Tastes

I think I need to let this one sit a little bit and re-visit it in a few weeks. Pleasant on the nose, with a nice sweet oily kick of caramel, vanilla, and floral notes on the palate. I'm not really feeling the rest right now, though. There's no finish at all for me...its like I get hit with these flavors up front, then they're just gone like Keyser Soze. It's also very hot. Not necessarily unpleasant, but a type of ethynyl burn I'd expect from a $12 bottle of Beam, not a well-regarded Buffalo Trace BIB product. Anyway, I'll give this one a little bit of time to rest and check it out again down the road. My Eagle Rare bottle was a mess when I first opened it, and now a few months later it is infinitely better. Hopefully I'll have a similar experience with this one!

I jump back and forth between this and Old Grand Dad Bonded for my favorite all-purpose bourbon to keep around. If it's going on the rocks or in a cocktail, I think this one wins.

Nearing the end of my bottle, so I figured it was finally time to write a quick review. It goes down smooth and it's nice to sip on, but for me it's a little bit of a one-trick pony on the palate. I get a very sweet caramelly corn taste, and that's really about it. The taste lingers around and I want there to be more of a finish, but nope, still just that sweet corn. It does taste very nice, but unfortunately it's a bit underwhelming for a $50 bottle. I wouldn't buy it again at MSRP.

This bottle can be so tough to find by me unless you have a connection. I've never been willing to put the time & effort into hunting for it, so when I was able to get a glass for $20 at dinner I figured why not give it a try. It was a very nice bourbon to sip on! It reminded me a lot of the EH Taylor Small Batch, just less harsh and with more flavor. Strong and very sweet, with a big kick of caramel and vanilla. While it was fun to finally give it a try, this was just further proof to me that the "hype" bourbons are really not better than ones I can find any day at a liquor store. I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed given the acclaim of the bottle, and I can't help but factor that into the score a little bit. It's good, but I guess I just don't get the hype? Like this was a tasty glass of bourbon - but why is this held in such high regard compared to something like Rare Breed or Maker's Barrel Proof?

I'm finding that some of these Buffalo Trace bottles really need some time to open up. Eagle Rare is pretty tough to find in my area, so I was pumped when I stumbled onto a bottle at MSRP while grocery shopping. I popped it open that night and was met with nothing but heat and disappointment. I knew it probably wouldn't live up to all the hype online, but surely it must be better than that? I set it back on my shelf for about 3-4 weeks hoping that it'd get better with some time, and it looks like the patience paid off! Revisiting it now, this is one of the tastiest and most well-rounded bourbons I've had! All of your classic BT notes cranked up to 11, with an extra kick of cherries and chocolate.

Light & nutty with some sweet corn and a soft burn. None of the notes stick around for long, but just enough to catch a glimpse. Honestly, I think this bottle gets too bad of a rep. It isn't going to blow anybody away, but for its price it is perfectly fine as a cheap mixer or something to throw on the rocks. It's my go-to at a wedding or corporate event when the choices are basically Beam, Jack, and Canadian Club.

If there's one thing I love, it's a great value bottle! Similar to the OF Signature 100 Proof, but with less banana and an extra punch of rye, barley, and cloves. Great neat and on the rocks, and it's currently my favorite mixer for a Manhattan or Old Fashioned. Factor in the $24.99 price and you've got yourself a winner!

You can't ask for much more for a $17 handle of Scotch. It's nothing to call home about, but it's solid on the rocks and makes a good cocktail. Picture a much cheaper and harsher Macallan 12.

Batch #094, which had some of Metallica's lesser-known heavier jams, so maybe that factored into the taste a bit haha. Sweet corn with a little bit of dark sweet cherries and plums, and a rye bite that comes in a little bit later. Some whiskies just seem to taste better over ice than neat, and this was one of them for me. Honestly this really isn't a bad bottle of whiskey, I just wish it were $10-15 cheaper. It's only really worth the buy if you're a big Metallica fan and want it for the novelty, or buying it as a gift.

Factoring the price tag into my review. It's a nice sipper, but just a terrible value at its price point. Stick to the Black or Green label, and get yourself a very similar product for a fraction of the price. I'd save the Blue for gifting only, and even then only because of the brand / name recognition. There are much better bottles of whiskey for much less.