Tastes

Nose: There's a warm, fruity quality to this. Macerated, warmed strawberries. Banana pancakes with whipped cream. Charred oak, brown sugar, vanilla. Roasted, salted nuts, black pepper. Thyme and basil. Lemons and camphor. Biscuits. Palate: Brown sugar, oak, vanilla, black pepper. Orange creme savers. Baking spices - hot cinnamon coming through. Cocoa, leather. A little barrel bite and some decent tannin. Stewed fruit. Just a bit of herbs. Cedar and sandalwood. Decent tannin texture and flavor. Palate is pretty well developed top to bottom. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: Vanilla, oak, brown sugar, oranges, apricots, and cream. Slight nuttiness. Biscuits, dry cocoa, leather, and dusty books join the party. Maduro tobacco, too. Slight cream comes in and things slowly coast off. Medium length finish. Other notes: I don't often like comparing things but this one is almost necessary. Long story short - this is Knob Creek, though much more refined. The extra time in-barrel (and the selection of barrel) leads to a much more mellow profile. The complexity is dialed up, but the slightly unapologetic nature of the 9 year has been tamped down. Something I will likely buy again. Highly enjoyable, if a slight change of pace from my usual.

Nose: Vanilla, green apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Brown sugar, oak, black pepper. Strawberry, banana, honeydew, mint. A little basil, thyme, and dill. Sweet citrus oils and ripe apricots. Palate: Apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger. WhistlePig's core range (everything but the Boss Hogs) always reminds me of apple pie with a little whipped cream on it. Mint, dill. Vanilla, oak, brown sugar. Slightest bit of black pepper. Ripe cantaloupe, strawberry, lemon. Just the slightest fresh-cut grass vibe in there. Medium light mouthfeel. Moderate tannin. Relatively balanced palate, though the mids seem to pull out forward, with a subdued bottom palate. Finish: Starts off with a pop of lemon oil and fruit, ethanol helps push things along. Baking spices, oak, and kiwi come to the front. Things slowly coast off into a banana, vanilla, oak combo. Medium finish. Other notes: I compared my last taste of this to these notes and it's interesting to see how my palate has grown and developed. It still tastes the same, but the flavor profile is a little easier for me to pick apart. Though I've bought this at bars many times, I've never done a full bottle because the price was too much. Recently found on sale at a local spot and had to buy it up. As always, however, price is rarely a factor in my rating, so the lower price point is ultimately irrelevant here :)

Nose: More subtle than you'd expect - baking spices are here, but this leans more into pine and lemon peel territory. Tart cherries, too. Toasted cereal grain. Buried bleu cheese funk. Dusty leather. Light tobacco, hay. Salty meat vibe also buried way deep in there. Floral, herbal - dill and rosemary. Kind of reminded of poached salmon with lemon and dill in the packet. Slight sugar, solid oak and char character. Palate: Oak, toasted grain, bitter lemon, dill, rosemary. Tart cherries. Sweetness, but not overbearing. Subtle cocoa, vanilla, tobacco, and leather. Ground cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon. Wintergreen. Slightly vegetal - yellow bell peppers come to mind. Really solid tannin (and accompanying bitterness) coming through, with barrel char and oak joining the party. Toasted black peppercorns. Moderately dry. Overall emphasis on upper palate and tapers away as you move down - I wish there was some more body to the flavors on display, though what's here is quite enjoyable. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: A spray of citrus oil, bright flowers, sandalwood, light tobacco. Bitterness and tannin texture come in, then a swell of citrus brightness. Wintergreen, mint, and camphor pop in here and there. Barrel, black pepper, vanilla frosting to carry things out. Medium-long finish. Other notes: Different from other offerings on the market. But different in a good way, as this firmly sits in the Maryland tradition, as opposed to the Old Monongahela style. And it works. If you're not a fan of most rye currently on the market, I highly suggest picking up a bottle of this. This also highlights just how much influence the fermentation, distillation, and maturation can influence the end product alongside the mash bill. Solid buy. Might not be a regular fixture in my cabinet, but I may pick it up again down the road.

Nose: Maple. This smells like a boozy, fresh maple bar from your favorite donut shop - incredibly sweet. Also some pine sap. Vanilla, icing, nutmeg, cinnamon, dill, etc. Unmistakably rye. French toast. Peppermint ice cream. Toasted oak, toffee, apples. toasted english muffin with cultured butter and honey. Meyer lemon, grape jelly. That sweetness and maple combo is really throwing me. Palate: There's that sweet, maple icing again, though not nearly as overpowering. Brown sugar, vanilla, oak, and pine again. Anise, dill, clove, hot cinnamon, thyme, toasted and cracked black pepper. Lemon, honey. Strawberry, red grapes. Tannin brings texture and bitterness. Solid overall balance, with the mid palate out of little more, and the upper palate pulled back. Medium-light moutfeel. Relatively high oil content. Finish: Very sugary black licorice, scone with lemon icing, grapes, apples, vanilla, and oak all swell into play. Pine again, too. As those fade, nutmeg, clove, blueberries, and honey, along with a slightly herbal (rosemary)/vegetal (fresh cut grass, bell pepper, canned black olive) note, with that underpinning of sweet black licorice and oak in place. Chai. Reminded of a blueberry pie with extra spices added to the crust. Long finish. Other notes: The moment I popped this I knew it would be unique. That maple character hit me and grabbed my attention. At each step of the sip, I was surprised, but the finish made me literally say "woah". I'm not a big fan of licorice - in fact, I generally hate it, but it shows up in a way here that's balanced, interesting, and inviting. The only thing I find objectionable here is that the nose is so overpoweringly, almost sickly, sweet. Definitely not something I'd recommend to everybody, but unique, interesting, and with plenty of depth to go exploring. Very glad with this bottle purchase, and a potential recommendation, though not sure if it's something I'd re-buy.

Nose: Inviting - oak, brown sugar, vanilla. Fruit punch. Touch of char/smoke. Maybe getting some tannin on the nose. Biscuits with butter, pound cake with icing. Citrus oil, baking spices. Dusty books, touch of leather. Palate: Cohesive with the nose, if a little "shuffled" - Oak, sugar, vanilla, and dusty corn. Bananas, apricots, fuyu persimmons. Baked goods take a back seat, though tannin comes forward. Smoke and wood - that mesquite pokes through a little, though not in an unappealing way. Relatively well balanced, though I am missing a little lower palate. Drinks hotter than the proof would suggest, while still enjoyable. Medium light mouthfeel, moderate oil content. Finish: Fruits, oak, vanilla pop up. Tannin bitterness and character show up, as well as some barrel char. Slightly drying, red hots and nutmeg, then caramel apples with peanuts and honeyed cereal grains carry things off to the end. Medium length finish. Other notes: Pleasantly surprised by this one. Unmistakably a product of Wild Turkey and very consistent with their flavor profiles, this has some great character. A solid bourbon, and a great way to branch out (no pun intended) into a slightly different take on the style without getting weird. At times, the more intense wood characteristics remind me of a sherried/frutier speyside - Glenfiddich 15 comes to mind. And while I rarely discuss price, I found this for $20 a bottle, which makes it an easy recommendation, as well as a solid potential re-buy.

Nose: Vanilla, banana - Nilla Wafers. Mint. Oak, white sugar. Orange, floral, honey. Fire roasted red bell pepper. Slight thyme and basil. Cocoa and leather. Banana bread with walnuts. Nothing crazy going on with the nose. Pleasant, if understated. Palate: Exactly what it says on the bottle - rye that's gone through the Lincoln county process. Mellowed out rye flavors - cinnamon, nutmeg, dill, mint. There's also some cumin and paprika cutting through. This does drink hotter than its proof suggests. Some berries, orange, cocoa, leather, and a touch of tobacco. Medium tannin. Mid-palate heavy with a medium mouthfeel. Finish: Begins relatively simple with icing with a hint of vanilla. Pop of ethanol that moves into oak, char, tannin, and floral orange. Mint, salt, dill, and then char swells a bit. Bitter oak, hot cinnamon, nutmeg, and some kind of slightly sour/tart note I can't quite put my finger on. Medium length finish. Other notes: Like I said earlier, this is exactly what it says on the bottle - rye that's going through the Lincoln county process. One of those cases where higher proof would actually be detrimental, what's going on in the glass is fine, though not something I typically find myself reaching for. It's cheap enough that I would suggest it to somebody interesting in trying a "smooth", mellow rye, though honestly not on even my potential re-buy list. It would, however, make an easy introduction to the style.

Nose: Wintergreen, mint, white pepper, cilantro. Peach, over-ripe apricot. Cinnamon, nutmeg, rosemary, dill. Citrus peel. Strawberries, bananas, blueberries. Vanilla, caramel, and oak are all here, too. Palate: Surprisingly coherent with the nose, just a touch remixed. Caramel, vanilla, nutmeg are out front now. Mint, dill, rosemary, cinnamon, nutmeg, and now black pepper behind that. Strawberries, bananas, and cherries. Touch of heat showing up, but nothing crazy. Oak and tannin. Touch of char. Balanced middle and upper palate. Not much lower palate, though there is some there. Mouthfeel is medium light. Moderate oil. Finish: More consistency. Starts with a pop of minty ethanol. Leans back into the minty herbal baking spice thing at the fore, fruits slowly show up, with this excellent foundation of oak. Long finish. Other notes: This is a different, very well executed whiskey. It offers a different bent on the formula, but it's still recognizably a rye. I always appreciate when a distillery takes a chance to do something a little different. Even better when they can pull it off like they have here.

Nose: Honeyed, toasted cereal grains. Apples, lemons, canteloupe, under-ripe honeydew, berries. Imagine a glass of apple juice next to a fruit salad with a squeeze of lemon. Hershey's process chocolate. Slightly floral, subtly herbs and fresh cut grass. Sweet bell pepper. Oak, with what I think might be barrel char? Palate: The harsher floral characteristics take a back seat to vanilla, honey, and cream. Black pepper, leather, oak, and just a touch of smoke from the barrel. Good tannin, too. Sour green apple, caramel, bitter lemon, bitter chocolate. Reminded of those caramel apple pops I used to get when I was a kid. Baking spices - cinnamon and nutmeg leading the charge. Spicier than I was expecting. Lots of upper-mids going on, a splash of brightness, but not much happening on the lower palate. Mouthfeel is on the medium-light side, though good oil content. Finish: Splash of toasted ground black pepper, sharp floral notes, and a flash of ethanol. Then some big barrel character comes through, along with those baking spices again. Mint, melon, cucumber, and limes pop up and coast out. Under-ripe bananas at the very end. Medium length, learning towards medium-long. Other notes: I've committed to diving more into unpeated scotch. I've had experience with Glenfiddich 12 and Glenlivet 12, but that was a long time ago and well before I was drinking the stuff neat. This is delicious, if more nuanced and delicate than I'm used to. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of punch here, just not in the ways you might expect if you're coming from, say cask strength bourbons. Solid buy. Probably not on the short list for something to buy again, but solid choice either way.

Nose: Unmistakably Ardbeg. Deep and rich peat, smoke, phenol, and ash. Ocean spray, lemon and orange oil, mint and wintergreen. Plums, ripe peaches, strawberries, banana chips... The pinot noir cask is really bringing an excellent deep character here. Black pepper, cumin, chili powder. Cocoa. Just got an image in my head of a chocolate-dipped frozen banana. Vanilla and icing, with a touch of dry oak. Smoked glazed ham. Letting it sit open for a while allows apple and apricot to develop. Some soft floral characteristics and come through. Maybe a touch of nutmeg in the background. Palate: Ash, bitter/sour oak, phenol, dark fruits, dark chocolate. Solid tannin. Earth, smoke - again, this is definitely Ardbeg, but there's a twist here. There's some excellent black pepper spice. Ground chipotle powder, cinnamon, ginger, banana. Tar, burnt rubber. Bacon. Tingling sensation. I'm also picking up on a bit of that smokey character you get from a good pinot noir. Medium-light mouthfeel, medium oil content. Finish: Ashy, earthy, tannic. Charred oak, burned sugar, vanilla, with a tingling sensation that follows the sip down. White and black pepper show up, and then a rush of minty chloraseptic. Bitter lemon, more tannin, leather, maduro tobacco, black olives, and iodine. Eventually transforming into a dry iodine and ash with pops of phenol, anise, mint, and citrus. Makes you want to keep sipping. Very long finish. Other notes: This is definitely not for everyone - though the nose is quite inviting, the palate presents differently than you might expect and gives you a whole ride. Definitely on the challenging side. But if you're willing to sit, give this your attention, and really go exploring, it's got a ton to offer. It grabs your attention and doesn't let go, and the finish makes you want to keep coming back.

Nose: Immediate cereal grain - getting a brown ale vibe here, probably due to the higher malted barley content and wheat instead of rye in the mash bill. Bananas, with some distant strawberry. Brown sugar, but with an excess of molasses. Some barrel, though not much. Vanilla, nutmeg. Very rounded - though we're at 95 proof, there's nothing bright or abrasive about the nose. Very friendly. Giving it a second and then a swirl reveals a little cinnamon and black pepper, though very muddled. Think super cakey snickerdoodles without nearly enough cinnamon sugar on top. Palate: Super friendly - that honeyed cereal grain quality definitely translates into the palate, though now there's some brightness, too. Lemon oil and a touch of pine. Vanilla, white sugar, oak, though we're staying away from harsh barrel territory. Fruity - bananas, strawberries, maybe some stewed apples? Lots of mid palate, but not much lower or upper - super focused and cohesive, nothing is really jumping out. Again, very friendly. Mouthfeel is medium light. Finish: There's a pop of lemon oil, followed by mint. Oak and tannin show up. Bananas, cheerios, and cream. Warm baking spices with just a touch of pepper. We coast out on some anise, fruit, vanilla, oak. Medium length finish. Other notes: This stuff is different from my normal fare. The unusually high barley content, wheat instead of rye, and higher corn content all play together for something a little unfamiliar, friendly, though ultimately a little young. The flavors on display are cohesive and interesting, but are very mid-palate focused. As usual, I'd love to try this straight from the barrel, as I feel like a more challenging version of this would be right up my alley. I would definitely suggest this for those who are looking for an easy sipper - a "background whiskey" as some call it. Probably wouldn't seek out again for myself, but not mad about the buy, either.