Tastes

The nose is strong of straw, barley sugar, toasted oak and honey. The palate is full of straw, honey, a burst of pepper which all melds and comes together in a way that you’ve taken in a honey candy. The finish is medium with pepper that keeps buzzing in the mouth with honey, straw and oak that all gradually fades.

Barrel 8587 The nose is immediately forward with oak and vanilla nicely balanced, touches of pepper and cinnamon follow with a bit of floral rye spice and bacon fat. The palate is somewhat chewy with a burst of spice as the rye becomes dominate nicely backed up by the vanilla and oak. As you chew, the flavors reach the corners of the mouth and circle back around again to the front with a nice finish of bacon fat. The finish is medium long with lingering, tingling spice with fading oak and vanilla that leaves you still chewing on the whiskey.

The nose is very floral rye forward, with sweet oak, molasses and touches of vanilla following. The palate is somewhat rich and chewy filling the mouth with a rye that goes from floral to an earthy chocolate, with smooth oak holding it together. Vanilla is there in a supporting way, along with some pepper and brown sugar for an unmistakable rye experience. The finish is gentle and enjoyable with rye sticking to all corners of the mouth while the palate rises and falls, with wonderful peaks and valleys leading to a softly fading and wonderful experience.

The nose is full of spicy and dry oak, soft baking spices like clove and cinnamon, sweet molasses, brown sugar and vanilla. The palate is very dry and oaky with a huge kick of spice that hits every inch of the mouth. As the spices fade, dry oak joins vanilla to leave a very creamy mouthfeel with just the slightest touch of cherry in the corners of the mouth to give it some astringency. The finish is long and hot with spice and oak setting the mouth on fire with oak and the rest of the creamy notes fading nicely. This is a very hard hitting whiskey but for all the right reasons. It’s bold and has all the hallmarks of a wheated bourbon. Wonderful.

The nose carries a fruity sweetness, much different than a usual Weller offering. Citrus joins oak, which all wants to give way to spice but won’t give way to it. Vanilla with a touch pepper shows up and all in all, you want to keep investigating to see if there is more. The palate is very soft, very very gentle touches of oak, vanilla and pepper hit the sides and underside of the tongue without leaving much of an impression. The finish is nearly non existent with some lingering pepper, oak and vanilla. This is pretty far from the first time I’ve ever tried, leading me to wonder what this needs to succeed. Breathe? Different batches? I’ll let this sit. As it sits for a while, more creamy oak and pepper come out on the palate, but still leaves the whole experience falling flat.

The nose is smooth and creamy with a nice blend of vanilla and oak, the sort of notes that a well made wheated bourbon give off. Touches of spice and a bit of a floral note round it out. The palate is dry yet chewy, filling the mouth to the corners with creamy oak with a wave of black pepper filling every corner. Cinnamon adds to the dry mouthfeel while you’re left chewing on the vanilla creaminess. The finish is medium long with a spice that lingers and lingers while you continue that enjoyable chew on the vanilla.

The nose hits you a bit hot at first with plenty of red pepper and cinnamon on top charred oak, burnt brown sugar, molasses and a touch of buttery creaminess. The palate is dry and slightly chewy, filling the mouth with a heavy heaping of the spice and a burst of alcohol and a bit of cherry. Floral rye spice and charred oak follow, and the whole palate mellows after a bit. The finish is all spice while hints of cherry and charred oak are there and while it’s somewhat long, you almost want it to just end.

The nose has a musty, vanilla and oak element with ethanol and just a hint of cherry in the background. The palate, while smooth, doesn’t particularly have anything that jumps out at you. The vanilla, oak and very faint cherry makes an appearance once it hits the back of the tongue and then all quickly drops off for an unimpressive finish. It tastes off, artificial is a good word to use here.

The color is a very dark, deep amber and is thick with oils with every move. The nose is full of creamy oak and Mexican cinnamon, with floral rye holding it all together. Touches of molasses and caramel round it all out for a beautifully balanced nose. The palate starts with rich oak and quickly moves to the corners of the mouth with buttery cinnamon immediately following. A mix of floral rye, molasses and caramel sticks to the middle of the tongue to finish it off. The finish is long with oak and cinnamon swirling around the mouth while the sweeter notes linger for a while before fading. This whiskey shows it’s age for its intensity in flavor but is not overwhelming for being 24 years old.

This is batch 8 coming in at 129.3. The nose is greets you with a strong rye spice and pepper, followed by oak, molasses, vanilla and touches of baking spice. The palate is dry but chewy and fills the corner of the mouth with strong pepper and baking spice, along with oak and sweeter notes of vanilla. It is however very spice dominant on first sip. The whiskey stays hot as it opens up, but the smoother notes of oak, vanilla and caramel begin to open up and provide some balance to the spice. The finish is medium with a spice that keeps your mouth feeling hot for quite some time, but rest of the palate drops off quickly.