Tastes

Total Wine & More selection, barrel #20-079. I've always loved Redemption products. I think the standard high rye bourbon was one of my very first bottles that I had ever purchased, probably some time before I ever thought I'd start collecting. That was when my bar consisted of an upturned milk carton... Wow, how time does fly. I was not aware that they made single barrel offerings, let alone barrel picks; I suppose this could be new, though, since I had to add it to Distiller. But today I found this along with a rum cask aged rye, which was also new to me (maybe next time on that one). It's been a while, but I do remember the rye being potent on the nose (duh). Whereas this barrel still holds true to that, the ethanol is what hits hardest upon first sniff. I'm too lazy to look this up now, but I'm fairly certain this, at 105 proof, is slightly higher than the standard product, it's just hitting harder than I expected. Also on the nose is great, lightly charred oak, and mild vanilla. Speaking of rum from before, there's also a slight sugar sweetness, which bonds nicely with the spice and punch. So maybe I wasn't crazy with that whole sugar sweetness thing. The first taste brings a whole lot of sweet to my tongue, while the rye works into my outer gums before presenting itself. I can tell the corn is the star here (which is odd since 60% is not necessarily high corn content for a bourbon), with the sweet from that combining well with the unknown age and oak. It tastes like vanilla and sugar cane are the leading profiles, but it feels more well rounded than that, likely the rye doing a fine job in bringing the cinnamon gum burn in at just the right moment. The finish shows that the whiskey itself has a fairly light body, but the grain, particularly the high rye content, linger around to continue to showcase the base flavor. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this slightly more than I anticipated. I didn't think it was going to be bad, by any means, but I'm really enjoying how this tastes both very unique and yet still standard. The friendly, cute employee used one descriptor of this being "complex," and although I detest that as an adjective, comparatively, it isn't far off. If one were to believe that rye bourbon is the only true bourbon (they would certainly have good values, assuredly), then this carries that belief to an even higher level by putting all the focus on the grain combo at it's roots, and gives no other gimmicks. Sure it's a single barrel and uniqueness is implied, but this is also what I remember from the standard high rye bourbon bottle, and this was clearly a good pick.

It's been quite some time since I've had the standard Talisker 10 year, and although this sounds pretty different from that one, I was really just feeling very seafaring and needed to add something else like that to my collection. However, after reading into it, I'm very excited about the de-charred and re-charred barrels. The bottle is really beautiful, and contrasts very well with the deep color of the whisky itself. The smell starts strong with the smoke, but peat and honey enter the picture quickly afterwards. The proof is slightly higher than most Scotches, but the ethanol does hit my nose more than what I would have expected. The taste starts strong, but begins in the gums as a burn before the smoke and peat round out the remainder on the tongue. I expected to taste more salt or brine, and although it's there, it's not enough to make me envision a storm or the ocean. It does taste like a much peatier Scotch, say Ardbeg, got mellowed out by aging in a rickhouse near the shore. I'm assuming this is aged less than the 10 year version, so I can see how "storm" is a good descriptor, but it's also not different enough to justify the price. The taste is good, especially if you want a bit of a heavier Scotch, but I don't get any other sea notes that I was hoping to find here.

Liquor Barn barrel pick. Picked from Warehouse D. Hoping this will be good. I usually don't buy anything new that I can't find any information on, and although I was able to get some info on this after a bit of digging, it really should not be that hard to learn about your product that you're trying to sell me. The original Puncher's Chance wasn't interesting enough for me, but seeing that Liquor Barn was getting this exclusive single barrel, and getting it at barrel strength, caught my interest. Plus, it's sourced from Bardstown, the heart of KY for bourbon (in my opinion), so I should hope to like this at least somewhat. For some unknown reason, I thought this was going to have strong cherry notes, but luckily it does not. Instead, I initially got a very strong cinnamon spice on the nose, but after coming back to it, this mellowed out to just a little bit of light fruit and some berries, but mostly good oak caramel and heavy ethanol from the proof. The proof, high but not insanely so, is the first thing that goes to work, coating the gums with a nice spice forward profile. I'm getting a bit of the light fruit along with some young grain flavor as well, but the majority of the flavor is really "standard" bourbon, something you would expect to come from a veteran Bardstown distillery. The finish lasts a good while due to the proof, but fades away quickly from all flavor except a bit of dark chocolate. I would not be surprised at all to find that this involves 1792's mash bill or even the final product right out of the barrel. If you like the 1792 small batch, you would like this, and honestly not find too much of a difference between the two. This costs a little too much to justify itself given the similarities, but because this is also a rare offering, redeems itself back well enough in that way.

This one makes me a bit giddy. It feels like forever ago, but I just confirmed that it was only March of last year that I was at the distillery, and tasted the 1833 bourbon and the rye new make. Having thought the rye was easily in my top 3 favorite rye whiskeys, even being unaged, I followed Boone County closely in wait for the aged product. I remember them saying it had already been aging for a few years and would be ready soon, so I waited. Today, I gleefully find out I has a minimum age statement of 5 years, so my very high expectations will hopefully not over-judge what I'm sure will be a good product. Great rye spice on the nose, with a spot on balance between cinnamon, grass, mint, and a bit of candy sweetness. This does not include great barrel spice, but it is actually oak spice that I'm getting instead of the traditional vanilla or caramel. There is a slight ethanol burn, too much for being only ~90 proof, but I so hope this won't get in the way of the experience. The taste took more surprising turns than I was expecting, but all was well received. The initial taste on the cheeks and front of tongue is young grain, but given that this grain is rye, it adds to the profile that will soon change. As I open my mouth for a bit of air, the cinnamon and spice take the show, introducing good burn, but not too much to shudder away. The oak also is tasted at this point, but again, more of the woody spice than the sweet char that is usually expected. The candy, sugary sweetness takes the finish, still resting on a decent cinnamon wave from before. Okay, this is good, and what I expected not only from Boone County, but from a proper rye whiskey. That being said, this also isn't extraordinarily different from some other quality rye whiskeys. If, however, you are a fan of Boone County and are watching them closely as they further develop their younger brand, this should also impress you as it did me. The price point is decent enough to not turn you off if you know the brand, but they likely won't get too many new customers without a bit of a drop. All in all, I'm happy to have found this, and hope that I can not only buy it again, but find it as a higher age several years from now.

So, I'm fairly certain that this is finally Boone County Distilling's actual product, whereas the 1833 was confirmed to be their sourced product. Looking through the Distiller results, I was very surprised to see so many different age variations, most of them only a year off from each other. I remember loving 1833, and went crazy for their (not sourced) rye new make, but I suppose we are still waiting on the latter product. This is already a pricey offering from what I've seen (I'm tasting a 50ml), so not sure how the price of higher age bottles would hold up, but that all depends on how the base thing tastes. That's got much more of a depth to the scent than I thought there would be. It's got notes from unfiltered barrel strength products, even though the proof is quite far from it. Huge sweet corn cues, combining with classic barrel vanilla and caramel with just a tad of tobacco, but it's all hidden under a really tame cloud, like it has a lot of careful age behind it (how much, I wonder?). Okay, now it makes sense that the corn was so strong on the nose. Usually it's a blend of grain that gives away that a bourbon is young, but this one was harder to detect. Sure, I could be wrong, but at the end of the day, it TASTES young, and at that point no number makes a difference. Lots of raw corn and a bit of rye, with the good news being that there is nothing else here to complicate it. The finish has a robust bite like it's a higher proof than it is, but this is all in a good way. This really has great potential, and I can't wait until a few more years down the line. So, so many craft distilleries have no patience and release these young bourbons with high price tags, but who can blame them when there are people who will literally buy anything. Again, this is not bad in any sense, it's just premature and young, and should be marketed as such, to avoid disappointment like I just experienced. Had I of bought a full bottle, that would have turned to anger; just put the damn age statement on the bottle again. Unless you're specifically looking for a young bourbon, keep going with 1833.

Barrel number 3596, Bypass Liquors Nicholasville, KY (no longer in business) barrel pick, bottled on 05JUL2018. Every distillery that tries so hard to keep information from their customers about their products always have bad products or practices, and there is no changing my mind. That's why I haven't purchased this yet, and likely why I've seen it fluctuate in price at such an insane curve. Yes, the cheap price definitely played a role here, but the liquor store I found this in had the most excellent customer service that, not only was this an easy support buy, but I shall be back again and again for continued patronage. It's a calm nose at first, with a bit of nuttiness and perhaps a tad of maple, but further in I get a good punch of spice, equal parts cinnamon rye and medium quality ethanol. The color is decent, but the poor 8 year barrel can't stand up too much with all that extra water. The taste copies the above profile. I start with a pretty nice sweetness bomb, that includes some caramel syrup, a little bit of nuttiness, and some baked bread or other pastries that really pass through the other barrel notes. However, the finish turns harsh with rye cinnamon coming out of seemingly nowhere, and then an ethanol burn that travels through the nose like wasabi. You could play the single barrel card here and easily get away with saying how each barrel is tasting so different from each other, but the concept of finding a barrel of mystery bourbon and breaking it open to try to discover it's anatomy only sounds good for a few barrels on the individual level, not as a business. The quality here tastes even lower than $40, so I do not envy those that buy this without hesitation at higher prices (but am jealous of the business owners).

Big Red Liquors selection, 107.2 proof. Like most custom additions on this app, I had to choose between a bunch of duplicates, but this was the closest to true. Remember, you're not special. I've avoided the standard blended offering because blended bourbons are a waste of time. I didn't think that the same distillery would do single batches, let alone single barrels and barrel picks. A lot of stuff on paper makes this sound like a good pick, at a good price, and from my birth state, too. Let's see. The nose has great rye spice, closer to the mint and grass, with good classic amounts of barrel vanilla and caramel as well. It's not very unique so far, but that's usually par for the course for a good bourbon; sticking to tradition usually pays off. There is a decent harsh nose burn, but the proof is high enough for this to be expected without being alarming. The initial taste is that of raw distillate, which I usually taste and associate with brandy or grape. This doesn't last, though, as the rye spice starts to build high, peak through the finish along with a moderate burn, before sugary, candy notes fade along with air in the mouth. The oak is nice, but tastes too raw for my preference. In reality, it's likely only as low as a level 3 char, but it tastes like it could be a 2, maybe even a 1 (I have almost no experience with chars of those levels). It seems like a longer age would solve most of the dislikes I have, but this hits a good minimum level that I still enjoy. Honestly, this has the makings of a good, no-nonsense bourbon, but it does taste like it came out of CO. What I mean by that is, if all the same process for this particular batch and bottle were done in KY, using ingredients and nuances local to that area, it would be probable that I would enjoy it more. Sure, it may just be a placebo knowing that, but given that myself and very many others have probably not had or even seen other whiskey offerings from CO, means that we have to guess and judge based on no empirical evidence of any kind. Worth it, yes, but not enough to explore a different barrel, nor does not stand enough on it's own for the blended version to be explorable.

What a weird product. Definitely tasty as I remember it while touring the Kentucky Artisan Distillery, but just seems like an off brand that doesn't really need to exist. Even stranger, I see a lot of listings and tastings for "Distiller's Select," as shown in this listing photo, but in that place on my bottle it says "Shippingport" instead. Also, maybe the photos I've seen are low quality, but I thought it looked like Distiller's Select has a red cork seal sticker, while this Shippingport version has an orange one. Perhaps different batches or something? I guess, for the record, this is batch #4, barrel #3. Not worth wasting everyone else's time, and especially my own, to create a new listing, though. The nose is extremely dry and watery, but once I get closer to it, I get more warm spice and barrel notes, with a weird addition of brandy or raisin. Honestly, the nostral burn is super intense, like that of a very low quality whiskey, so this scares me based on my memory of tasting it before (again, that could have been a completely different batch or even product). This is why I am very opposed against blended bourbons; even though the flavor profile has a baseline similarity, it deserves to exist on it's own, or not at all, which I believe states the quality of your product before I ever try it. Lots of clinging-to-the-pot burnt sugar, on a body lighter than rain water. Raw distillate is really the best descriptor here, with the grain taking over far too much, and still that weird note of brandy. The finish even reminds me of a Speyside Scotch... What the hell is this? The proof is definitely low, which is obvious at the beginning, but the burn is extreme, and speaks to the shallowness of the quality here. This was a huge disappointment. It's been long enough that I tasted this product at the distillery that I'm confident that was a different batch, and again, since it's blended, it was likely not even in the same thought process. Having said that, I'm really not even sure what the profile was supposed to be here, and I would have loved to be a part of the blending process to better understand this one. I have passed on buying this dozens of times due to the price, and now I can honestly say that I have fairly high resentment for throwing away around $50. If I've sounded too harsh up until now, I hope that knowing someone asked for that amount of money and I gave it up for this letdown, helps make more sense.

Barrel #19-0248, Liquor Barn Mr. Bruce's Neighborhood. Bottled on 09APR2019, stored in warehouse F on rick #5. Already a good portion through the bottle, just slipped past rating. What's to say, other than Wild Turkey? If all other distilleries had to go, I'd still be happy. Great color, especially after finding out the age. Wild Turkey is easily the bourbon with the most spice-forward profile out of all the mainline distilleries, in my opinion. Even with a blackened Turkish chicken dish being made in the next room and smoke billowing out into my space, I can still smell the rye kick, much more rye spice than others bring, and hitting your nose just a bit harder. I can tell there is more focus on bourbon and barrel here, as the caramel and oak come through a small bit more than standard Wild Turkey. I get some initial notes of milk chocolate on the gums, with the body starting out light and sweet, like honey with slight citrus. It only takes a few seconds for the familiar rye "dressage" to appear, marking the spice in the gums, but not necessarily lingering around. Where this is usually how standard Wild Turkey ends, this particular single barrel finishes with a surprise guest from vanilla, with quite the encore, as well. Breathing out a little even makes me get some butter notes, but the oak is such a star on the finish that it's easy to forget it's supposed to be charred to a crisp. Decent value from what I remember. This product just seems like one of the most fun single barrel offerings, since Wild Turkey has such an iconic profile, but can clearly be better or different when focusing on just one barrel at a time. I admit I was slightly disappointed to see that this was also only offered at 101 proof, but given that this is also such a notable trademark for this brand, as well as being a decent proof anyway, I am happy to let it slide.

Never given a proper rating. This was one of my very first bottles of bourbon that I ever purchased, and it was awesome to find out it was made from Jim Beam, as that was also the first time I found out that big brands can also make products without their named label. When someone wants to start dissecting and further discovering bourbon as a beginner, Basil Hayden's is what I suggest if they like spicy flavors, and [REDACTED] is what I suggest if they like sweeter flavors. At one point in my life, everything about this bourbon was top shelf. Looking at it now, literally, I see the color is extremely light, and knowing now that 80 proof is about as low as it gets, this shouts watered down. Not surprisingly, the nose is mostly rye spice, wrapped in a blanket of vanilla. The spice prevails, but isn't strong enough to burn or suggest mouth coating spice is ahead. There perhaps is a bit of citrus as well, but I could just be grasping for what is really a simple bourbon offering. If you're not used to spice, this will hit you very hard, which is why I use it as a recommendation if you want to further branch out into high rye bourbons or rye whiskey. The body is obviously light, with the spice being only on the tongue, and doesn't quite penetrate the gums. For someone who is used to high rye flavors, I find that Basil Hayden's has chocolate, banana, and orange flavors, but even without those specifically, it's easily fruity, but still bring sweet with a bit of vanilla. Glad to see that, over the years, this product still holds up to what it is, but as a bonus, really has transformed in what I taste. Still, with the proof so low, it's not something I particularly enjoy, usually only using it for cocktails of guests.