Tastes

The nose starts with charred oak, citrus, and floral rye as vanilla and brown sugar quickly arrive. Things gradually intensify and meld together to become very inviting and just what you want from a bourbon. The palate is rich and just somewhat chewy, with black pepper and baking spices in the corners of the mouth with charred oak and vanilla coating everything else. This is very creamy and smooth, with its simplicity being its strength. Its spicy and creamy, and for this, that is all this needs to be absolutely wonderful. The finish is medium and leaves behind a spiciness that keeps the mouth tingling a little bit as a chewy creaminess takes its time fading while remaining extremely enjoyable till the very end.

The nose gives you immediate heat, too much if you're not careful, but brings with it floral rye, caramel apple, and a bit of charred oak and leather. It is unmistakably rye and gives you the impression that it is very robust and at a sweet spot with its age. The palate is dry yet chewy and immediately coats the mouth with intense baking spices mixed with a bit of dark chocolate. Sweet caramel apple comes out as you chew, giving you very nice fruity notes on the back end. This whiskey stays strong as it breathes, remaining intense and full flavored without any worry of it leaning out. The nose does carry over to the palate pretty straightforward and while the flavors may seem rather simplistic, it is the intensity of the flavors which makes this shine. The finish is long, but not too long with the intense spice giving way to lingering green apple which feels almost refreshing. The rest of the palate can be coaxed out with some chew, making this an almost never ending experience. This is absolutely remarkable when it comes to floral, rather than earthy, rye.

The nose is sweet of wine and charred oak, balanced by a wonderful mix of vanilla and brown sugar in a very straight forward experience. Not complicated, not pretentious, this is bourbon finished in PX casks and you can tell immediately that it was done right. The palate is a great mix of the PX and charred oak that subtly reaches the corners of the mouth. It is very smooth and non descript, as the most perfectly balanced of flavors are always there. They are always there because this is effortless to sip on, requires no thought, it is just good. Not overpoweringly good, but is a masterful blend of bourbon and sherry which highlights the best of both worlds. Sweetness and oak. The finish is medium and isn't exactly memorable, but with every glance at the glass you see the treat that is before you. For this to be good, it doesn't need to be intense. It just needs to be. It is wonderful to sip on in every ounce of it being unpretentious.

The nose is immediately sweet of mild spearmint, floral rye spice, creme brulee and creamy charred oak. It really is a treat to smell this as it is very unique and doesn't remind you of most other Kentucky rye whiskey. The way that it is sharply, yet mildly, sweet on the nose really sets it apart. The palate is gentle and full of floral rye that encapsulates the mouth with a dry sweetness and sharp black pepper. Ripe fruit and charred oak follow, underlined by a strong wave of spearmint and charred oak. The finish is medium long with a lingering black pepper and citrusy, floral rye. Spearmint and charred oak provide backup to such an interesting experience.

The nose is full of charred oak, smoke, grain and unaged whiskey. All the signs are here of a whiskey that has been aged too little in a small cask. The palate is raw and smokey with no redeeming qualities. Too unaged with too much of an effort at covering it up with the fact the corn is smoked. The finish is short and too long with raw whiskey notes fouling the mouth. 16 months is painfully too short for this.

The nose is a nice mix of dark chocolate and charred oak with a slight sweet fruitiness to it. There is a vanilla creaminess that lies underneath with brown sugar and the slightest bit of toffee. The palate is gentle with black pepper hitting the corners of the mouth with vanilla and charred oak hitting the back of the tongue. Dark chocolate swirls around the mouth with every chew, but in all this is very simple yet shows a lot of potential. It definitely features what you would expect in a wheater, but could stand to be a bit more bold. The finish is medium with a lingering dark chocolate and charred oak as a vanilla sweetness fades in the background. While it does taste good, you do get the impression it is somewhat out of balance with heavy oils. Definitely something to be careful with. Aftersniffs: The aftersniffs exude rich mahogany intertwined with notes of hard salami. The latent aftersniffs are a robust mix of a late night Greek deli mixed with the Lancome counter in Macy's circa 1998.

The nose has sweet, creamy notes of charred oak, stating that this is clearly bourbon. The wine influence is there, offering a semi sweet element. It isn't very complex but rather it is intense and captivating. The palate starts witb a burst of baking spices that swirl through the corners of the mouth as creamy oak splashes over the tongue. The wine does impart a tannic, dry sweetness that is noticeable and compliments the bourbon well. It definitely leans more towards spice, in contrast to how the nose was, which is disappointing. With some swirling and chewing, those creamy and oaky notes are there but they have to be coaxed out. The finish is medium long with a lasting tingle of baking spices while tannic oak stays in the background. It's enjoyable to sip, but a bit out of whack between the nose and the palate. The spice is definitely overpowering what you might be expecting. That is a common symptom of Barton, however.

The nose starts with creamy, floral rye that has a touch of bubblegum. Charred oak blends in nicely with smooth notes of vanilla and faint ripe fruit. The palate is somewhat dry and ignites a burst of pepper and cinnamon, with pronounced notes of rye spice. Sharp charred oak is right alongside it on top of creamy undertones. The finish is long and spicy with rye lasting until the next sip. Fruit rounds it out as you chew, with charred oak reminding you its there. This is a total rye spice bomb and does it wonderfully. A stunning whiskey that has all you could want in a rye.

The nose starts off a bit sharp with charred oak, straw, along with a very nice mingling of honey and port. The wine influence is there, but is not overwhelming. It gets a little creaminess to it as it opens up, with faint notes of dark chocolate coming out as well. The palate is easy to swirl around the mouth as port, creamy oak, dark chocolate and hints of straw coat the mouth. It's got a bit of a chew, with the port finish imparting a wonderful dessert like quality. It is a fantastic marriage of wine and whisky, with the best qualities of each on display. The finish is medium long with lingering wine tannins, while oak and dark chocolate balance it out. Undertones of straw fade nicely in the background. An absolutely great example of finished Scotch. When wine won't do, this makes for a perfect dessert whisky. Everything about it is great, until you realize its gone.

The nose is very straw forward with a bit of honey sweetness, with a leathery smoke that mixes with charred oak. Fairly straight forward and simple this, but still very pleasant to keep taking in. The palate is very soft but sends a pleasant wave of very mild black pepper, straw and honey throughout the mouth, with traces of leather and oak in the distant background. The finish is medium short with a bit of linger pepper and straw, while the honey sweetness and oak are first to go. Just because this is a very simple whisky, does not mean it is bad. It is rather enjoyable as a relaxing sipper.