Tastes

The color is a very deep, very dark amber that only leaves a thin coating of oil on the glass with the occasional leg coming down. The nose gives you the hint of typical Elijah Craig but you are greeted up front with strong, charred oak. That takes you into cherry, toasted marshmallow, vanilla, graham cracker, bacon fat and touches of burnt brown sugar and caramel. The palate has a semi rich mouthfeel, not quite hitting the corners of the mouth. It starts off with bacon fat and barrel char, before moving into vanilla and a palate that generally lacks the complexity of the nose. The finish is medium with lingering charred oak, vanilla and burn brown sugar. It fades quicker than you would want and leaves you desiring a bit more.

The only thing to say about this whiskey is that it is not good. It tastes like a very unaged whiskey that had bitter, malt whiskey added to it. You can definitely tell it spent the time in the single malt casks, but it is not a flavor profile that should be added to rye, at least not this way. It smells bitter, tastes bitter and you quickly want to forget the finish.

The color is brownish gold, with oil that just slightly leaves a coating on the glass. The nose starts off spicy with roasted peanuts, baking spices, charred oak and the slightest hints of vanilla. The palate is slightly dry and oily, carrying forward to roasted peanut and spiciness, with a sweet, creamy fruitiness that balances it out nicely. Overall, the palate comes all together nicely in one wave of flavor, continuing to balance itself out as the whiskey breathes and begins to open up. The finish is medium and slightly short, with the spice quickly fading and sweet and creaminess fading much too quickly.

The color is a deep and glowing amber, leaving a thin veil of oil on every part of the glass that it touches. The palate is very layered and starts with a big mix of oak, cherry that almost has a mint quality, bacon, buttered toast, vanilla and a hint of grass. There is definitely a lot to explore on the nose with this bourbon and it only gets better the longer it can sit and breathe. The palate is something chewy and starts immediately with oak that then transforms into cherry as the whiskey makes its way into the furthest corners of the mouth brining a wonderful wave of vanilla with it. There is slight wave of pepper that quickly intensifies but never to a point that takes away from the overall smoothness. There are sweet touches of brown sugar and the buttered toast that support the overall palate, making this bourbon taste almost like a hearty breakfast. The finish is medium with lingering oak, cherry and cinnamon, while the sweeter notes of vanilla and brown sugar fade behind them. This bourbon has an incredible nose and palate, but those are not quite backed up by the finish which is sadly not long enough and a bit of a let down. After a couple minutes, it does leave you with a dull, cinnamon aftertaste which ever so slightly takes away from how enjoyable this was to sip on.

The color is a dark amber that immediately leaves distinct legs on the glass. The nose starts with oak, nutmeg, brown sugar and a touch of char and fruit. The palate is full of creamy vanilla and oak and is somewhat oily and chewy, making its way to the corners of the mouth. There is a touch of black pepper providing some spiciness along with a touch of baking spices and burnt brown sugar following. The finish is medium and fades a bit too quickly with oak and the spiciness lingering before giving way to the creaminess which makes one last appearance before fading.

The color is a vibrant gold with heavy oil surrounding the glass. The nose is sweet of ripe fruit, peach, cream with oak, molasses and brown sugar in the background. The palate is very gentle with a wave of fruit and oak working it’s way to the back of the mouth but not quite into the corners. Vanilla follows along with a burst of cinnamon and all spice, with just hints of molasses in the background. The finish is medium long with the mouth buzzing from the cinnamon while fruit, oak and vanilla meld together before fading away gently. The spiciness does tend to dominate a bit too much however.

This Weller Special Reserve is 7 years old and was bottled in 1971 shortly before Stitzel Weller was sold to Norton Simon. The color is a deep amber and heavy with oils as it coats the glass with endless, thick legs. The nose is immediately sweet with vanilla, butterscotch, oak, brown sugar and touches of buttery popcorn and cherry syrup. There is the slightest bit of alcohol that follows it all up. The palate is gentle and chewy, staying mostly at the front of the palate. It is very creamy and oaky with sweet vanilla with a mustiness that works it’s way to the back of the tongue. The mouth is left full of dry oak. The finish is medium with the creaminess lingering with fading oak that gives way to a bit of cherry. The aftersniffs include the communing of fettuccine Alfredo and algaecide. There are also subtle sniffs of nacho cheese mingling with the tangy zip of miracle whip.

The nose is full of sweet vanilla, molasses, a touch of butterscotch and some smoke and charred oak. On palate it is very oily and chewy, working its way to every corner of the mouth. It hits you immediately with the sweet vanilla and a burst of cinnamon charred oak follows with very slight hints of molasses and butterscotch, but with the smokiness which takes away some of the sweetness. The finish is medium, the mouth stays tingling with baking spices with a fading creaminess. As the whiskey breathes, an interesting fruitiness comes out. An interesting whiskey and easy to drink for something downright simple.

The nose starts with some alcohol but as it breathes it smooths out and sees vanilla, oak, cinnamon, with hints of pear, caramel and chocolate. The palate is gentle at first but then cinnamon rushes in, with chewy layers of vanilla, oak, char and some juicy fruitiness that hits the corners of the mouth. The finish is medium at best leaving cinnamon in the front and middle of the palate while the oak and fruit fade too soon and too overpowered by the spiciness.

The nose is very upfront with spice and vanilla, over top baking spices, floral rye and oak. The palate is somewhat dry and leaves the spice at the very front while oak and vanilla move towards the back as molasses and burnt brown sugar coat everywhere in between. The finish is medium with a lingering spice and a floral, somewhat creamy oak fading.