Tastes

A very excited moment for me indeed. I don't want to type too much unnecessarily just so I can get to this bourbon. The color is very great here, maybe even a little darker than is to be expected given the proof and 12 year being the max age. I called the distillery directly for some more information on this prior to purchasing, and the gentleman shared that he gets a lot of cinnamon on the nose. I believe that, even if I had not had that phone call at all, I would certainly agree with him. The cinnamon is stewed a bit, like you might find in a hot toddy. In addition to this, I get strong oak and dust notes, which I usually find mostly in cask strength bourbons, but not necessarily higher age (although it makes sense). The only thing I feared with this is coming true during the first taste; the lower proof (in my opinion) causes all other subsequent tastes to seem watery and distant a bit. I'm exaggerating a little, but I definitely believe limited editions like this should always be full proof (after all, this would make it even more limited edition). Despite this, the dusty notes make up most of the body, with plenty of deep caramel and other general high age bourbon notes. That cinnamon from the nose is here, but it seems to be split to a little on the initial taste and a little on the finish. Surprisingly, contrary to my earlier diss, the finish is very long and hot, and makes the proof seem much higher than it is. Given that Limestone Branch kind of wipes the board clean each year for their Yellowstone Limited Edition and does something completely different the next, there can really be no model of comparison here. If we're going off the original Yellowstone, then this seems like a completely different distillery. Even if the mash bill is the same (and there's no evidence to suggest it wouldn't be), the dusty flavor and feeling of finding an attic whiskey reminds me of a similar product from one of the other Beam affiliates, albeit with that one being a much higher proof and yet less age. I've had a few super high aged bourbons (15 year + in my book), and this one has a similar flavor while also getting away with a lower proof. All in all, this was a very excellent addition and a perfect example of "If it ain't broke..."

It never ceases to amaze me how many users incorrectly add new reviewed products to this app. Since this entry clearly is supposed to be the non single barrel 2018 entry, this is of course what I am reviewing here. Pinhook and I have an interesting relationship. Some of their products are great, and there are some that disappoint. You would think their system is pretty flawless, one bourbon and one rye a year, different colors, easy to distinguish labels and wax seals. However, I have found that, on more than just a few occasions, I have either gotten confused or mixed up with one product that I bought, and then realized it was not what I was originally after. In this case, I was certain while in the store that this was 'Tiz Rye Time, but alas, I suppose my blind ass missed the bright blue seal. The nose has a good amount of fresh sugar and cinnamon, which is riding on a strong wave of grass, banana, and toffee. The proof is not overwhelming, but it definitely lets you know that this is not an entry level rye. My first taste is immediately banana and sugar, definitely getting bananas foster notes. You could easily tell me this was rum barrel aged, and I would probably start guessing the rum distiller with great confidence. There is spice near the finish, but it's coming way more from the proof than from the rye itself. The finish is long, but again, this is mostly due to the proof. However, I can certainly taste the cinnamon spice as it works it's way into my gums. Honestly, there is very little rye contribution here, compared to all else that is offered. Usually Pinhook has a consistent disappointment or lack of flavor due to cutting their age too early, but this one doesn't bother me too much. Really, in my opinion, rye whiskeys don't need too much age, especially when the base mash bill is all or mostly rye, and this one may be in the sweet spot of age. I can imagine myself enjoying this an equal amount just neat, as well as in some great cocktails, both classic and unique.

So Booker's has a nice and special place for me. One of the greatest points about it is all the different batches made, and how they share similar flavors with very slight differences. Unfortunately, each batch is just different enough from each other that you kind of have to experience them all, no thanks to my wallet. With this one, I did love the tasting notes I've read, and even though I have some other batches in the past that I've read about that sound better, it's simply time to live in the present and see what else is to be offered. The scent is incredibly dusty, only second to another Jim Beam product of much higher age. There is so much "barn find" essence to this that I would rival a cellared red wine from the 90's would have less of a heritage scent than this batch. Honestly, there's even a slight raisin smell in the background, although maybe I'm tricking myself into looking for that. No matter what, the proof is not hurting my nose at all. The taste, after getting through the usual tobacco and dumb heavy oak, is surprisingly full of salted peanuts. So much so, in fact, that it's still easily detectable through into the finish. The dusty notes that I smelled before carry through in every step of the tasting. As I predicted, this batch is just different enough from the others that I can easily taste the differences, but that familiar heavy oak and tobacco that I associate (and love) with Booker's is still there. If the bit about Granny's nut cakes on the card was any prediction of the taste, that's a perfect quick description of what we've got here. Very happy to have Booker's around, finally, and a good batch at that.

Going into this, the only Pinhook I've had is their bourbon-rye thing, and that was quite good. I've seen this in the store a few times, and I finally pulled the trigger given I love high proof bourbons and good brands. Once I got home, I was a little disappointed to learn it was only aged for 3 years, and I had the read the fine print on the back of the bottle to even find that out. However, let's see what's to be offered. The scent is incredibly, sticky sweet, with easily detectable caramel covered popcorn and vanilla taffy. The corn is strong in the scent, probably showing a high corn mashbill, as well as reinforcing the young age. Very sweet indeed, with melted cotton candy and just a slight note of chocolate covered orange. What was that fruity, bright note turns into heavy charred oak, but just the essence of the wood, as the tradition caramel and vanilla take a backseat. The high proof rounds out the finish while not being too boozy at all. This is certainly one of the most unique bourbons on my collection, but without an added gimmick, like different wood or fancy grains. I definitely feel like I'm going to enjoy reaching for this, when I want to try something different after another bourbon, but not necessarily switch tracks entirely.

Alright, here we go. For the life of me, I don't understand why Whistlepig is so popular, and especially how everyone is so fine with paying way too high prices for any of their line. Having said that, I have had a few of their products and do think they make a decent rye, I just think they go too far with it to try to charge too much. I've had this product before, but just haven't properly rated it. There is a really lovely scent of cracked rye, with plenty of the spice that comes from distilling it, while also having a pretty decent note of vanilla caramel from what I assume is a 3 or 4 barrel char. It even smells pretty high proof considering it doesn't even break 100. There is a lot of candied cinnamon here, way more than other ryes with this same taste profile. It's really a great mix of young, bold cinnamon and the mellow, sweet oak flavor from 6 years being barreled. This one is definitely higher on the sweeter scale, but by the finish where harsh grass and cinnamon comes back, it's easily forgiven. Honestly, this is a pretty good addition for a 6 year rye. I would never pay the prices that I've seen this bottle go for (this was a trade), and would certainly never hunt it or wait in line for it, but I could see myself loving a cocktail upgrade to this rye (if the bartender didn't gouge me for it), and it still works well as a sipper amongst the other ryes in my collection. This doesn't motivate me to shell out to see what Whistlepig's other products are like, but it does establish that they have a pretty good idea of what a proper rye should be, and I'm sure they didn't lose that idea on their way up the product chain.

So, this was an exciting find/research realization. As I thought the other day about what my bourbon and general whiskey "stats" are, this hits a lot of them; great age, high rye, decent proof, decent color, and average price. When I lay it out like that, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but given the sea of sub-par and bleak competitors out there, this one seemed to shine as something different. The nose has really nice spiced rye, vanilla, and caramel notes, but it all rides on a bright, fruity body. I even feel like I get some banana, perhaps covered in a sugary glaze. During the taste, I almost immediately keep thinking of that fruity/banana nose from before, as that taste starts to come through with a sugary, fruit salad vibe. The body was the only thing I was worried about (due to the proof), but honestly, this flavor likely wouldn't taste much better at a stronger proof. That vanilla and caramel from the nose is totally missing, though. The finish is mouth coating, but leaves a lot to be desired. When they say high rye, I believe it, but unfortunately, neither potent rye spice or sweet corn seem to come through, which makes me wonder what a younger version of this distillate tastes like, and if it would work better. Hopefully it wasn't just general excitement or perhaps resentment at spending $50 for a bit of a let-down, but the first few sips were really working for me. However, as I kept going, I feel like this is more of a cocktail bourbon, which would be fine, if I didn't already have plenty of underwhelming products that already take that title. There's something about it, though, that I look forward to finding out perhaps on a re-taste.

Young corn on the nose, but you can tell there is going to be a difference with the blue corn. That corn scent comes in the form of buttered, honey cornbread. Hell, it's even easy to smell some buttery caramel sauce in there, too. Impressive for such a young bourbon, but if you start with good grains, this should be no surprise. The grains is what rules this taste. There is very little barrel flavor (although it is there), with the vanilla and caramel being what comes through, and none of the char or smoke. As I thought, I can tell this Texas blue corn is much sweeter than Midwest corn, which is likely how this super young product can be enjoyed by those who are looking for that sweet bourbon flavor. The finish on this starts to bring about some berries and a fruitiness, with maybe a tiny wisp of smoke. This reminds me of those cheap, iconic extremely sweet bourbons that everyone claims to ride or die with. I've found that all of those bourbons are very unrefined, and just taste like corn juice with alcohol tied to it. This, however, tastes like a product that the distillery actually is proud of and aimed to make, and for that, I appreciate the final offering. I'm not sure where I would use this, because unless it's a very fruity or citrus heavy cocktail, I don't see this working, and it's certainly too young to poor alongside flagship bourbons that are aged much longer.