Tastes

NOSE: cocoa powder, biscuits, raspberries and barbecue PALATE: toffee, chocolate, cinnamon, red berries, barley, with a touch of peat to round it off FINISH: even more chocolate Delicious and clearly a product of a distillery doing it old-school

Nose: lightly peaty (much lighter than I was expecting) and DARK. I mean chocolate, and dark fruits (raisins, prunes, and also orange), burnt campfire wood Palate: Woah. The light and nuanced (but very pleasant) nose is followed by an absolute bomb of flavor. Medium-strong campfire smoke followed by a tasty sweetness. The fruitiness persists along with caramel and nuts. Finish: EXTREMELY LONG and oily. Salted caramel and freshly roasted almonds, along with bitter chocolate and coffee grounds dry out the finish leading to the next sip. Water: Completely changed when water was added. The fruitiness subsided, only to be replaced by chocolate, coffee, almonds, and a sugary glaze. This must be what they meant when they described marshmallows by a campfire. Unbelievable with or without water. My Rating: 5/5 -- I’m in awe. What a perfect balance of smoke and sweet. I took a risk grabbing this one when the peatiest single-malt I’ve had up to this point was Talisker 10. This takes everything I enjoyed in Talisker and kicks it up to well beyond 11, and adds in the darker flavors I prefer in a whisky (like chocolate and dark fruits). Flavors of fruit, sweet, and smoke are boosted, but because they are all elevated, they still balance each other out beautifully, leading to an even more full experience. And this was before I even added water. You could almost call it a different whisky when you add water, as it sacrifices the fruitiness for the dark chocolate and glaze. This could be the most complex whisky I’ve ever tasted so far, and I am beyond elated that I grabbed this on a whim. Excited for what else I’ll discover with this, as it has become my hands-down favorite whisky (of any category). My strongest DOUBLE GOLD.

Upon opening the bottle, this was extremely similar to the standard Four Roses Single Barrel (with maybe a touch more orange zest), that I thought the two would be almost indistinguishable. A couple days with aeration changed all that and made it immediately more complex and interesting. The store pick I had (Rickhouse F, floor 5) opens up with loads of cinnamon spice and brown sugar, eventually giving way to vanilla, caramel, and even sweet apples and cloves. It gave me exactly what I was looking for. The finish is pleasantly warming, but never overly hot, and it just keeps going. Unlike other high proof bourbons I’ve tasted, this one does not burn the eyes when you sip it, but you can still tell you’re not dealing with a low proof whiskey. I can honestly say this has become my favorite bourbon thus far. If you’re a fan of cinnamon, as I am, specifically look for Rickhouse F.

Beautiful nose. Like a bouquet of caramel, vanilla and honey. On the palate, it sipped lower than its proof. Loads of spice, light vanilla and toffee sweetness. Finished with dark chocolate, rye spice, and cherries. Water made it much more aggressive, so add it if you’re looking to get punched. Overall a very solid rye