Tastes

Taste: 2 oz. Neat in glen cairn, then with three drops. Appearance: dark amber with thicker, slower running legs. Thanks to msewell16 for sending the sample. Nose: This punches you in the face! It is strong, bold, initially heavy with ethanol, then loads of oak, brown sugar, and caramel. With a few drops of water the fruitier notes come through. Think apple pie and struesel here. Palate: when neat, the flavors are very condensed. Very oaky but a few drops of water unlock apple baked brown betty, red michigan apple peel, and vanilla all covered in brown sugar glaze. Addition of water makes this one turn from just being a strong high proofed, oaky bourbon, to making you remember apple pies cooling on a fall day with the windows wide open! Bourbon that can evoke a pleasant memory is a worthwhile bourbon in my book. Finish: warming and long. Makes you blush a bit as that warmth works its way upward. My only hit against it is that it is a bit woodshoppy on the end note. Some may like that send-off, kind of gave me splinters. Overall: I must confess I was not a big fan neat. It was just too strong, hot, full of oak, but you could tell that sweeter stuff was in there, you just had to fine tune it. 2 drops of water and this is a different bourbon entirely. It is everything you want in a barrelproof bourbon but only if you work hard at it. I find this with most Bookers and I love that challenge! If you are simply popping the top and pouring a glass you are not getting to what Booker's is really about-- choosing your own adventure and tuning in to unlock unlimited potential!

Taste: 2 oz. neat in Glen cairn glass. This is a 2019 bottling. Nose: Oak forward with some nice dark orchard fruits and granny-Smith apple. There is a browned butter aroma that I want more of. Enticing nose that announces that this is likely to be a very good pour. My "last few drops" nosing (always like to do this to confirm my initial nose and capture anything I missed as it evaporates a bit from the glass) gives some of that delicious cherry. Palate: It is oaky, but not tannic. It is buttery but not oily. Those nice red fruits coupled with the sourness of green apple play nicely together. I also get some smokey char best described as an almost smokehouse vibe. Very inviting and a note I have not picked up on in other EC offerings. Finish: Long an pleasantly warming with oak, smoke, caramel, red apple, and cigar box. The finish here is where the age shines. The edges are polished and the finish superb for its 90 proof. Overall: Delightful bottle of bourbon. That said, at 150.00 srp is it worth the price of admission? In my mind, not so fast. Keep in mind that 2 ECBP's will cost you 60 each! That is 2 1/2 for the price of 1. I think although the extra 6 years rounds out the edges, and imparts a few more notes, by comparison it is not BIG and BOURBONY like it's 12 yr old sibling, lacks the richness of higher proof, and doesn't have that special buttery texture you get in the younger version. Don't get me wrong, I love it in my collection, but it re-affirmed my theory that older and more expensive is not always better.

Appearance: rose and straw like with thin quick legs. Nose: Ethanol, dill, and saltwater taffy. The nose is very faint. Palate: There is a medicinal quality to it almost like isopropyl alcohol initially. This is a young tasting one for sure with a bit of chocolate. The palate is a bit more rich than the nose but this lacks substance for me. Needs more time in the barrel for sure. Finish: Quick and unfulfilling. The medicine taste lives on! Overall- Not the worst rye I have ever had but far from the best. It is young and has a distinct rubbing alcohol note that I just can't dismiss. So many better ones out there for the price. Old Forester Rye, Wheel Horse and WT101 Rye to name a few in the under 30.00 range that are way better than this one.

Taste: 2 oz. Neat in Glen Cairn. Then 3 drops of water. Appearance: reddish amber hue, with slow running, thinner to medium legs. Nose: Vanilla is front and center with some fresh woodshop, and ethanol that dissipates to reveal warm rye bread with a hint of caraway seed. Palate: Brown butter, brown sugar come in after a pop of heat hits you. This is a spicy beast that is rough around the edges and is unabashedly in your face. There is a bit of bitterness and that is where I detect a flaw, albeit minor, and for what this is, might even add to its character. Finish: Medium finish, a bit dry with notes of wood followed by butterscotch. It is good finish, not great finish. There is a bit of smokiness too, almost like a bbq smoke. Overall: Shout out to my friends in Arizona Whiskey Community for recommending this as this is a good one. If you are looking for a polished edges whiskey.....not this. BUT if you are not against embracing what I call a "man man's whiskey," this is it. It is strong, upfront, flavorful, and in your face. For it's rougher edges....which may have to do with aging or lack thereof, it is a fine example of mgp high rye bourbon whiskey. I am often used to recommending to those who haven't experienced rye to try a rye that drinks like a bourbon (51% rye, barely legal rye) first and then ease into the category. This is the other way around....a bourbon that drinks like a rye so dive in! Definitely would recommend this one.

Tasting: 2 oz. Neat in Glen Cairn this is Binny's Pick#5, high rye (36%) with yeast #3, distillate origin unknown, but likely Four Rose's by contract. A delicious nose of caramel, strawberry, and orchard fruits. The palate is like juicy fruit gum. It is very well done. It is coating but not thick, sweeter but not cloying. There is a delightful note at the end of ripe summer peach that transitions into the finish that is long and lasting. Overall: This is a winner. Normally I am iffy about Bulleit. I don't like that they often mislead the origin of the distillate, and their business practices give me pause.... but this is about whiskey, not about feelings. Given the fact that Bulleit uses 3 different yeasts, and a few different recipes this is suspiciously close to a 4rs OBSO single barrel in overall profile. I know it isn't exactly the same because the mashbills are not exactly the same.....BUT given that Bulleit's contract distiller historically has been Kirin (4rs) for bourbon, and mgp for rye, it fits the bill.....and this particular barrel could be better then some true OBSO single barrels I have had. This is an excellent bottle I am proud to have on the shelf. I can find little fault except I don't like the origin mystery, and it being NAS. Say what you are and wear it with pride, because this is damned good bourbon!

Sipped neatly in a 2oz Glen cairn. Nice vanilla, cherry, oak, and a puff of smoke. A bit thin, but it is what you would expect at 90 proof. This is a really nice "value rye." Has less spiciness then I am used to, but that's ok. In the world of inexpensive rye this is on par with Old Forester Rye although I lean to Old Forester Rye in that it offers more flavor layers. This entry bottle though makes me very much want to experiment with a single barrel or perhaps a barrel proof variant if they offer it.

Tasting- 2 oz neat pour, this is Binny's 2020 release finished in Meade cask finish. Source is confirmed as MGP Indiana Nose: Cereal bar dominates, some honey, and dill. There is a distinct rye seed in the background. It is a pronounced nose that will be hit or miss,no inbetween. Taste: Spice hits you upfront and quickly gives way to fresh strawberry and honey. There is a grapiness on the back end and a bit of seeded rye bread. Finish: Holiday spice cake is what I get tempered by raisin and for days. Honey is in the background but not like a floral or clover honey. I wouldn't say it finishes like a fruit cake.... because NOBODY likes fruit cake, but it reminds you of that without the chewiness. Overall: I was pleasantly surprised. I am usually suspect of Whistlepig offerings because the sourcing is so ambiguous....sometimes Alberta, sometimes Indiana, sometimes bits of their own. These 12 year finished versions are very upfront with that and this one was 100% Indiana (MGP). That said it does have a dill on the nose for sure.....traditional MGP rye, love it, hate it but expect it. What really got me though was the flash of spice and then the smooth rich sweetness that followed. The finish on this was well done. The price is another factor. At 119.99 MSRP this is steep. I understand the age and the extra finishing barrel though. I can justify this and will use it among my fireside chat whiskey, equivalent to the way I regard Midwinter Night's Dram-- induces sweet dreams.

I tasted this as a 2 oz pour neat in a glen cairn. What immediately stuck out to me was the nose. There is a sweet, cherry and oak marriage that is delightful. The palate is on the sweeter side but not overwhelming. There is an initial blast of heat and then a really nice berries and cream flavor followed by a butterscotch finish. A dash of water releases some nutmeg and allspice and enhances the oak. Nicely done. Overall- I was impressed. That said $200 is a hefty price to pay. I think that the nice wood box swallows up some of that. I appreciated the fullness and the sweetness balanced by the spice. Reminded me very much of some of the Barrel Proof Rye I enjoy- Michters Barrel Proof immediately came to mind. Price being a factor, it brings what would be a 4.5 for me down to a 4.0.

Taste: This is Kenwood Liquors Barrel #12-1171. 1.5 oz neat in tasting glen cairn Nose: (3.5) Dusty corn and cream soda on the nose. There is also some spearmint but a bit artificial like those jellied spearmint leaf candies. There is a sweetness about it but not sickingly so. It does smell like this will be a younger offering but is well assembled, offers me the notion that there will be a bit to unpack here. Palate: (3.25) Thicker viscosity and a waxiness. It is the waxy taste that you get from Vernor's Ginger Ale. It was interesting to me but could really be odd for others. This is a sweet whiskey. Really present is creamed corn or what one might also describe as corn pudding corn. Finish: (3.25) quicker, candy-like finish. Halloween candy corn is the dominant trait that you end on with the artificial spearmint leaf in the background. Overall- First, I am not usually a fan nor do I usually dabble in malted whiskey. Often they are too earthy and grainy for my taste. This one wasn't that way. Although it had some vegetable-like notes it did not give me that that "spilled on a dusty silo floor and hastily put back in the bottle" note that usually chases me off. The sweetness was another matter. This is very thick and candy-corn like! Definately is a dessert offering and will be well received by those with a sweet tooth. The strange jelly candy spearmint throws me off and seems kind of out of place. To me this is an odd-ball. You have to open your mind up to what it is, and what it isn't. It is not a traditional whiskey but it is a sweet, thick, young offering that makes interesting use of malt in the mashbill. It very much reminds me of Greg Metze's Old Elk. I don't hate or love it. It is simply different, but that doesn't make it bad. This piqued my interest.

May have been one of my favorite store picks of 2019. Tastes like a Heath Bar. If this were higher proof and had a bit more viscosity it would go from good to great! Figure in the price and I am kicking myself for not getting a case!