Tastes

If Jim Beam attempted to make a Highland scotch, it might taste like this. That's not a bad thing: It's got a little attitude even if it backs away from the fight, has a vaguely leathery/rubberband-y chalk outline of peat around an oily, sugary/caramel core, and with a distinctly tea-like aftertaste. Imagine a step up from a Johnny Walker Red and a very slightly muddier/duller Johnny Walker 12, which is all to say this tastes like a good Scotch that's been sitting around a glass with an ice cube a little too long. What's the notch just above "drinkable in a pinch"? That's our little friend here.

Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, black cherry soda, fat 'n greasy diner hamburgers...Honey, citrus, yeast, yeast and more yeast, wood, tobacco/cigar paper, port-soaked raisins...Thick and powerful with an edge of mint and pernod. Despite 50 ABV would be a shame to water this down, a beautiful bite but not sour. Goes in smooth and down hot....there's almost too much going on here, but it JUST works.

Apples, plum, oranges, but not overwhelmingly fruity (except if you leave it on the tip of the tongue); offset by a sharp but rich idoine/witch hazel tang, all with a spring-water clarity. Just a little dirty in the after-after taste, like a root vegetable kind of earthiness. This comes as a bit of a surprise after the general low/mid affect sweetness. A bit of a numbing back of throat aftertaste, and some heat in the sinuses, and this hits you surprisingly hot at the top of the chest. A fine, easy, sweet but not over sweet quality single malt, with some kick in some surprising places.

Spicy, sweet, and just enough of both. Sweet corn (dominating, in a, oh, non-dominating way), pear, apples, honey, tiny bit of caramel, eminently drinkable, very little aftertaste (a plus and a minus, that). This doesn't do a lot, other than be just what you think a rye should be.

Flat (almost as uninteresting as a Dewars), narrow, sour, with elements of cinnamon, dried raisins, currants, and honey, and surprisingly little smoke. The most interesting thing is the aftertaste, which has a nice heat and some lingering sweetness. Drinkable but not a lot more.

Within an eyelash hair of life changing, this is a very seductive rye. Immediate awareness is of orange peel, cardamon, white chocolate and poppy seed, and though the sweetness isn't overwhelming, it is a dominant character. Aftertaste is sweet gasoline and cherry jawbreaker, with a fairly strong iodine emerging as a second aftertaste. This is the kind of rye you feel on the sides of your mouth and the smile-wrinkles of your eyes -- which is all to say there's a not inconsiderable pucker after-effect -- which is all to say that this is a long ride, sweet and a little dangerous.

A little sweet -- I'm thinking cherry lifesaver --and  significantly metallic, with a fairly present note from craisins and cigar wrapper, and honestly, that's not a bad thing, not bad at all. A hint of cloves, too, and a slightly larger hint of cinnamon. Very little heat, so it goes down super smooth. Honestly, a solid, low-affect spirit, and preferrable to considerably more expensive and more heralded offerings -- for instance, I would take this over a Macallan 12 or Johnnie Walker 18 any day of the week. Good to have around when there's no one to impress, and you want to sip on something solid that doesn't require much thought. 

Chocolate, sea salt, cool spring algae on wet stone in a deep part of the forest that sees only sprays of sun...and even a tiny suggestion of cigars and chicken broth (yes, chicken broth). Very, very smooth for such a high proof, with just a little hot oil on the sides of the mouth. Not decadent -- like one of Ardbeg's peaty delights -- but sensual, complex, even strange, a whole conversation in a heavily carpeted library, with many old and new friends whispering, excitedly. A rare single malt, not to be taken for granted, not to be casually drank -- imagine Macallan 18's more interesting younger brother. Cherry, sherry, hard candy, iodine, oil, sweet and sharp, this is a superior and unique spirit. The sherry cask element is strong but not overwhelming, and the heat -- which is a pure, red pepper-type heat, with zero unpleasant afterburn -- keeps the sweetness in perspective. A very unusual yet very alluring taste, it has the clarity of an Irish whiskey but the depth and color of an Islay, and all without the overwhelming presence of either peat or sweet (with just an implication of the former and just a reminder of the latter). This is first rate, and will go on my top shelf.

Nose: Apricot, iodine, cigar smoke and jolly rancher. The mouth feel is just a little oily, like a slightly melted Hershey kiss (though don't get me wrong,there's only the bare hint of dark chocolate in the taste). The taste is lovely, and distinct: Caramel, cherry, port, and a rapid snap of heat, both to the top of the mouth and the back of the throat. It is never too sweet; rather, it's rich and rewarding, and a rare mixture of sweet and heat. Imagine a very adult sourpatch kid, fermented in a barrel of perfectly dried apricot. Honestly, this is a first rate spirit, as long as you don't need that snap, that reminder that you're drinking whiskey...and that may be the only negative here (and this makes this comparable, say, with the somewhat similar Angel's Envy Port Finished Rye): this may be too easy to drink, too much of a pleasure.

During this Great Hiatus, I have been treating myself (mostly) to mid-and-high end Bourbons – the Woodfords, Elijah Craigs, High West’s, and so forth. But today I noticed a neglected bottle of Jim Beam Black Label Extra Aged Bourbon at the back of the bar, and I decided to give it a shot. What a pleasant experience.The nose has an affect of milk chocolate and gasoline (I mean this, I think, as a good thing), and I was delightfully surprised with the taste: Smooth yet with a nice little attitude, with elements of caramel, pear, and to a lesser degree toffee and black cherry. It goes down creamy, then gets a little snarky as it hits the back of the mouth, and there is a very slightly numbing/Novocain aftertaste, but nothing unpleasant. Now, fifteen or thirty seconds later, there’s a bit of an harsh scratch at the top of the throat, but it’s only there if you gulp too big, or if you are looking for it. Really, this is a pleasant surprise, and a good thing to reach for when you don’t feel like over-thinking your choices or dealing with the often multi-layered, more complex experiences of pricier bourbon.