Tastes

The color is a vibrant gold, very straw like. With some coaxing it leaves heavy legs clinging to the sides of the glass. The nose is very rye spice forward, but in a floral and subtle way. There are hints of minty dark chocolate with the zestyness of fresh fruit. The faintest hints of vanilla and oak come out the longer the whiskey breathes. The palate is gentle of floral rye spice alongside black pepper, with an almost creamy sweetness coming in behind it. The finish reveals more oak and vanilla as the spiciness fades, leaving a long finish with fading floral notes.

This 5 year old rye is from the Frank L. Wight Distilling Co. which was founded in Lorely, Maryland, after prohibition ended and ran by Frank and his grandfather John until 1943 when they sold the distillery as tastes shifted away from rye. Hiram Walker purchased the distillery and shut it in down 1950 as they moved production to their facility in Peoria, Illinois. The color of this rye is a very dark and deep ruby, to the point where you can almost not see through it. It leaves heavy oils all around the glass with every movement that leaves endless legs running down the sides. The nose is very gentle and the same time very buttery right from the start. There is an excellent blend of rye spice and oak joining it, as floral notes gradually come out. You begin to feel as though you have walked into a bakery the more you smell it, making it rather hard to get to actually tasting it. On the palate it fills the mouth with rye and oak, which coat every corner of the mouth. The buttered bread follows closely behind delivering a very rich mouthfeel. Moving it around the mouth brings out some hints of cocoa, for an all in all simple palate, but an absolute delight to experience. The finish is medium, with a spiciness from the rye that keeps the mouth tingling while oak still coats the mouth. The rich buttered bread keeps letting you know that it is there while it fades all too quick. It is a whiskey you want to keep coming back to, and is sad this style has been lost to time. With a longer finish and stronger flavors this rye could be truly remarkable.

This is batch 15 at 97.75 proof and has a nose starting with spicy green apple that gives way to caramel and vanilla. The palate is hot spicy with a strong rye spiciness and a creamy touch of vanilla and caramel. The finish is medium with a lingering creaminess as the spiciness fades.

The color is a glowing amber, very caramel like, and coats the glass nicely in oil. The nose is gentle with caramel, brown sugar, custard and a slight floral note. The palate is rich and mouth coating while somewhat dry, filling the mouth with a wonderful creaminess that has hints of dark chocolate and cooked brown sugar, with caramel coming in at the end. The finish is medium long that keeps you savoring on the creaminess while a slight spiciness fades.

The color is a dark, glowing amber and it leaves heavy oils all around the glass with each movement. The nose features plenty of mild baking spices along with sweet notes of creamy vanilla, caramel and brown sugar, while hints of oak mix with a more floral, mildly spearmint note. The nose carries over into the palate, with it coating the mouth in the creamy sweetness, while a chili spiciness comes in a gradual wave at the end. The finish has the mouth still feeling the spiciness while you feel touches of the sweeter notes gently fading alongside a bit of oak. The amaranth seems to add a bit of hotness to what you would normally find with E.H. Taylor, making for a minimal impact compared to other offerings in the Taylor line.

The color is a dark amber and leaves a thin coat of oil around the glass as it moves around. Despite its proof the nose is gentle and starts with soft oak, baking spices and cocoa, as creamier notes of vanilla and brown sugar begin to open up. Faint hints of cherry and toffee come and round out the nose. The palate is somewhat dry and also chewy, with creamy vanilla filling the mouth alongside a spicy serving of baking spices. Oak and cherry come together next to toffee to come up behind to make a perfectly balanced experienced, even if it seems a little heavy on spice. The finish is medium with lingering baking spice that fills the mouth while oakiness hangs on as well while the rest of the palate fades all too quickly. Beautiful whiskey but held back by too short of a finish.

The color is a deep and rich amber and it leaves a veil of oil on the sides of the glass that quickly turns to heavy legs that run all the way down the glass. The nose starts immediately with a great balance of vanilla and toasted oak that on a second take begins to mix with a rye spiciness that has an almost spearmint and floral quality to it. As it opens up, all these notes come pleasantly together and is joined by touches of coconut and sweet butter. The palate is dry and chewy and fills the mouth with vanilla and toasted oak, followed quickly by a burst of baking spices, mostly cinnamon. It melts together for a very creamy mouthfeel, with the whole experience wrapping up with floral rye filling the mouth. The finish is medium long and oaky with vanilla lingering while the notes of baking spices keep the mouth feeling hot and spicy. The finish is not as long as hoped for as the creaminess fades before you realize it, which was the most pleasing element of this bourbon. Despite being 23 years old, it doesn't show its age and it stays rather tame.

The color is a translucent amber and it immediately leaves heavy trails of oils down the sides of the glass with each movement. The nose starts out with sweet, buttery, charred oak, with mild baking spices that nicely compliment it. Smooth caramel and brown sugar add to the sweet and creamy nose and a hint of floral fruitiness rounds everything out. The creaminess carries over to the palate with the oak making a strong showing, all while with a pleasant spiciness to it making for a rich and chewy mouthfeel. The finish is medium long with lingering dry oak, with spicy fruit taking its time to fade while the mouth maintains the creamy mouthfeel. Exceptionally enjoyable.

This particular bottle is 8 years, 6 months old, barreled in January of 2011. The color is a glowing and intense, dark amber that leaves plenty of oil clinging to the glass, but perhaps not as much as you would expect. The nose is gentle, just like the 13 year old, and presents a variety of soft baking spices backed up by oak. Citrus follows and is backed up by vanilla and caramel, almost butterscotch like. The palate is warm with baking spices, somewhat rich, and fills the mouth with a soft butterscotch that gives the mouth a very creamy feel. Citrus appears as the richness fades, offering a sweetness that wraps up the palate. The finish is medium long and oaky with baking spices that has a fading butterscotch richness that leaves a sweet and creamy aftertaste. Despite its 107 proof, this is a very gentle and soft bourbon. Could use a bit more intensity, but the palate is there for a classically rich and creamy bourbon.

The color is very deep, intense and rich amber, covering the glass in an infinite amount of heavy legs with the slightest move of the glass. Despite its high proof, it is gentle on the nose and presents a sweet oakiness along with hints of cherry syrup that come out the longer you inhale. Behind it all is a vanilla and toffee creaminess that holds holds the nose together. The palate is dry and chewy with soft but spicy cinnamon warming the mouth, all while there is the toffee creaminess while hints of maple and orange oil make an appearance. The finish is long, chewy and cinnamon spicy with dry oak that lingers as the sweeter notes fade leaving behind the slight string of orange oil. This release goes a bit softer on the drinker compared to its higher proof releases, but the lower proof gives way to being able to more savor what it has to offer. It would be desired to have the sweetness keep more of the spice in check on the finish, but is excellent to sip on all the same.