Tastes
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Ironroot Republic Texas Straight Corn Whiskey 2020 Single Cask #4 (Lost Lantern)
Corn — Texas, USA
Reviewed March 12, 2022 (edited March 23, 2022)Water was definitely needed to tame this beast. Added some water, tasted, then added some more water. Big buttercream frosting, butterscotch, creme brulee, apple, cinnamon. Spicy barrel on the back end. I like the buttery front of the palate on this, but I prefer the finish on the other LL Ironroot. This hits me as fairly similar to the Balcones True Blue Cask Strength, but better. Overall, I do think I like the other Lost Lantern Ironroot better, but this is really good too. Another winner, @ctbeck11 - thank you again! -
Ironroot Republic Texas Straight Bourbon Single Cask #10 (Lost Lantern)
Bourbon — Texas, USA
Reviewed March 10, 2022 (edited March 23, 2022)Compared to the Harbinger, this hits me as much more similar to something from Kentucky. Caramel apple, cherry, cinnamon. Not picking up any of the funk that I did in the Harbinger. There's oak, but it's not overly tannic or overbearing, which can sometimes be the case in these Texas whiskies. If I were drinking this blind, I would've guessed this is 1792 Full Proof, which I haven't actually tried, but it tastes like what I think 1792 FP should taste like. Thanks once again to @ctbeck11 for this sample. Really enjoyable pour. Planning to make a trip soon to the distillery and hope I can find something that tastes like this one. -
Blanton's Single Barrel Black Edition
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed March 9, 2022 (edited September 28, 2022)Watery Blanton's. The Buffalo Trace sweetness sticks out. A little barrel char. Not a lot of flavor. It's in the same ballpark as Basil Hayden, although it seems like the BH was maybe a little better. -
Hazelburn 13 Year Oloroso Cask Matured
Single Malt — Campbeltown, Scotland
Reviewed March 8, 2022 (edited March 23, 2022)For whatever reason, this smells more Springbanky than the 10 year, with a thick layer of fruit, cherry, apple, orange. It's one of the more impressive noses I've experienced on a scotch. The palate is just as impressive, with all the syrupy fruit enveloping the malt. There's a little of the Springbank funk that makes this much more than a sherry bomb, the sherry balanced with the salty, funky Springbankness. The 50.3 ABV gives some nice warmth on the finish. Really enjoyable whisky. Thank you for the opportunity to try this treat @ctbeck11! -
Honey, pear, malty, something savory, enough complexity to keep it interesting. I don't have Arran 10 on hand, but it reminds me more of the Arran than Springbank. Really enjoyable dram. Could definitely see picking this one up at the right price, although it looks like the Arran is quite a bit more economical around here. Thank you @ctbeck11 for the sample. Seems like your box keeps delivering winners for me.
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The Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey
Rye — Victoria, Australia
Reviewed March 7, 2022 (edited July 19, 2022)I totally bought this for the marketing. It's got a nice-looking bottle and I love the name. I didn't have high expectations for the whiskey, although it seems some have been pleasantly surprised by this. The nose is reminiscent of wet grass, something medicinal, green wood, and maybe apple. The palate has more sweetness than expected given the nose, and some herbal rye notes come through, but the youth of this 2-year old rye stands out. I'd really like to try this at 4 or 6 years old, as it seems too green now. Great marketing though, so I hope the whiskey catches up. -
Bardstown Bourbon Co. Château de Laubade Armagnac Finish
Bourbon — Indiana (bottled in Kentucky), USA
Reviewed March 6, 2022 (edited December 4, 2022)Holy moly! Pulled this sample from a box from @pkingmartin without knowing anything about it. Based on the name, I assumed it was a sourced bourbon aged in cognac, but didn't have especially high expectations. Worried it might be Dickel. But the nose on this immediately made me believe this is special. Before even taking a sip, I knew I had to pull down some of my favorites to compare. The nose jumps out of the glass with caramel and deep sweet wood, dried fruit, apple, maybe orange peel. The depth on the nose beats my current cabinet-favorite Russell's Reserve 13. The palate follows suit with the caramel, fruit, and wood. There's a nice balance between the sweet and bitter on the finish. I'm a WT fan, so I may be overrating the RR13, but I think they're a draw on the palate, and the finish on the RR may have a slight edge. Overall, that sounds like a draw to me, so I have to give this a 5. This is really incredible stuff and wish it was something I could find to enjoy more of. Thank you @pkingmartin for tossing this extra in the box, as it wasn't one that I even thought to want to try. This was a real treat to be able to taste! -
I found the mash bill as 55% Blue Corn, 32% Texas Rye, 7% Specialty Ryes and 6% Golden Promise Malted Barley. I'm guessing the "specialty rye" is the chocolate malted, as there's a lot of similarity to the regular release rye with the chocolate note standing out. Unfortunately, it also seems to come with the same funky note that doesn't really work for me. Vanilla, milk chocolate, roasted jalapeno, and maybe a wet grassy funk. I like this better than the regular release rye from Balcones, but not by a lot. Was expecting something more similar to the Blue Corn Bourbon, which is especially tasty. This won't be a rebuy from me. Will set my sights next on trying to track down their Wheated Bourbon. Update: I don't know if my palate is off tonight or if this has improved substantially. I'm not getting the vegetal pepper and off-note funk now, but more a chocolatey bourbon that I had hoped for when I bought this, and I'm digging it more now. We'll see if this is a palate issue, but this may be getting a bump in stars. Update 2: It's definitely better. The funky jalapeno/green pepper note isn't completely gone, but the chocolate stands out more and the funk seems diminished. Bumping a quarter point.
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From a generous box of samples from @pkingmartin The nose reminds me a little of the infamous Icelandic Floki. There is some funk that makes me think this was named after the wrong perineal anatomy, although this is better by a good margin. I actually think I like it more than pking, but it's not great. There's very little wood for 20 years. Yes on the berries and farmyard funk. I don't know what this cost, but I think ultimately it's a schwing and a miss for a 20-year old whiskey. I'd rather have Dickel.
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Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C921
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 26, 2022 (edited April 15, 2023)I'm not generally that impressed with wheated bourbons, although I understand the appeal - they're easy to drink, but similar to Irish whiskies, I find them often a little bit boring. Batches C920 And C921 were consumed consecutively rather than side-by-side. When I poured the first I wasn't thinking I was going to have more than one sample. The 920 was good but didn't leave an exceptionally strong impression. Pretty classic wheated bourbon flavors, although amped up with the barrel proof. The 921, however, was really nice. I’m not sure I can put my finger on what made the 921 stand out, but it’s one I wouldn’t mind having more of to figure it out. Thank you for the samples @ctbeck11
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