Tastes

Tasting: neat, 2 oz pour in Glen cairn with and without 4 drops of water. Nose- Incredibly aromatic. This bourbon blooms from the glass. Oak and vanilla are front and center with a hint of cigar box/tobacco. Palate- cherry comes in where it wasn't as prominent on the nose. An oaky richness lets you know there is some age to this. There are also some dark red berries along with tart apple crisps, some peanut brittle, and a puff of smokiness toward the end leading to the finish. All this sweetness gets balanced by an entire spice rack. This is a pour to sit and savor, dissect it, and ponder it. It really changes like a chameleon. Finish- this goes on for days, and if this bourbon has ONE flaw it would be that it's a bit too lingering in the finish, that it gets a bit drying, tannic, or perhaps gives way to wood overkill at the end. As this bottle opens I am excited to see if this changes. That musty, cigar box, old leather book note though caries through in a very subtle way, and I appreciate that. Overall- This is a tremendously good bourbon. It is rich, flavorful, interestingly complex- especially on the palate. My fear was that 17 years in oak barrels might make it taste like chewing on wet oak- it didn't. I have had both Pappy 15 and 23, and in my opinion the 23 gets soggy, the 15 is just about as far as I really want to go when it comes to old whiskey. Of course those are wheated bourbons, and this is more spicy because of the rye, but I make this comparison only to illustrate that more time is not always necessarily better when talking about bourbon. My overall impressions is that this reminds me of those devilishly good, high octane Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bottles of the past, but with a tad more subtlety.

This is Barrel 21-2204 @ 114.2 proof. Nose- nose is pretty faint. I get lemon meringue, walnut, and a tad of bit- o- honey. The light color is a good indicator of the light nose. Palate- initially this is citrusy with a hit of almost walnut bitters- a note I get in much of Starlight's Bourbon. It is very youthful. I would have expected more honey, but instead tasted more clover. The ethanol came through and not in the best way. Finish- finish is tea-like. Almost as if you made a nice green tea with honey. Overall- didn't wow me. Lacked richness and layering. This is likely because this is new whiskey, rushed into a finishing barrel- the problem I have with most Starlight Bourbon! Time and time again I get geeked out on the finishes from this company, and then forget that the bourbon is covered up to hide flaws and youth. The Rye offerings though- those are super good. My advice is stick with Starlight Rye, don't get hooked into the finished bourbon. I would pass if this came my way again

Nose- very sweet and rich. Clove and candied apricot is dominant notes- think fresh bark on a bone in ham but with a bit of menthol and some sarsparilla thrown in that doesnt make much sense on the ham. It does smell like newer whisky because it lacks an oaky back-bone. Taste- lots of things going on here. It goes from sweet to tart, to too much different spices that seem to be not managed well. The mouthfeel is buttery and perhaps begins to border on becoming syrupy. Malt powder like chocolatey Ovaltine comes front and center. This reminds me a lot like Stranahan's with more of the spice cabinet towards the end. If you like Stranahan's standard offering, you might enjoy this. Finish- goes out on a hint of that sarsparilla and becomes slightly grassy and hay like. Overall- This one has too much diversions to it. The nose is sticky sweet and the finish is a bit too barnyard for me. What is in this bottle is like someone's unmanaged infinity bottle- probably some nice whiskies WENT IN all by themselves, but mixed all together they became all over the board. The finish product is not that well executed. That said, my expectations going in were not super high considering the price point. It is an interesting attempt that falls short.

INose- Cherry danish and toasty oak. The more it sits it gives up milk chocolate. Palate- The wonderful nose carries forward and some spice is added on the back end. Finish- wonderful finish. Sweet but not cloying. Oaky but not drying. This is a great Kentucky Rye. Overall- Stood up side by side 2021 Thomas Handy and tasted blind. This won 3/3 times for me. It needed absolutely nothing. This is my favorite Michters barrel proof rye in the last 4 years. May have been an exceptional barrel.....but hell yes, On this one!

Nose- The nose takes some work to draw out. I get some berries like bramble berries, a bit of wintergreen, and dusky corn . There also is some maltiness like you would find in chocolate malt powder. Palate- the dusky white corn comes through with berries and dear I say a bit of custard pie. Honey makes itself present on the palate, and some soft oak comes forward. The palate seems soft, but nice. I also get some more of that wintergreen and malt. There is a sweet tea quality to it. Finish- medium finish that for me got a bit bitter quickly. I wanted it to give up some of that maple sugar quality that JD is known for, but this didn't. Overall- First this is not like anything that you would be used to from JD. You can find the corn, and the JD rye, but the malt is a surprise. Second, it is a bit muted. The flavors are blended nicely and are a bit fun to find, but you have to work hard at it. Next, I didn't enjoy the finish. The bitterness lingered for me and cheapened the sip. BUT I used this in an old fashioned right after my initial pour. SUPERIOR for that cocktail. It gives depth, an added layer with the malt, and a nice backbone with the spicier wintergreen from the Rye. Bartenders take notice- this bottle is the bottle to build whiskey based cocktails from. For the price.....even though it is a 700ml bottle this is one to have for that. Better sippers can be had though

Nose- red apple, oozy caramel and roasted peanuts abound. Sweet red fruit is the ticket here. Palate- a much sweeter entry for a Booker's. Harken's back to Anni's Answer for me. I get Taffy apple, pure and simple. The palate really stays true to the nose. After sitting for awhile there is also a brown sugar sweetness that really sets this one off. Finish- sweet and rich is the best way to describe. It is a county fair of red fruit, caramel, and roasted peanuts. Gives up a bit of pecan pie at the end. Overall- This a sweeter Booker's and overall perhaps less complex. Harken's back to Anni's answer and Dot's batch- bottles anybody could sit around the table and not be intimidated by. Just great, down home bourbon. If an alien were to come to your house and say, "what's bourbon?" You give him a glass of this and he will thank you for it, rightfully understand, and perhaps leave in the saucer a bit side-wise! What surprised me is that this batch is a bit younger. It doesn't drink that way at all. I suspect that it has much older barrels also in the batch as the backbone is delicious. Needs no water whatsoever. Beam continues to put out a quality bottle most every time

Nose- Lemon curd and Kellogs Frosted Flakes. Distinct breakfast cornflakes but glazed with vanilla. There is also a dusky white corn. Palate- Cherry tartness and pie crust upon entry that turns a bit sharp. Turns a bit citrusy. Towards the end a hit of black licorice comes in to reveal the youth. Going out it gets a tad bitter. I want something like chocolate, brown sugar, maple, notes that you get from longer aging to balane it and make it more full. It is not quite in there yet. Mouthfeel is a tad thin for 98 proof. Finish- Rather one note. Trickles out on the licorice note and fades into very little warming or after taste except white sweet corn Overall- My expectations were not high. This was after all an iconic distillery's own entry into bourbon again. A young 4 yr old bourbon. In that it has much promise. This batch is not ready yet, but has really nice parts. You can tell Castle and Key is doing things right but that there is no substitute for time. They are 3-4 years behind Yellowstone's own distillate which is now hitting 6-7 years- both distilleries though have got their shit together and will be a force when their barrels hit 8-10 year sweet-spots. This isn't there yet BUT do buy a bottle. Years from know to be able to compare where it was to where it got to will be the real fun!

Nose- super fragrant nose. There is a hint of fresh mint sprig, some peanut brittle, and then some more floral notes like lavender. I also get a bit of sweetness like creamed corn mixed with vanilla pods. The nose keeps giving up different notes with every minute it rests, and then every time I agitate the glass I get something different still. Palate- One word- BALANCE! Perhaps the most balanced Rye I have ever had. This is the "Miyagi Do" of Rye for me. If Mr. Miyagi were blending a Rye Whiskey, this would have been the one. Where there is a sweet fruit like apple, there is a lemon zest tartness, where there is an earthy peanut shell, there is bouquet of fresh meadow flowers. When I get a small hit of caraway seed, I also get crisp ginger. This is so well balanced. There is this even building on ethanol burn that the novice might even call this whiskey "smooth." In fact it is not "smooth" at all because it is so full of finish and has plenty of taste! It is just that the tastes are so well balanced that they fade into each other. To me smooth equates to tasteless and flat on the finish.....this is not that by any means. Don't call it smooth, polished maybe, flowing yes, balanced for sure. Finish- The finish is gift. It just keeps giving. I would say the most prominent ending notes are apple and a bit of clover honey. The warming is sensationally good from head to toe. Overall- This is a great blend of some excellent Rye barrels. Who might have thought that Dickel would have had Rye stock to blend with a craft pot still that is a throwback to pre-prohibition methods (3 chamber rye process). I hate the cost here. Over $100/ bottle for a blended yet bonded Rye from a craft distiller and a mass producer of Tennessee "love it or hate it" stuff???? It's a stretch to work yourself up to buy, a huge leap of faith, but it works. Having taken the jump in to buy a bottle I do not regret it. I have certainly done worse at greater investment. This one is a keeper.

Taste- 2 oz. Neat in Glen cairn and then with 3-4 drops of water in 1oz. pour. Color is a beautiful dark sparkling amber color. Nose- Delicious taffy candied apple and vanilla ice cream. There is also a bit of roasted peanuts. This nose reminds you of walking through a county fair with a freshly dipped apple on a stick. Really intoxicating and superbly done! Palate- The viscosity is incredible. It clings like maple syrup but not in a sticky sugary way. So coating and elegantly to the sides of the glass and upon entry almost like slathered butter on a freshly baked roll. Before I even start noting flavors the mouthfeel let's me know this is going to be a treat. There is some peanut brittle and then a slight hit of a more peppery note that reminds me that this is a rye and not a bourbon upon entry. I like this pepper hit because without it this might have become too candied. This note strikes the balance. I get some oak mid palate, yellow butterscotch candy, pulled saltwater taffy, and that crisp, vibrant, Granny Smith I experienced on the nose, all dipped in vanilla ice cream! A touch of water brings out some cinnamon stick, but to me this is best served as is. The water hurt the viscosity a bit and only served to dilute what I was really enjoying. Finish- The finish has an earthiness about it. I get an almost ginger taste on the way out and a bit of "umaminess." The last note then definitely transitions to brown sugar. Overall- I really feared the price point here. Is this just another hype bottle? $250 for an n.a.s, finished rye, albeit cask strength and from a producer who has had some incredible hits along with some major misses? The odd finishing concept though lured me in. Ice cider????? I know Gretzky did it with some ice wine casks (it was meh, sorry #99) but that is far different with fermented apples as opposed to sweet icy grapes. This though really wowed me. It was different, layered, flavorful, rich, and damned good! Do I like $250 price tag.......no. Do I think it is worth $250? I really don't think there are but a handful of whiskies worth over $100! Keeping the silly limited price out of it, this is a solid 4.75 for me for its innovation, taste, character, execution. Add in the silly "limited pricing" , the complicated box, frosted bottle that I could do without, and it falls to a 4.0. Since I don't spend your money and I just rate the whiskey........my overall rating reflects what's in the bottle, not on the price tag.

Nose- sweet and jammy with a strawberry preserve tanginess. Fruits abound here along with cereal notes almost like a granola or cereal bar. Palate- soft and buttery mouthfeel. Plump, gold raisins leap from the glass with some plum and fig flavors. There is a bit of sulphur note, but not enough to wreck the sip. This is sweet but not overdone as strawberry jam is evened out by oak and maltiness. I really enjoy the sweet-sour playfulness this has. There is also a nuttiness that goes along with it-- almost like a holiday fruitcake. The Sherry really plays well with the malt. Finish- medium to long finish. There is a nice warming with a slight alcohol bite. The raisin note is the dominant one along with a bit of barnyard hay. The flaw here is just a slight wave of bitterness and some drying wood right at the very end. Overall- This is really good. I had this at cask strength prior to trying this. The cask selection was a real treat. I was reluctant that this would pale in comparison. I am pleasantly surprised! The profile is so similar, albeit the cask strength was amped up. I will say that this bottle does not appear to taste watered down or have become tannic with a bit of downproofing although that small bit of bitter woodiness at the very end makes the slight difference. For 69.99 though......this bottle is a winner!