Tastes

Nose- Wonderful rye notes of dark rye bread, butter, and jam. The nose was fragrant and deep. Palate- warm buttered rye bread, a hint of rye seed, honey, and some wonderfully sweet milk chocolate to round it all out. This has an incredibly nice richness about it. My compliments to the chef on this one. Finish is long with some notes of clove and honey. Almost like a freshly baking ham. The warming is nice and gradually even. Overall- This one knocked my socks off. My expectations of a 4-5 year straight rye were not incredibly demanding going in. This bottle though made me stand up and take notice. The wonderfully warm flavors of butter, honey, and melting milk chocolate balanced by the rye and cloves really hit the mark. This was an older bottle brought by a friend. You can be darned sure I will be looking for another bottle of this Wisconsin based gem.

Nose- Butterscotch bliss! Reminds me of those delicious gold candies. It is so in your face you do not need any other note. Taste- This is a spectacular caramel and vanilla bomb. Think liquid bullseyes. It is boozy, yet no ethanol showing throw. This is a bottle you could get in trouble with. Finish: If there is a flaw, here it is. Some rough edges quickly tempered by 4 drops in a 2 oz pour. Without water it is a bit strong. With water..... peanut butter! Overall: This is a quality sip. If you can get it, get it! Water fine tunes it. This competes with all of the big boy releases for me. Sleeper bottle here

Nose- fruit and vanilla forward with a bit of barnyard hay. Palate- I enjoyed the vanilla flavors and the mouthfeel. Reminded me of vanilla custard pie. It was not complex, very straightforward, but at the same time a very contenting dram. Some peppery notes came in at the end of the sip. Finish- went out on that same vanilla custard note I came in on. Overall- I liked this one. It was kind of a one trick pony, but it did that trick well!

Nose- a berry basket! There is also a hint of esther-like rum barrel that gives it a bit of funk. Very nice nose. Palate- Sweet with almost Fruity Pebbles Cereal notes. That cornucopia of fruitiness prevails with some ripe melon and bramble berries. Finish- turns a tad bitter and is rather quick finish for the proof. Overall- as I transition from American Whiskey to scotch, this fits the bill! The sweeter notes and the buttery mouthfeel hit the high notes. Opened my eyes a bit.

Nose- very fruit forward with a drizzle of caramel and some brown sugar. It is a really nice nose, subtle but inviting. Palate- Berries, and cream dominated. I found a bit-o-honey with a little oak. The mouthfeel was buttery and rich. This is not a complex whiskey though and for the proof seems a bit lacking. It's good, but a bit ho-hum for me. Finish- I get some flat cola and French vanilla or perhaps vanilla wafer. The finish is not very long or warming. Overall- I tasted this side by side a single barrel pour of Weller OWA 107. This did not stack up to the Weller which had a better finish, nicer oak backbone, and was a bit more complex in flavor. For the price difference I would by 2 bottles of the Weller 107 any day of the week, and if one of those was a single barrel select of quality, I would stock up on that. It's not bad by any means, but more so for me a punched up version of Johnny Drum without the spicier notes.

Tasting: 2 oz, neat, Glen cairn. No water added. Nose- Perhaps one of the best noses on a Birthday Bourbon yet. This is a cornucopia of fruit. Berries abound with some smoke, brown sugar, and maple. Very enticing! Taste- the mouthfeel is buttery and elegant upon entry. Oak makes its appearance subtly, followed by those delicious wild berries and a hint of honey golden graham cracker. This is a whiskey you will enjoy to chew on for a bit. Finish- the finish is medium, not much warming here, but the age shows through to reveal a bit more of that barrel. There is one flavor way at the end that is just a bit off and slightly floral. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. Just kind of there perhaps where it shouldn't be. Overall- Birthday Bourbon is an annual indulgence for me and my friends to share. I have found from 2015 on they can be hit or miss. This one for me is a bit of a hit. Love the fruitiness and could nose it forever. The finish was just a bit underwhelming, but everything in between was pure bliss. It doesn't beat out 2019 for me, BUT it takes the cake as compared to the last two. Cheers!

Taste- Neat 2 oz. In Glen cairn. Nose- Milk chocolate, candied orange, and a sprig of mint are the dominant notes. There is also a bit of an artificial, perhaps medicinal note of cherry cough drop. Taste- the taste tends to stay true to the nose with the candied orange hitting more like those jelly orange candies with a coating of chocolate. There is also a touch of maple. This gives way to spicier notes mid palate and a bit of newer wood. Gets a tad drying on the end. Finish- oak and cinnamon candies are the note I went out on. Overall- I usually am not impressed about craft whiskey, grain to glass bottles, BUT this particular rye hit the mark for me 75%. I loved those candied orange, milky chocolate notes. The cherry menthol, maple, and cinnamon flavors didnt scare me off, and I liked that depth. The 25% I didn't like was in the drying back end. A bit of wood shop right at the end made a really great bottle into a really good bottle. This distiller though is now on my radar. By comparison, I would purchase this over 4 yr Willett all day long. Same price, an extra year of age, and just more flavors here.

Tasting- blind, neat, side by side with batch 1 Overall: 3x I picked batch 1. The profile is discernable and a matter of preference. B1 was fruity, vibrant, caramel, cherry, oak, pops of vanilla, and oak. A flavor explosion. B2 is very good BUT it is a bit more drying, and barrel funkier than B1. It is more traditional Wild Turkey whereas B1 to me was more special. Truthfully I have had more outstanding Russell's SiBs then what B2 offers. That said- this is outstanding, down home, Turkey funkalicious bottle! I am not sad I have it, it is just that B1 hit all the marks where B2 was a bit drying. Saving grace- hit a 2 oz. Sample with about 7 drops of water and the B2 is outstanding.

Taste- 1.5 oz. Tasting at Binny's Cody Road Tasting Seminar. First in the group of the entire lineup that evening. Nose- the nose is young, right away I notice sweetcorn and a bit of crackerjack box. There is some undesired ethanol which does waft off after resting a bit. Palate- Meh is my first impression. Best way to describe is whiskey soaked caramel corn. The mouthfeel though is buttery and richer than anticipated which surprised me after noting the pale color. If one word described the palate it would be mashy. At 90 proof it is a tad hot. Finish: kind of simply falls apart. Not much going on here. You go out on much of the same popcorn ball hit that you came in on. Overall- it is just young bourbon. There are some elements that I liked- caramel corn, butter and thicker mouthfeel, and then things I just was missing- fruitier elements, some spiciness, oak. It's just not there.

Tasting- 2 oz neat in Glen cairn, paired with an Arturo Fuente Short Story. Nose- Brown sugar, vanilla bean, and a whiff of boiled peanuts. The nose is traditional Beam with an oakier backbone. There is also a tobacco box aroma mixed in that showcases some of its age although a bit muted. Palate- The palate follows through to the nose, and the boiled peanuts become a little more roasty. A bit of seaside salted caramel makes a debut. Really quite delicious and dare I say "bourbony?" Towards the end of the sip and moving towards the finish is a bit of dry oak which becomes just a bit bitter. Finish: Here is where the flaw comes in for me. It is a bit dry and flat. As if it started out as a fine, fine, bottle and then water invaded the richness a bit. Think about how drinking a high proof on the rocks suddenly hits that point of breaking when the ice has melted a bit too fast. The finish is not quite to that point, but it teeters there. Overall- This is a solid bottle. At 69.99 and readily available I am in......provided that I had not had some of those older, single barrel, 14+ year bottles at 120 proof that are sadly becoming less an option. Saying that, I think the downproofing to 100 made it lose the richness while at the same time bringing out some unliked woodiness at the finish. This is a workhorse though of a bourbon. Suited for sipping, cocktails, being readily available, and just downright a homey type of a sip.