Reviews

Bought a bottle, drank it, will absolutely buy again if Nancy Fraley's name is on it.

Bought a bottle, drank it, don't need to get the "new" release.

Sampling an hour after pours of Still Austin Cask-Strength Rye, Jack Daniels Single Barrel, Barrel Proof Rye and Sagamore 7-Year bonded, this presents rather muted (obviously). Interestingly, the nose and palate have taken on toasted scotch characteristics, with the slightest hint of marshmallow on the back end. At a "mere" 49.99, it's worth the opportunity to try and detect the nuanced flavors (Famous Grouse!?!?!) within the Elijah Craig profile...It does surpass the toasted bourbon in both flavor and finish experience... however, it is pretty standard fare (having seen it priced up to $64.99). For an additional $10, the Still Austin and Sagamore are superior in all facets, and make for some hard choices if you're staring at all three on the aisle. Think about supporting the "craft" distilleries along with the big boys like Heaven Hill... those that adore rye are now in a new age of available goodness, and ECTBR no doubt is a solid choice through and through.

Bourbon QPR hype-train...meet the gorge from Back to the Future III. Beam stocks of Old Crow masquerading as a unique offering to get the Q4 bottom line up. Quintessential meh.

Abundant viscosity in the glass wants to impart the perception of age, but a slight, youthful, lingering, MGP thinness on the palate argues to the contrary. Pours of Architect over the past half-year have left a hankering for Maker's 46 Cask Strength's seemingly richer, more refined French Oak Stave process. Ethanolly sweetness that leaves a pleasant, brief, mildly oaky finish is a result of this "build" utilizing the "Complex Stave" and "Intense Stave" selections. Architect's numerous "builds" and "store select" iterations are reminiscent of Maker's Mark's Private Selects in that some deliver an intensifying feeling of "wow" the longer the bottle is open while others lead to ongoing self-convincing that the experience was worth the price of admission.

If the ongoing "debate" about the desirability of the vitaminal "flavor" of George A. Dickel can be bypassed, one will once again find it difficult to deny that Nicole Austin and her team have made some of the most drinkable, quality whiskies of the past half decade. Awards, hype and hate aside, the Fall 2008 (Aged 11 Years) iteration of Dickel's bonded whisky actually holds a candle to its 2005 (Aged 13 Years) predecessor. Although the rich fullness of the 2005 might not be present, letting this whisky sit in the glass for an extended rest will bring flavors that smack of "Cap'n Crunch" and candied pecans to an appreciative tongue. A moderately lengthy finish lingers long enough to remind a drinker of just why Tennessee whisky is a special thing to be appreciated and treasured by those who aren't bourbon "purists."

Afternoon sampling; 1792 BiB is the focus here. Comparing a 2022 bottle that has been open for 6-7 months to other pours opened for approximately the same amount of time. The semi-floral, bright nose and pancacke-batter, vegetal palate have only slightly "evolved" over the aforementioned time. Wanting this to be more than it "is" (due to its relative scarcity), a neat pour finds it slightly lacking in flavor (BT), complexity (OE7) and nuance (KPSB/GD 7) when put to the test. Not that this is a poor selection; there IS a lovely oakiness and buttery richness that might appreciably contend with a Henry McKenna 10yr SB BiB. That favorable comparison having been stated, a 1792 FP Store Pick is the same price ($49.99) and makes for a tough choice on which bottling to pickup when hankering for the 1792 flavor profile.

What's not to like here? The nose betrays a subtle dill rye, the palate offers up nuanced rye flavors of unsalted, roasted walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans (and perhaps cashews) and the finish brings an understated, but nonetheless markedly enjoyable, lingering sweeteness. If the price were $50-$65, picking up a bottle would be a no-brainier. However, various reviews across the interwebs have argued that a price point nearing $90 might deter the purchase of a four-year, bonded, 100-proof debut whiskey. Ultimately, this is an elegant, unique pour, artfully crafted by Jim Rutledge, priced at a position that may bring hesitation to pulling the trigger on acquiring a bottle. With "only" 70 barrels produced, it's reasonable to skrimp and splurge on this if a Willett 4-year, Pikesville, et. al, "available" ryes already sit on your bar.

2022 Single-Barrel local store pick that evokes French Toast made with a stone-ground, multi grain, wheat bread, cooked atop a seasoned oak plank griddle and dusted with semi-sweet powdered sugar. The 114 proof is nowhere to be found, making it a devilishly easy pour to go back to and indulge in time and again.

Nose and palate arrested attention right off the neck pour. Lost taste and smell for a period. When they returned, air in the bottle had made it all the more better, akin to rekindling a friendship where the first laughs you share with that long distanced kindred spirit are better than the first all those years ago.