Tastes

Taste: 1 oz. neat in glen cairn Nose: (3.75) A bit more ethanol than I would have expected at 110 proof. There are traditional notes of vanilla, candy-corn, caramel with some new oak in the background. I also detected a mustiness similar to what is found in most Wild Turkey. It was interesting and not off putting. Palate (4.25) Nice buttery mouthfeel that is sweet and coating without being cloying. The vanilla and candy corn play through. That mustiness is gone, I almost would have liked it to remain so I could explore it more. A taste of fresh peanut shells comes through almost like some of the Jim Beam products have- super good here. I did get a bit of fresh oak that may have revealed some of the spirit's youth. Overall: If the creators of New Riff have left some of this to age for another year or two....watch out because it could he extraordinarily good. I found it pleasant, interesting, traditional but with an edge to it. I am definately going to keep this one on my future radar because I am thinking when this juice stays in the barrel a year or two longer it will move from good to special

Taste: 1 oz. neat in glen cairn at room temp. then 2 drops water. Nose: (4) Initially out of the bottle I couldn't find a discernable nose. Takes a little coaxing and some air but patience pays dividends as after 5 mins. it blooms. You inhale grape jam, peanuts, and honeysuckle. Really good balance between sweet and floral. Palate: (4) Rich and creamy. The peanuts even out to a peanut brittle. The "jaminess" is still there and pepper kicks in on the back palate. The pepper was unexpected as the nose and initial taste give no hint of the back end. As quick as it comes is as fast as it leaves. A decent flavor pop. Finish: (4.25) Finish stood out for me. As delicate as this whisky initially smells and upon its initial palate is as rugged as the finish is. The finish is all Beam. Overall: Pleasant surprise to me. I am not in the know on Japanese whisky and the whole blending thing made me a skeptic, but if this is the wave of the future, I say thumbs up! Five stars for interesting as this one is a bit of chameleon so I bumped the overall to 4.25. Starts out gentle, kicks you in the taste buds like a Bookers albeit at much lower proof, but remains sophisticated. I like it. Good pick

Taste: Neat in glen cairn glass, then 3 drops of water. Nose (2.5): Very sweet and doughy. Almost medicinal and pungent. Very yeasty and fruity. Nose kind of turned me off. Palate: (3.25) Bready and sweet with some rye and a hint of marshmallow. Some candycorn is on the back end. Better than the nose, but not my favorite rye whiskey. Finish (2.0): Some spice comes through but that sweetness from the nose overwhelms the finish. The fruity yeast is overwhelming. Reminds me of a pizza kitchen. Overall: I was disappointed overall. Too sweet, almost medicinally so on the nose. The taste improved a bit but still too yeasty.

Tasting: Neat in glen cairn and then with 3 drops of water. Proofed at 109.4. Nose: (4.0) Chocolatey and rich. Spicier with some ethanol, and cereal. The nose tells you this dram is no fooling. Whiff harder and there is some butterscotch notes in the background Palate (4.5): A bit spicy at first, a bit of water really opens up some great flavors. Chocolate and cereal are dominant, but then I get some orange marmalade and ginger snap cookie with that. The mouthfeel is very coating and oily. This is an incredibly rich rye. Finish (4.25): The palate follows through to a nice long finish. Some oak pops towards the end and really stays with you. The spiciness turns sweeter and a bit of smoke pops Really enjoyable. Overall: This is super good. I can't believe this is only a four year old! It is rich and tasty, finishes long and allows you to really taste the barrel. I did not get the brine others spoke of, but I did get the spucy sweet notes. I paid 54.00 for this bottle and got a secind right sway.

I like to come back to a bottle. Sometimes it gets better, worse, or same. This one got better. Spicy, vanilla, spearmint comes out a bit more and nice and chewy. Some will say it is a bit hot. My advice- One rock and sip away

Taste: Neat in glen cairn Nose: (3.5) Nose is light, I wanted more. First thing that hit me was vanilla custard and cherries. Very pleasing but I wanted more of it. Really had to dig deep. This is more like a refined light nose instead of jumping out of the glass. Did pique my curiosity. Palate (4.0): The vanilla custard is there and the cherries go to the background. The palate is much spicier than the nose. A hit of white pepper and mandarin oranges jump out at you then dissipates quickly. Made me go, hmmm pleasant surprise. Mouthfeel coats well and a bit oily. All and all I like it. Finish: (4.5) Man that's smooth. Medium and lingers like orange-cream soda. Overall: I won this one on a bet with a buddy and it was his pick for me. It is a creamy vanilla, cherry, and orange example of how bourbons can be different from traditional but be very good. My biggest complaint was that the nose was a little timid. I loved the vanilla custard but I had to really search. From my understanding Noah's Mill is this same bourbon but at at higher proof. Definately makes me want to try that. This is a definate behind the bar pick and I am glad I won my bet!

Taste: Neat in glen cairn Nose: (3) Initially alot of ethanol on the nose but then it disappears. Lots of vanilla and spice. Some younger wood notes. Reminescent of a wood shop but in a good sort of your grandpa is building something by hand in the shop and you are helping him out type of way. Nose is a bit young. Palate (3.75): Spice and vanilla forward with cinnamon like red-hot candies. Offers a sweetness but not cloyingly or artificial. Not bad, the palate is better than the nose. Addition of water helped the cinnamon settle down a little and opened up some sweet cherry. Finish (3.5): A bit thin and dry is my biggest complaint. Stays woody on the mid palate. The saw dust from grandpa's woodshop takes over a bit. Oak blooms with a warming finish that seems better than its proof. Overall: I would have liked to see MGP pick one bourbon, give it time in the barrel, and come up with a bourbon barrel proof offering like they did with the rye Rossville Union which I very much enjoyed. I think the blending of some older whiskeys with younger ones made this a tad disjointed. It plays a bit young and woody on the back end, but the pieces for a great one are all there, just a little underdeveloped and maybe not enough mesh. I would not kick it off the shelf at the 29/bottle price because it is a quality juice and will be nice for sipping or mixing. The dry finish and the "sand" in the name though will bring a bit of comparison when sipping with bourbon friends. Five stars for the old timey bottle and steam train reference. Reminds me of the show "Hell on Wheels."

Revisited this one tonight after bottle being open for awhile. As much as it hurts I have to drop the rating a bit. Not enough "wow" factor on the nose. Although the palette and finish is fun and changing, it is a bit dead and misses a higher proof I think. Finish is still pretty kick ass though. $129 good? Nah. Tasty Wild Turkey with history to it-- for sure.

Nose (2.5): Kind of boozy grape and some vanilla with a little spice. Didn't do much for me. Palate (2.75) Vanilla, grape, perhaps some dark chocolate, and a little spice. Very oily mouth feeling. I may have gotten a bit of coriander towards the end but that was it. Seemed like it was a good idea that never came together. Finish (2.75): Kind of oily still. Best way to describe finish for me would be rye bread drenched in a flat cherry coke. Again, there are flavors here but not put together well. Reminded me of buying something and being excited to put it together, but when you get it home you find the essential parts are missing. There are some flavors but it lacks cohesion.

Nose (3.75): Very soft not alot going on here. Maybe some carmel and maple syrup. Not a bad nose but kind of just sits there. Palate (4.25): Maple syrup, pancakes, and butter. I liked it. Definately a sweeter bourbon but it tastes like a hearty breakfast. It is not complex but it is inviting. Much better than the nose. Finish (4.0): Leaves with a puff of smoke but not a natural smokiness. Almost like that liquid smoke. It is oaky and lingers but the "liquid smoke" kind of turned me off. It isn't bad, not my favorite but I could see you liking it if you are in the mood to have your hotcakes and syrup in a glass. 20 years may have been too long in the barrel because this is a bit timid for me. This would benefit greatly in a higher proof. The flavors just are not there for me.