Tastes

N: Fresh red apple, pear, melted caramel, and brown sugar. Dash of grain alcohol and barrel char. Vanilla, dried red fruit, and a smokiness that reminds of that smoke you sometimes find in bourbon, which I'm a big fan of. P: Vanilla, apple, and caramel. Really nice, rich red fruit. Pear and peach. Barrel starts to build in the middle and brings some charred wood notes and a little of that classic Jameson bitterness with it - this is more complicated than the standard juice though. Finish is almost non-existent, which is a shame. Just a bit of lingering heat with vanilla and anonymous fruit. This supplants my prior fav Jamo, the Stout finish. That's a lovely novelty, this is an Irish whiskey. I can't compare it to the higher end Jameson, but this one makes me think those more expensive bottles may be worth a shot. Especially if those don't fall flat at the finish as this does. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

N: Orchard fruit, black licorice, and a hit of ethanol. Cereal grain and green herbs. Not a very dynamic nose - short and sweet. P: Sweet caramel and fruity kid's cereal (but like a generic one). Vanilla with a mild smoky note that feels like barrel char. Finish definitely has a young grain alcohol burn to it, but it's not terribly overwhelming. Also has a bit of mint and just the faintest hints of the orchard fruit from the nose. Black licorice builds into the finish over time. As a cheap Irish blend, this is fine. It's less sippable than Tulamore DEW, for example, but it's probably a little more approachable and interesting than a Proper Twelve. The bourbon barrels make their presence known more here than most Irish I've tried and some might find that appealing. I still think most people would prefer Jameson over this, and especially some of the different finishes of Jameson (the Black Barrel is head and shoulders better than this). _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

N: Soap, shaving cream, and ethanol. Chocolate, fresh herbs, baking spices, maybe something vegetal. Some orchard fruit after a few minutes, particularly peach. Then the typical rye mint. P: Oddly bittersweet with a rich, sweet chocolate up front that quickly shifts (like whiplash quick) to a bitter green grain note. Then some more of the peach, baking spice, and fresh cut herbs. Some honey and biscuit notes in the middle. Finish is more of that bitter green grain, peach, little bit of oak, mint, and more fresh herbs. This is an oddball rye, no doubt. I have to guess the Texas grains used have a lot to do with the taste here, because I can't think of another rye whiskey like it. Parts of it are quite nice, parts not so much. I would put this in the same category as Brimstone - it's a bit of an experiment that's going to appeal more to some palates and less to others (i.e. highly subjective). I don't hate it, but I sure don't love it either and I doubt I do this one again. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

Another Mission Wine & Spirits selected single barrel American single malt. Bottle 025. Barrel 295. 64.17% / 128.34 proof. N: Cherry, banana, vanilla cream, pie crust, dash of coconut. Mixed berries with caramel and some woody notes. Ethanol starts to have an impact after a few nosings - it's not strong smelling, but you feel the numbing effect. It's a really nice nose, but it lacks a bit of the refinement and/or power you might get from a high proof single malt Scotch. P: Toffee, salted caramel, butterscotch candy. Brown sugar and caramel bread pudding with just a drizzle of vanilla mixed in. Bit of almond and maybe a caramel apple. Finish is sweet with more caramel and butterscotch. Very light baking spice heat. And just a hint of crisp apple hiding behind all the sweet malty notes. Also, big and thick mouthfeel with an oily coating nature. This is a really nice collection of malt flavors, but it's a bit one-sided in that way. It would benefit greatly from getting some fruit from a finish in sherry or red wine or any number of other types of barrels. This is the first Westward I've tried, and it's probably a terrible idea to start with a single barrel release because I have no idea what this barrel would otherwise feed into - it's entirely possible that Westward's base single malt offering does have some sherry finished whiskey in the mix and then is more balanced. And then this outlier of a barrel, as probably most single barrel offerings are, is simply a presentation of one particularly delicious element in that base offering. Well, I'll have to piece this together backwards. That to say, this may be my first Westward, it will not be my last. On the whole, off balance or not, this is quite tasty and I'll have no hesitation in returning to the brand. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

N: Lots of red berries soaking in a cherry syrup. A rich and elegant vanilla note, almost ice cream, that sits inside of a wood bowl with a little char on it. Some background orchard fruit with a dash of mint and double dash of cinnamon. Not terribly complex, but a truly lovely bouquet of dessert notes. P: Cherry, chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. Feels rich and almost heavy on the tongue. Second layer is oaky with some spice, cinnamon, and maybe just a dash of smoke and leather. Something like a roast coffee note in the background too. Finish is gentle with some vanilla cream, cinnamon with some mild heat, a little more oak, a little more cherry, and some mint. This is dangerously good stuff - so easy to put away. I love the idea of solera aging and have generally found great depth and richness in the various solera drinks I've tasted. A solera finished American single malt was a no-brainer to try for me. Bonus points for being easy to find and fairly priced. This is one bottle that I expect will find a spot in the rotation of regulars. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

This is a Mission Wine & Spirits Exclusive single barrel bottling. Barrel number is 16602 and says it was New European Oak (whatever exactly that means). Distilled 2/27/17 and bottled 11/2/20 - so what's that make it, 3 years and 7-ish months old? 64.2% ABV / 128.4 proof. N: Vanilla custard and torched brown sugar - yeah, it's creme brulee in a glass. And intense. Also, chocolate orange, toasted almond, just a hint of smoked meat. Ethanol in the form of cherry cough syrup, but far less than you might expect for the proof. Vanilla frosting on a yellow cake. Butterscotch candy. Basically, this is a bottling of all of the desserts. P: Sweet red apple dripping with caramel, then rolled in salt. Hints of vanilla, citrus, chocolate, and cooked brown sugar, all also salted. Salted dark red cherries and other red fruit. It's quite salty, but doesn't cross over into being offensive in that way. Finish turns oddly herbal with mint, menthol, and maybe a hint of rosemary. It remains quite sweet and salty and develops a bit of a papery quality - feels like the wood finally being a bit woody. I'll start by saying that it appears this barrel is gone from the world - Mission no longer offers it on their website, so I have to assume they've sold out. So there's not much point in thinking too hard about this particular pour, just happy I still have a third of a bottle left. I suppose though that this can/should be thought of as presenting one component part of the core Balcones line. I just realized while writing this that, well I've enjoyed many bottles of Balcones, I have not yet tried their core single malt. I can't compare it. But I would say the flavors here do show up in other Balcones malts, and some of their bourbons too. The vanilla in particular feels like a Balcones flavor that appears regularly in their bourbons. I'm not sure how to wrap this review up and end this. I guess, at this point, I've basically decided to try anything from Balcones I can get my hands on. They just really know what they're doing and every bottle from them I've tried has been quality. And this is one of the best I've tried from Balcones. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

Batch 2. 55.3% ABV. N: Smoked veggies, vanilla frosting, mint, herbs, cooling menthol. P: More veggies, earthy, sweet, definite bourbon barrel oak on inhale. Spice builds over time. Lightly smoked meat. Grassy and slightly bitter. Finish is grassy and herbal with pine needles and white tea. Had a pour at a bar while waiting for someone. I waited a long time, so took some quick notes (I don't usually have the patience to take notes in a bar). Excited to try a cask strength Kilchoman, but this was not a winner for me. Probably the least interesting/impressive Kilchoman I've had. I certainly didn't hate it, but I couldn't recommend it when a scotch interested co-worker asked about it (he took the Machir Bay instead, which I could easily recommend). I would pass on this batch, but I'm sure I'd pull the trigger to try another batch. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

N: Campfire smoke and blackberry jam. Buttered toast with more jammy berries. Iodine, dash of sea spray, and strawberry jam. Lots of jam here, apparently. Bit of citrus, vanilla, and a dry red wine. Peat character eventually lightens from smoke to just a charcoal kissed dried lavender bush. P: Vanilla, cherries, citrus, and rich earthy, heathery peat with a decidedly Highland Park twang to it. Slightly sour with an oily, heavy mouthfeel. Spiced caramel apple cider. Heat starts to build about halfway through a pour - it reminds a bit of a bourbon barrel type of heat, but definitely moves to the finish with some vegetable and chili pepper bite. Finish also has lingering caramel, lemon citrus, a little of the campfire smoke and jam from the nose, and a nice smoked vanilla. This is just a lovely Islay single malt. Great balance of peat, smoke, little bit of malt character, and then the jammy, berry notes from the PX casks. Can't think of anything bad to say about this dram. It's a bit pricey, but it doesn't feel out of line for basically an Islay craft whisky on a limited run (only 12,000 bottles). I would do it again. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)

N: First hit is that Balcones signature pecan pie note. Peanut butter, ripe orchard fruit, sweet corn, wood varnish, hint of barrel char, hint of menthol, and strangely both subtle and pervasive ethanol. Also some caramel and vanilla. P: Sweet, light, fruity. Caramel, vanilla, pecan pie, and a medley of milk chocolate covered orchard fruit and berries (but neither of which quite rises to notes that can be picked out as specific fruits or berries). Just the beginning of that heady vanilla frosting note that can be so strong in Balcones higher proof bottles. Cinnamon dusted fruit carries the mid-palate to the finish. Finish turns the fruit toward sour with baking spices and a touch of oak heat and bitterness. Finally, some herbal notes with mint close it out. This is a super solid and tasty entry-level bourbon. It lacks some definition, particularly in the middle, but it's still gotta be up there with the best you can get for sub-$25. And it's got a profile all its own in that price range. It really is not a traditional bourbon, which makes it a little hard to compare this to something like the entry-level versions of Elijah Craig, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey or even the Knob Creek 9 Year. Those are classic tastes that are all kind of a variation on a single theme where this feels like a different theme in terms of flavor. It makes a nice change, but it's not going to replace any of those in the rotation. This is a nice, easy weeknight sipper. Easy to recommend and likely to be repeated. _______ Please come join a bunch of regular Distiller reviewers are chatting spirits in real time on Discord: https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will post a new one.)