Tastes

Bubbles Wine and Spirits, Kansas City, Mo Barrel# 7112071, 4 yrs old Light nose,sweet and orangy. Palate follows suit, but with a touch of ethanol and licorice. The licorice lingers on the finish and black peppery heat comes in the end. A good value, but probably more of a mixer.

Bubbles Wine and Spirits, Kansas City, MO Barrel#7015837, 4yrs old Nose is barn straw, almonds, and honey. The palate is sweet pit fruits, cherry pie. Short finish bringing a slightly bitter grass on the tongue, but not overwhelmingly so. Ends with a warm chest you might expect from this proof. I do not pick up any ethanol which is a pleasant surprise for this youthful a whiskey. Fairly simple. Definitely worth the asking price.

Nose is burnt sugar and fresh hay. On the palate, you are immediately hit with bananas foster fading to burnt sugar and hot cinnamons. Finish is short but does have a nice lingering warmth on your chest. Distinct, good. Not great, but worth owning for a very reasonable price.

Nose belies the proof, mild, syrupy and fruity. Heavy on the Dickel. Tasty cherry pie palate. Very tasty. Short finish.

Long legs in the glass. Sweet brown sugar nose, molasses and a slight spice and pepper. Does not bring the alcohol you might expect at this proof. Very sweet on the palate, caramel and brown sugar with a hint of almond. Flavor is concentrated on the middle of the tongue. Spice and heat come with the finish and fades nicely with the heat lingering in your chest. Unique and very nice. Follow up, the more I drink this, the more I like it. This whiskey is borderline exceptional. Finishing my second bottle of this, my opinion hasn't changed. This is easily the best Barrell batch I've had, although I have to admit I'm not a long time drinker of Barrell products.

Light nose, salted caramel, honey, and a little fruit pie. The palate follows suit more intensely. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove come forward and the armagnac makes the sweetness linger. Long warm finish and there is a nuttiness there as well. No water necessary unless you want a mellower whiskey on the tongue. Long legs in the glass and oily mouth feel. This whiskey will give you a lot if you give it time. At $120, I don't know that I would recommend it to everyone, but for collectors, this is a nice addition.

Nose is leather and corn. Palate is sweet and very corn forward. Surprising heat. Very little spice. Sweetness persists through the end. If you like regular Makers, you will like this more as it brings the best out out of it. If you don't like Makers, this probably won't interest you.

The 4 year very much underwhelmed me, young ,light and short. I would have thought that 2 more years in the barrel would have improved this whiskey on all levels. Alas, no. Mostly the same, minimally more there. I am rating it lower as this is $20 more for very little return. Wilderness Trail has upped the ante and is barreling a lot of this whiskey. The problem is they are still asking craft distillery prices. Not sure who is going to be in the market for craft quality, craft price whiskey that is commonplace in 4-6-8 years.

Light nose, sweet cornbread. The palate continues with the cornbread sweetness,but brings a lot of black pepper I did not pick up on the nose. Ends with a slight grassiness. By no means great but at $14, definitely on my bargains list.

Nose has cinnamon and candied cherries. Palate follows suit, full and rich on the lips and tongue. The fruit lingers nicely and finally yields to the spice at the very end, leaving a nice warmth in the chest. The proof is just right for this whiskey, lower and you might lose the length of the fruit, higher and the spice would take over. Bulleit is not a favorite of mine. I have found them to be fine but not exceptional. This is a standout and makes me look forward to the next offering.