Tastes

Nose is chewy caramels. Palate follows suit with sweet caramel turning creamy then finishing with black pepper on the middle and front of the tongue. I don't pick up the fall spices Maker's references in their description. Very good, somewhat simple. Adding ice lengthened the caramel and subdued the pepper. Adding a couple drops of water does the same.

Nose is straight up apple pie with a tinge of alcohol. First impression on the palate is very sweet and brings heat. Sit with it and the fruity apple and pie dough flavors come out. This isn't spice forward, but those fall spices are definitely there, less cinnamon and more clove. The finish is longer with every sip. Under ripe apple and slight astringency, but the apple outlasts so ends nicely. Pleasantly warm as well. Very reminiscent of the Barrell Cask Strength Bourbon Batch line, better than some but not as complex as the best of them. At a significantly lower cost, this will make itself available to a lot more of us to drink regularly if it gets distributed. This is not in my market, so I had to order it on line.

I love the opening notes. Fresh apple with notes of cinnamon and allspice on the nose. Palate initially doesn't bring more but that cognac delivers a punch at the end. Strong finish and lingers forever. Watch out for pepper. Wow.

Light nose for the proof, slight play-doh. Palate has ripe bananas, vanilla, and spices fading to a tight fruitiness. Finish turns somewhat bitter. Also reminiscent of pool water.

Liquor Barn, Louisville, KY, Smore Castle 1-BAP2, 4-FSC, 3-RFM, 2-TFS, 109.0 proof Nice nose, reminiscent of carameled apples. This drinks differently on ice than straight. Straight brings under ripe apples with their astringency. Pour it over ice, and the namesake (Smore) comes forward, sweet, cocoa, and smoke. The cocoa lingers for a long time and finally fades to the under ripe apple which is a Makers theme for me and there's a slight chewing tobacco as well. I might have liked this better with no or only one toasted French spice. Not my favorite MMPS, but the deeper I've gotten into this bottle, the more I've appreciated it's uniqueness.

Gomers, Kansas City Pick #2 2-BAP2, 3-SFC, 2-M46, 2-RFM, 1-TFS, 109.5 proof Nose is sweet popcorn ball with fruity floral hints. Palate has more floral notes and under ripe apple. Finish is sweet with apple lingering and a nice warm chest. This is good but not memorable.

This review is for Batch 1. Nose is toasted rye bread with apple butter. Unusual combination, but pleasant. The palate starts woody and continues with light fruitiness, adding anise and mint. Cinnamon comes forward on the finish. This is a very nice whiskey. I liked this quite a bit more at the second and third sitting than I did the first. A good rye for non-rye drinkers. Two years on and I stumbled on this same bottle on sale at Liquor Barn in Lexington, KY (last bittle) for $75. Absolutely delicious.

Bought this at the recommendation of the store manager. Nose is fruity, sweet, and oddly plastic-like. The first flavor to hit the palate is hard to describe, very unique, brandy forward. Quickly dissipates to cherry pie, very sweet. Finishes with cough syrup and heat in the chest. This is over the top sweet. It does not improve. Tried using it in mixed drinks and it ruins the drink. Not good. I have to wonder if I got a comprised bottle, perhaps the cork affected it. I've had a few people try it, no one likes it.

Tobacco, prunes, and leather on the nose. Oily on the lips. Lightly peanuty on the palate, less so than most Bookers. Strong cinnamon cookie and plenty of burn. Spicier and sweeter than most Bookers. Improves with ice. Bookers is usually easy to get your hands on. Are they cutting back? This took four stops to find.