Tastes

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

It's better than the bourbon, and I think by a good margin. The nose is fairly similar to the bourbon. The palate has more sweetness with rye herbal spiciness. It's a decent rye, but at 60 bucks you can get some of the better ryes available. Glad to try, but I won't be a buyer.

Peanut, green apple, and a little fingernail-polish remover on the nose. Not much sweetness on the palate, especially for a bourbon. Fairly thin. Some rye spice on the back end. This does not pass the better-than-12-dollar-bourbon test, Evan Williams BiB is better. I was expecting a lot more from this. Pretty disappointing. Thankfully, this was just a sample, as I won't be a buyer.

Whiskey night tasting, tasted blind, very small sample. This tastes like a decent bourbon, but it doesn't seem to have anything that makes it stand out, at least not in this format. I'd like to try it again, but at the price this appears to sell for, I'm not a buyer.

Whiskey night tasting, tasted blind, very small sample. I correctly guessed this as a blended scotch, but couldn't identify it. Smooth like a blend, a little touch of peat. Hit me kind of like a Johnnie Walker product. Fairly unremarkable, not something I'd go looking for.

Whiskey night tasting, tasted blind, very small sample. I guessed this one correctly as a Speysider. Quite light in flavor, didn't really pick up much sherry. This is fine, but it's not something I'd seek out.

Whiskey night tasting, tasted blind, very small sample. This was among my top 3 tasted that night. MGP rye with some barrel finishing. Tasted like a classic rye, herbal, dill, with some nice sweetness, which I'm sure is coming from the port finish. I could see being a buyer in the low 30s.

Whiskey night tasting with friends. Very small sample, tasted blind. This was the crowd favorite among a group that leans toward more novice whiskey drinkers. It was a puzzle to me. I thought it was a rye, then thought it might be a rum. Quite sweet, which must come from the double-barreling. Obviously didn't come across like a bourbon to me from the small taste. It's a four-grain bourbon said to be distilled in Texas (not sure exactly where) and barreled and aged in Oklahoma. I had been skeptical of this one and hadn't anticipated being a buyer, but the small taste got me curious, so I may have to buy one to explore it some more. Edit: spending some more time with this one with a proper-sized sample. The nose is full of cedar box, some caramel. The palate has some nice sweetness, somewhat thinner. The woody cedar note shows up on the finish. There’s some rye spice in there and a kind of molasses note, which is what I was probably mistaking for rum. It’s a little funky, and more akin to a Texas bourbon, which makes sense since that’s where it was distilled, and the Oklahoma climate where it was aged is basically the same as north Texas. Interesting whiskey, I think it’s decent, although I don’t think you’re getting a great value at the price it sells for. If they could get this closer to 35, it’d be more compelling.

Cygnus single barrel from Molly's. Similar ABV as the bottle noted above (I didn't care to add a separate entry). I really enjoy the MGP high rye mash bill, so this one works for me. I'd say it's something of a commodity though, so I'd go find the cheapest option with the oldest age from whichever NDP you can find. Not sure what this cost, but this is a fine example. Other Stellum single barrels I've seen have been in the 5 year range, and I'd guess this is similar. I like this better than Belle Meade Reserve, so I'll put this a quarter point above it.