Tastes

Really solid and creamy if not as nuanced as hoped. Lots of tart vanilla bean, hints of parsley, topped by cream soda. Lots to like a lot. Only a little to love.

So much better than I expected. Hits all the brown sugar notes in the center palate but is still balanced by the warmer nuts-n-spice flavors coming in on the back and sides of the tongue. Nose is slightly roasty and creamy, and the finish sticks around long enough to make its presence known (though not necessarily long enough to come to bed with me - and I mean that literally here, kids). Overall, this is as complete a (semi-)regularly available daily sipper as I have on the shelf. Really excited by it.

Simple, straightforward bourbon flavors. Decent as a weeknight passive sip, great as mixer. Fruity, smoky sweet. Dig it.

A solid sipper, but a little reedy, too. The standard UCUF is leagues beyond in depth of flavor and texture, and in all honesty, I kinda prefer the spicy sweetness of the small batch and even straight bourbon over this. Likely will turn to those over buying this guy again.

What started as mineral astringent verging on sour for the first, oh, 25% of the bottle, rounded out into a nicely oaked, creamy Tennessee whiskey through the middle 50%. However, the final quarter of the bottle returned to that over-oaked musty grape Flinstones vitamin flavor that I don’t enjoy from Dickel products. It’s a single barrel, and mine was a tick above 80 proof, so I’d be interested in trying one of the higher proof bottles, but I’d also just as soon get the Dickel Bottled in Bond instead, which I find much more balanced.

Got a little suckered into this by the Total Wine rep who was clearly interested in clearing shelf space. Told it was Bardstown Bourbon product, the rye mashbill (not the whetaed Bottled-in-Bond that seems to drive the people crazy), but neither confirming nor having tried the Origin series, I can’t compare. I can say this is somewhat average, maybe even bland, to musty/funky, with a mild corn nose and finish that is best described as “non-existent-to-vanishing”. But it’s certainly good enough as a mixer, or a “I don’t wanna drink the good stuff tonight, but then this is here, too,” or a bourbon-on-ice if I’m with someone who just likes “a goddamn drink, I don’t give a rat’s ass, I don’t give a RAT’s ass!” It’s that kind of bottle. No regrets, outside of budgetary opprtunity cost, but it’s definitely not a repeat buy. Side bar: I otherwise like BBC fusion quite a bit.

I gotta give over to the fact that Woodinville in any capacity just ain’t my thing. I didn’t like their straight bourbon much - too astringent to my tongue - but liked it okay enough in a Boulevardier to feel compelled to try this port finish after reading (breath intake) So. Many. Hyper-excellent. Reviews. But the joy experienced by so many found no purchase on my palate. The port finish added a musty funk that, like in a bad marriage, both fought with and pulled out the worst in that astringent young corn of the bourbon base. Also like in a bad marriage, I keep trying it again, like if I just get it at the right time it will be transcendent. No dice. Now after half the bottle, this is a drain pour for me, an exceptionally rare decision. In fact, the only reason I gave this a 1.75 is because I included 1.5 points to recognize that it’s probably not you, Woodinville; it’s probably just me.

Love them candied peanuts on the palate, even if the finish feels a little short and ashy. It’s a real nice balance to other daily drinkers on the shelf.