruit. Slight perfume-y floral note. Char. Leather Finish is medium long - mellows out into more fruity notes and then the ethanol shows back up with a nice, bright turn

Nose: Oak, nutmeg, vanilla, brown sugar. Dates and figs. Bready biscuit. Overripe bananas and strawberries. Hot cinnamon poking through. Cereal grain. Lime essential oil. Tart apple. Some barrel char. Palate: Deep and rich - vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak. Bananas with cloves show up while a base of vanilla bean ice cream starts to develop. Coffee and leather. Nice tannin character. Finish is more of that hot cinnamon, brown sugar, lingering banana, orange, and peanuts. Other notes: This was the first whiskey I was able to start getting more flavors out of other than just alcohol and sweetness. Maybe not the most complex bottle in the world, but the density and richness on tap here is solid. Also an excellent way to understand the influence of barrel aging on a distillate - grab a bottle of this, Buffalo Trace, and Stagg Jr. and taste them back-to-back (I'd go BT, ER, then SJ for order). You'll be able to see what flavor components they have in common and which components are unique for that particular expression.

Nose: Musty pot still funk. Fruity - bananas, apples. Cheerios. Nuts - walnuts, cashews, peanuts. Cream. Floral perfume. Salt. Nutmeg. Peat, earth, wisps of smoke. Super wild combination of things going on here. Totally unfocused but in a really interesting way. Palate: Earthy peat, smoke. Cream. Bananas, mangoes, apples. Walnuts. Cream, especially on the finish. Effervescent green apple thing at the tail end. Musty pot still funk throughout - leans in the direction of Balcones Pot Still Bourbon. Slight brine thing going on. Other notes: This stuff is weird in the best way possible. All over the place on the nose. Palate is a little more focused, but still wild. It's like if Green Spot and Laphroaig had an illegitimate child. Not everybody's cup of tea, but a really solid addition to my collection.

Nose: Herbaceous and vegetal, thyme, basil and green bell peppers. Dill, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla - classic rye notes, though not as much dill as you'd think. Charred oak. Sugar. Tart apples. Leather. This definitely is a rye, but the smell is dryer than many others I've had. Leans into some unique territory. Palate: Brown sugar, black pepper, tea, cinnamon candy (think Red Hots). Medium-low tannin, barrel bitter. The herbaceous and vegetal notes from the nose show up, but are behind this dusty, almost dry veil. The mouthfeel is effervescent. Solid evolution up to and through the finish where the barrel bitter sticks around and the rest of the flavors slowly disappear from the base on up - there's the green bell pepper, dried basil, thyme, and oregano. Other notes: This is from barrel #7408 by and for BevMo. This is definitely something different. I wouldn't suggest this to somebody as being indicative of what you want from a rye, but if you're familiar with the style this might be an interesting break from the norm. It definitely drinks "hot" but that's never been a bad thing in my opinion. Just another sensation to play with. I thoroughly enjoy this and am glad to add it to my collection.

Nose: Oak, vanilla, dusty corn sweetness. Pepper. Banana. Nutty - peanuts and cashews come to mind. Creamy. Floral quality - orange blossoms. Palate: Nuts, cream, corn sweetness, loads of oak. Slight leather - think leather-bound book in a dusty library. Vanilla, molasses, tannin. Ethanol is present but not arresting. Orange blossoms again.

Nose: Classic rye - dill, oak, vanilla icing, cardamom, clove. Apples. Mint. Very mellow. Bready characteristics - imagine a marble rye bread with dill pickles and you're partially there. Freshly mowed grass and barnyard characteristics. Not the most complex nose ever, but definitely a rye whiskey. Palate: Slightly muted. Classic dill, cardamom, clove, nutmeg combo with barrel character coming through as vanilla icing, oak, and tannin. There's that apple again - red delicious and honeycrisp come to mind. Mint. Finish is medium in length and mostly features more of an herbal, vegetal tint - that mowed lawn I mentioned is coming across again. A little bright and shiny as it evolves, but not in an unappealing way. Other notes: Like everything else from Wild Turkey, this is an excellent example of what it says on the label. I wouldn't hesitate to suggest this to someone who wants to know what rye whiskey is all about. In terms of flavors, I'd place this right in the middle of the pack - it's not one of those super boring bottles, but it's also not on the extreme end either (I'm looking at you, Spirit Works Cask Strength). And the price point is excellent - WT has really mastered the art of punching well above their weight, and this is no exception.

Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, oak. Toast. Banana. Leather. Sweet orange. Palate: Fruity sweetness - banana, mango, orange. Vanilla. Cinnamon rolls with icing. Creamy. Tannin. Char.

Nose: Vanilla, white sugar, oak, cream. Think cream cheese frosting. Cinnamon. Hay. Orange Julius. Palate: Dusty corn. Nuts. Brown sugar, vanilla, oak. Creamy. Tannin.

Nose: Oak, vanilla, apple, banana. Bitter orange. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove. Banana bread. Maraschino cherries. Palate: Dusty corn, brown sugar, vanilla, baking spices. Banana bread with walnuts. Slight tannin.

Nose: Grain, oak. Cinnamon, clove, bread, dill, cardamom, cumin. Fennel. Palate: Brown sugar, oak, vanilla. Vegetal. Clove, cinnamon, dill, cream. Black pepper. Play-doh. Other notes: This comes across as younger. More time in the barrel and/or some finishing options would have gone a long way.