Tastes

The nose hits me with cinnamon toast, dark chocolate, and a hint of apple scented candle, not overly hot. Fairly viscous in the glass. I lose the apple on the palate, the spice leads the way with black pepper, fading to cinnamon, then the yeasty toast. The chocolate comes out on the finish, which starts dry but does not stay as such. I get a light mackintosh apple as well. Nice heat in the chest and roof of the mouth, some tingling on the lips. Pepper make a come back as the finish lingers.

Gomers Kansas City Store Pick, fall 2021, 10 yrs 8 mos, 122.4 proof. Thick legs in the glass. Nose is very sweet and caramelly pit fruit and just a touch of cardamom and clove. Hotter on the palate than I expected based on the nose, as in pepper. The fruit and caramel come forward once the pepper fades. Finish is medium long. I don't usually feel the need to add water to whiskeys of this caliber but since it hit my palate hotter than expected, I added a few drops. The nose got sweeter and the initial pepper dissipated greatly and the sweet caramel jumped to the front. Finish shortens a bit, but still leaves a nice heat in the chest. Not sure which way I like it better. This is based on a fresh open, so I'll leave the bottle alone for a while and come back. Excellent none the less.

The nose matches the lower rye, high corn mash bill Wild Turkey offers, sweeter and fruitier than most ryes, but still delivers anise and mint typical of higher rye content whiskeys. Palate follows suit with sweetness and cherries, but also brings on a solid cinnamon and pepper with herbs, mint and anise on the finish. A solid budget rye. Try the Russell's Reserve Single Barrel for a superior version of a lower rye Nashville rye.

Nose is strong on apples with a touch of oak, smoke and spice. The palate hits strongly sweet quickly going peppery and then woody and dry, finishing bitter. Finishing in toasted and/or heavy char barrels is very popular now. This is not among the better versions.

This is a complicated one, blending two ryes and a bourbon, splitting it up with four different staves then the reblending and adding a 17 yr Tennessee whiskey. Beautiful sweet nose with light cherry cola, pie dough, oak, leather, and clove in the background. The palate is not quite as complicated, but has many of the same notes, but the oak comes forward followed by spicy pepper, fading to pie dough, and finally finishing with a slightly astringent alcohol. The nose is the best part of this whiskey and interestingly, I only get the astringent finish if I do not nose it first.

Gomer's (KS)- Tasters Choice, 2 BAP, 3 SFC, 1 M46, 3 RFM, 1 TFS, 108.7 proof Sweet nose, brown sugar and fresh apples which I usually pick up with Maker's. Nice fat long legs in the glass. The palate follows suit and is very sweet to start. Their is a hint of under ripe astringent apple but the big hit is cinnamon which lasts quite a while. There is a cigarette tobacco that appears at the very end which I don't care for but that is the only negative. Ice brings forward chocolate and some of the standard Maker's fruit.

Bubbles (KCMO) Store Pick, Never Forget, 110 proof, 2 BAP, 3 SFC, 1 MM46, 4 RFM, 0 TFS Nose is the best of MM, strong on cinnamon sugar toast. Palate is the same, concentrating on the tip of the tongue. Chest heat stays a very long time. A little one note, but good.

Liquor Barn (KY) #2 Pick, Barrel 575, 115 proof Nose is straight up Bit-O-Honey candy chews, haven't had one in years but brought me immediately back. Palate follows closely, very sweet and peanut, pepper heat follows in the roof of the mouth and into the chest, lingering on the tongue. I believe Yellowstone sources much of their product still. I have to wonder if this comes from Beam, sure tastes like it.

Plaza Liquor (KC) store pick,Barrel #168, 111proof- Candy corn with a slight alcohol burn, cardamom and a touch of nutmeg on the nose. Not much leg in the glass. The palate is heavy on brown sugar with cinnamon and pepper burn, a little pie dough and pit fruit. The pepper lingers a long while. My first draw out of the bottle was nice but not overly impressive. With some air, a few days later, it is much tastier. Not a stand out flavor profile, but the sweet brown sugar is striking. Ice tames the pepper to the point of non-existence and makes the brown sugar even more prominent. Definitely worth the asking price.

Nose is super sweet. Reminiscent of juicy fruit gum. A touch of cinnamon in the background, and just the lightest hint of peanuts. Fat legs in the glass, very viscous and holds true on the lips and in the mouth. Fruit forward on the palate, candied cherries. Cinnamon comes forward along with pepper. Fairly hot on the tongue, roof of the mouth and chest, but not unpleasantly so. Nice finish except that it turns a bit bitter at the very end. Lips tingle nicely for quite a while. Beam peanut is barely discernable. This is a very divergent Booker's. For better or worse, Booker's is not nearly as flavor consistent as it used to be. I like this but it is certainly not the whiskey you expect when buying a Booker's.