Tastes

Nose- tobacco/cigar box, leather book, and vanilla. A deliciously good nose. Palate- oily and coating. The taste is full and sweet with a mouthful of chewy toffee, followed by a hint of milk chocolate and nougat. Finish- Finish is medium and pops with some oakiness at the end. Overall- First, regular Blanton's does not impress me. I have always felt it to be a bit thin and one note. I have always preferred Elmer T. Lee to it. This however is SOoooo much better. The extra proof points really help it. Everything hits the right spot. Is it a good value? No. Is it a good bourbon? Absolutely yes!

Nose- warm banana nut bread, drizzle of maple syrup, and a touch of smoke. Palate- enters with a bit of baking type spice. All-spice comes to mind with a hint of clove. The flavors then gets fruitier with some ripe, dark berries covered in caramel. The mouthfeel is coating and soothing- like a well intended cough drop but without the medicinal flavor. Goes out on a hint of brown sugar. Finish- nice long finish here. That banana bread and maple syrup all swirled in gentle smokiness lingers. Really well done! Overall- This unfortunately sat and sat in the back of my liquor cabinet while the other trendier stuff came and went. This though is a stunner of a bottle. It is amazing what this recipe--held out for longer period of time yields! You can feel the Old #7 roots, but this is just so much fuller and tastier. I have liked almost every JD limited I have tried (the Rye didnt wow me as ot had a waxy, artificial note) and I think some of those gold label single barrel, barrel proofs are among some of the best and available whiskey out there. This just hits most of he right spots for me. The proof is perfect, the balance from spice to sweet may be just a bit off as initially that spice REALLY comes in hard, but is like a nice old friend. Can't wait to compare the 12 yr.

***Update to my original tasting** Wow did this get better with some air. After sitting with some headspace for a couple months this just knocked my socks off! I got the tart, fruitiness that the expert experienced. An almost fresh picked strawberry uniqueness to it. The addition of a bit of water really made this a great sip. Time took a good bottle and made it even better

Taste- neat in glen cairn. This is batch 14 at 112 proof. Nose- A wonderful old leather book cover hits you first. Then a touch of ripe berries followed by traditional caramel. In the background is something more vegetable that reminds me of edame before a nice sushi dinner Palate- opens up with a pop of pepper and that leather book mustiness. I love that note! This dissipates to a bit of savoriness. After the more fiery notes give way, I get some underlying butterscotch candy. Finish- long finish, but not overstated. Those tangy berry notes hold on, and the edame comes back around to help the exit. Overall- This was a very pleasant surprise for me. Normally I am not a fan of the 4 grains in one mashbill. That "off the silo floor" malty taste wrecks my experience. This however enhanced the interest. I found it big, bold, enough to be traditional bourbon, but different enough to keep me interested. Definately a bottle that will create much conversation with friends. As you can see with my description, this would be a banger when paired with a nice sushi dinner. Leave the Sake on the shelf as this would make a super pairing

Taste- 2 oz neat in rocks glass at Cornerstone Tap in Lemont IL. Nose- sweet candied orange, baker's chocolate, all-spice, and clove. Palate is rich with a deliciously good viscosity. This is one to really sink your teeth into. Upon entry I get a big pop of spice which then quickly is balanced by sweeter fruit flavors, maple sugar, and candied orange chocolate almost like the fruit jellys you get in a World's Finest Assortment box. There is also something herbal going on as well, like musty black tea or perhaps some drying tobacco. Its a nice sip. Finish- is long and perhaps a tad too sweet. Definately get the rum here. It lingers on the palate and then fades to milk chocolate. Overall- this is a delicious finished rye. It has a lot going on. Sweet, herbal, spicy, rich are all words that come to mind. Here is the rub though- is it that much better or different than Angel's Envy Finished Rye? My answer in a word- no. I did not find $400 of anything better vs AE finished rye. I found a tad more punch, a few more layers, but it was in that ball park. I was lucky to run into a bar or bartender who didnt know what they had, or was simply being overly kind to a customer at $25.00 for a 2 oz. neat pour. I wouldnt splurge for anything more above that price to be honest. Good dram? Yes. A have to have? No