Tastes

This is actually better than I remember. There's not a lot of flavor, but what's there is fine. It's neither good nor bad. It's just fine. Honey, ethanol, grain, vanilla, toast.

Ran into this one locally and couldn't resist, as I really enjoy both of the other barrel-finished Arrans. On the nose blackberry preserves, apricot, ginger, fresh roasted coffee beans, tobacco. The palate is reminiscent of the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, but the flavors are somewhat more pronounced. The dark port fruit overlays the tropical fruit of the Arran malt. The ginger sneaks in there especially on the finish. A little bit of dark chocolate. Now for a ported scotch death match. Arran Port Cask Finish vs. Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban. The nose on the Arran is sharper and brighter than the QR. The QR smells older, which I'm guessing because it is. It's also got the floral note that I associate with Glenmo. I'd give the edge to the QR on the nose. The palate of the QR comes across as more sour in comparison to the Arran. There's more wood with a somewhat more tannic and bitter finish. The palate of the Arran is brighter, fruitier, and overall a bit more flavorful. I'm sure the bump in proof helps here. There is perhaps a better balance of the fruit and oak in the QR, but I prefer the palate of the Arran. The finish of the Arran shows some spicy ginger, which I enjoy in Arran's malt, and the flavor lingers a little more. Overall, the Arran comes out on top, but there's a significant difference in price around here. I bought the QR for $39 and the Arran for $72. And for that difference, I'd say that I'd be more likely to repeat the QR than buy the Arran again. Also, I think this is my least favorite of the Arran finishes, so I'd be more inclined to buy the Sauternes or Amarone again.

Blind high proof bourbon sample from @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Cherry on the nose, along with ethanol. On the palate caramel, cherry, cinnamon. The finish seems to go a bit funky, but overall pretty good. I think the cherry gives this one away as a BT product. It's gotta be the Benchmark FP, because I don't recall any other BT bourbons on the list. Of course, the WFP got snuck in, so maybe there's something else I'm not considering. Let's see - Benchmark Full Proof it is. This is a great value. Wish this was available around here. Not complex, not super interesting, but easy to drink if you like high proof bourbon. Thanks to BOL for the sample!

Blind high proof bourbon sample number four from @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Lighter nose than the previous 3. Apple, butterscotch, vanilla, cherry. Creamy butterscotch palate, vanilla, apple. Really not sure what this could be. Removing the blue tape reveals...Weller Full Proof. I don't remember this one being in the mix. In fact, of the ones I've tried so far, I think I've only had one that I had actually asked to try. So I'm in the big bonus here. Quite generous of BOL to send all these fabulous pours. This one has been on my wishlist, so super excited to have been able to try. And it lives up to the hype. I wouldn't have imagined this was as much better than OWA than it is.

Peanut shell on the nose. Flambeed banana, honey, vanilla. The palate is much richer than the nose suggests to me. More along the lines of peanut brittle. Flambeed banana with caramel sauce. Orange peel, then cherry. Some nice oaky notes on the back end. Tobacco. Another thank you to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for the sample.

Nose: vanilla, smoky oak, orange peel, toasted caramel. Palate much the same. Deeply oaky. Some pepper on the finish. Favorite so far of the three I've tried. Deep, dark, rich. I have no idea what this might be. Maybe a sourced Heaven Hill again, although I'm now feeling less and less confident in my guesses. Big Kentucky thank you to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for the sample!

Second blind barrel proof bourbon sample from @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington The nose is bourbon, good bourbon. After really whiffing on my guess for the last sample, I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not really smelling Old Forester funk, but there's something there that feels familiar. On the palate, it seems like it's there too. This one has a good bit of burn to it. Gonna add a splash of water. Water helps here. The nose is softer, more vanilla, butterscotch. A little cherry on the palate is starting to hit me more like a Buffalo Trace product. But it's got more musty wood than I've experienced in any BT bourbons. The last sip reminded me of Elijah Craig Uncut. Is this something from Heaven Hill? I don't remember there being an ECBP in the mix. It’s good, but for me needs a little water. Like the last one I tried, I like this one a lot, but I wouldn’t necessarily sell the farm to buy one.

Beginning to work through a number of blinded samples of high proof bourbons, very generously provided by @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Blind tasting from sample. Getting a Wild Turkey or more likely Old Forester funk on the nose. I think an OF was in the mix. Burnt sugar, vanilla, woody nose. The palate is full-flavored, vanilla, burnt caramel. Has to be Old Forester Barrel Proof, I'm sure of it. I'll be shocked if it's not. I think it's really good bourbon, but it also doesn't blow me away, especially since I see these being sold regularly for 150+. It's better than my bottle of Elijah Craig Uncut, but not as good as a good ECBP. Let's pull back the tape and see if I'm right. Embarrassingly wrong. Lux Row 12 Double Barrel. Apparently I don't know my Old Forester (or Lux Row) very well. Actually, looking at their offerings, I don't know that I've had any Lux Row product. Apparently, blind tasting high proof bourbon is humbling for this amateur palate. Anyway, thank you for the sample BOL!

I don't often pay much attention to the "expert review" here, but the notes there are pretty good. The nose is caramel apple, brown sugar, peanut, sweet tobacco. I could see saltwater taffy, as noted by the expert. The palate carries much the same. The back end shows some nice oakiness which is well balanced against the sweetness up front. I think it's an improvement over the last batch, but still doesn't live up to my favorite so far, which has been A121. These always seem to be very good to great and this one doesn't disappoint. Great value, 12-year age statement barrel proof bourbon, purchased under $70. Going with the same score I gave the last batch, but I'd have this one a hair ahead of it. 4.19 to B522's 3.88.

On the nose I’m struck initially with minerally and musty, very unexpected from my prior experiences with Balvenie. There’s an element that reminds me of Dickel whiskey. Then apricot, honey, and oddly watermelon rind, followed by vanilla and oak. The palate carries much of the same. The finish is notable for some of the barrel spices you typically find in bourbon. I don’t know that I like this better than the 12 Doublewood. It’s more interesting and the spicy finish is nice, but the Doublewood is such an easy drinker. Update: each subsequent taste has me liking this less and less. Maybe my bottle was spoiled somehow, because there's something sour and off-putting about this. Score is falling. Dropping a full point and could go lower. Update 2: either my bottle was spoiled somehow, or I have a genetic taste thing like people who taste soap in cilantro, but I quite dislike this. The sour funk seems to keep growing.