Tastes
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New Riff Kentucky Straight Rye Bottled In Bond
Rye — Kentucky , USA
Reviewed February 14, 2022 (edited April 29, 2022)This gives ongoing confirmation of my opinion that if you have a choice between a craft bourbon or rye from the same distillery, that the rye is likely to be the better option. I can't recall a newer distillery that puts out a better bourbon than rye. This particular rye is as easy drinking as they come. The sample I graciously recieved from the venerable @ctbeck11 is nearly gone before I have the opportunity to note some of the flavors I pick up. Minty, dill, caramel, balanced sweet and spice. This is pretty down-the-middle in terms of rye, but it's very well done. I'd be a regular buyer at the $35ish range it appears to go for. -
Ironroot Harbinger (115 Proof)
Bourbon — Texas, USA
Reviewed February 12, 2022 (edited February 18, 2024)The nose is a little funky, but the most prominent note for me is cornbread. Maybe a little bell pepper or even jalapeno. A little sweetness is there, but it's kind of funky. The palate continues with some funk, but the sweetness shows up more on the back end. The finish is my favorite part and lingers a while with really pleasant sweet flavor, with maybe even a little licorice. It's weird and different and distinctively Texas whiskey, but it works for me. Thank you for the sample, @ctbeck11 I already put a feeler out on a FB group if there is someone who'd be willing to trade for a bottle of OWA. -
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 12, 2022 (edited March 3, 2022)I like this a little better than Evan Williams Bottled in Bond. It's pretty standard fare for bourbon, has a lot of familiarity with other Buffalo Trace bourbons, but I prefer a number of their others over this one. I'm glad to have had a chance to try this before trying to hunt for this one and overpay. I think it's probably ok for SRP, although I'd rather have Four Roses Single Barrel for the same price, or WTRBB for a few bucks more. Thank you for the sample @ctbeck11 -
Bubble gum, vanilla, some spice - maybe cinnamon. No real off notes. This particular single barrel is 51.35 ABV. Doesn't hit me as significantly different than the BiB. Good to very good. Solid offering at 30-40 bucks. Beats the budget offerings from the major distillers. Better than average for craft bourbons. I'd be inclined to be a buyer at the right price if I run across it out of state (not distributed to Oklahoma). I'd really be interested if I could find a barrel at 55%+. Thank you for the sample @ctbeck11
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Widow Jane Lucky Thirteen Small Batch Bourbon (Fall 2021)
Bourbon — New York, USA
Reviewed February 11, 2022 (edited March 20, 2022)I've been sitting on this one for a bit thinking I might trade it. I had someone offer a bottle of Booker's, which I now regret not taking. The recent @pkingmartin review piqued my curiosity, as I had a pretty good experience with the 10 year, and thought this surely was a step up, and not just in price. I only paid about 41 dollars on this, so I figured it was worth that to give it a try, and it looks like I ended up thinking even less of it than Pking. It's both bland and off-putting at the same time. Bitter, thin, shows a strong vitamin note like a bad bottle of Dickel. I am certain that my rating is affected by the nagging thought that I could be sipping on Booker's instead of this, but I would say this is not only a horrible deal at SRP of $100, but it's a bad deal at the $40 I paid for it. Buy 4 bottles of WT101 and you'll be immensely more satisfied.41.0 USD per Bottle -
Wilderness Trail Bottled in Bond Small Batch Bourbon (High Rye Bourbon)
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 11, 2022 (edited June 16, 2022)It's pretty generic bourbon flavor and it shows a lot of youth. I've had better young craft bourbon and there are better mass-market bourbons at less than half the cost. Wild Turkey 101, OF100, and even EWBiB are better. This craft bourbon does not pass the better-than-$12 bourbon test. I will say though that their rye was really good from the small sample I had, but this one is a pass from me. Update: 2nd taste makes me think this is actually a little better than average. I still maintain that it's not better than EWBiB, however. -
Balcones True Blue Cask Strength
Corn — Texas, USA
Reviewed February 10, 2022 (edited July 28, 2022)Buttercream frosting, cotton candy, candy corn. A little Texas funk. The finish goes a little bitter. I think the Blue Corn bourbon is better, although the up-front sweetness of this one might make this more of a crowd-pleaser. The Blue Corn bourbon is more complex and interesting for my tastes. I'll enjoy this bottle, but I'll prefer to buy more Blue Corn when I can find it. Update: this does seem to be preferred by friends who are more novice whiskey drinkers. This is more approachable, the Blue Corn is more complex and interesting.55.0 USD per Bottle -
Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2021 FAE-02
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 9, 2022 (edited July 13, 2022)Haven't had much Maker's, so I can't really say how this compares to their regular offerings. This one comes with caramel, apple, oak, some chocolate, soft in the middle, with a little spicy finish. I had a small pour of OWA to compare and I like this a quarter to a half point better. The OWA came across as a little sour in comparison. I could see picking this one up if I come across it at SRP. I'm curious how it compares though to the regular cask strength, as I can find it around here for about $35. -
Barrell Dovetail (122.9 Proof)
Blended American Whiskey — (bottled in) Kentucky, USA
Reviewed February 8, 2022 (edited February 23, 2022)I’ve considered picking this up for some time, but was able to get a sample, and glad I did before buying. What I like about the Seagrass is that I can taste a bit of all of the secondary finishes, and they all play well with the rye. In this one, it seems like the balance is off, as the rum influence overpowers the other finishes. I have played with adding a little rum to some of my whiskies as a poor man’s take on rum-finished whiskey, and I’ve noticed that it takes very little to significantly change the experience. I have enjoyed this sample, but I don’t think I’ll be a buyer. -
Rossville Union Barrel Proof Straight Rye
Rye — Indiana , USA
Reviewed February 5, 2022 (edited September 30, 2022)It’s a classic battle of the “villes,” Rossville vs. Pikesville. I probably should’ve picked something with a more similar mashbill to compare, but since Pikesville is pound-for-pound one of my favorite ryes and maybe the best whiskey in the cabinet at 40 bucks and under, I decided to do a side-by-side of the 40$ Pikesville and the 60$ Rossville. On color alone, the Pikesville stands out as considerably darker. On the nose, the Rossville comes across as much more ryey, with the dill note jumping out of the glass. The palate follows suit with the strong herbal flavors, along with some cinnamon and orange. The Pikesville has more corny sweetness with the rye spice on the back end. I think the Rossville is nicely done. I like it. However, it’s pretty middle-of-the-road for rye and I feel like I’ve had this before, probably since MGP seems to supply half the whiskey I see on liquor store shelves. I really enjoy MGP, or Squibb and whatever, and I will surely continue to spend a lot of money on their whiskies, but I’m not buying this one, and not just because I like Pikesville better. For a more ryey profile at 60 bucks I’d rather buy Willett 4 year Rye, as it’s more interesting. I’d also prefer Wilderness Trail SiB at around the same price. If this was closer to 40$ I might be a buyer. Lastly, big thank you again to @ctbeck11 the sample. Glad to have been able to taste this without going out and buying a bottle and later wishing I had saved some money by buying Pikesville.
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