Tastes

BARREL HOUSE: 2-21 BARREL No. - 22-08090 BOTTLING DATE - 9.27.22 NEAT NOSE - Caramel and Bannana Laffy Taffy PALATE - Oak and Cinnamon. The nose is better than the palate on this one. FINISH - Smooth, Medium. BUY? - It’s a decent whiskey. It’s much better than 80 proof Old No. 7 and it may make for a good daily sipper if you really like the Jack Daniel profile. BUY AGAIN?? - Likely not. I’d rather get the single barrel barrel proof.

ABV - 58.6% NEAT NOSE - Pretty oaky on the nose with supporting notes of maple, brown sugar, and caramel. PALATE - Mouth coating, viscous mouthfeel. The notes from the nose transfer over to the palate with the oak coming through first and one of the other notes coming in on the back end. Every time I have a sip, a different note seems to shine through. FINISH - Medium with a sweet oak. No bite and not a strong ethanol burn which makes this very pleasant. BUY? - Yes. BUY AGAIN? - Yes. I love supporting craft distilleries and when their juice is as good as this one, it makes me want to continue to venture out more. The state of GA is putting out some good stuff!

NEAT NOSE - At first, its pretty oaky, but after it sits in the glass for a little bit and after it’s aerated with some swirls, the nose opens up. The nose opened up with more sweet and enticing notes of caramel, honey, and grapes. The nose is fairly complex and I don’t feel like I’m picking up everything that’s there. PALATE - Smooth velvety mouthfeel. The palate is light and not very bold in flavor but it’s pleasant and easy to sip; the notes from the nose transfer over to the palate. FINISH - Short. BUY? - Absolutely, but I wouldn’t pay much over retail. $60 is probably my limit. BUY AGAIN? - For sure, as long as its retail or not over $60.

NEAT NOSE - I actually agree with some of the notes advertised on the back of the bottle. I get the cherry cobbler and gingerbread cookie notes. I’m also getting oak a hint of citrus, maybe lemon peel. PALATE - On the palate, it’s immediately drying. I get tons of oak with ginger. The mouthfeel is slightly viscous. FINISH - Long, but dry. Not my favorite finish to be honest. BUY? - Yes. This is a bold, spicy rye if you like those. I don’t find it sweet at all. BUY AGAIN? - Still Austin just started doing Single Barrels of these so I imagine I’d pick up one of those in the future.

PICK: Twin Liquors//BARREL #144 NEAT NOSE - oh my goodness. Peach Jam, Butterscotch, Honey, and Caramel. This is one of the best and sweetest smelling ryes that I’ve ever smelt. PALATE - The mouthfeel is velvety with the notes of honey and caramel. The peach jam note is there, but it’s buried in the other two notes whilst the butterscotch is MiA on the palate. The proof is decieving as far as the amount of flavor in this Sazerac Rye. The flavors are just jumping out. It goes down extremely smooth with no hint of spice and no burn. FINISH - smmmmmmmmooooth! No burn whatsoever. BUY? - Absolutely!!! BUY AGAIN?? - I haven’t tried the regular offering, but I’m sure I will. However, to skip on any more barrel picks I may come across would be crazy at this price point. ($30-35)

NEAT NOSE - Oak, Vanilla, some Nuttiness, diet maple syrup and some baking spices PALATE - Oak is the predominant note here with some vanilla on the backend. FINISH - Medium-Long. The flavor to me, goes Oak > vanilla > oak. BUY? - Yes. Can’t go wrong with the price. BUY AGAIN? - Maybe. I need to blind this against more bourbons in its price range to see which I prefer. This is a decent pour, especially for the price. It’d make for a nice daily sipper. **UPDATE** - The more I have this and Russel’s 10 YR, I much prefer the sweeter and smoother profile of Russel’s 10 YR.

BATCH No. - 175 A ABV - 57.70% NEAT NOSE - Rich, full nose. Lots of caramel, brown sugar, maple, and oak. PALATE - Slightly viscous mouthfeel. The oak comes through the most on the palate supported by a sweet, but less pronounced note of caramel. FINISH - Dry and Long. The oak carries through on the palate and lingers for a while. Not the most desireable finish. BUY? - I’ve had this before at a restaurant (not sure what batch number) and I remember it being much more enjoyable. The nose was very similar, but on the palate, it was sweeter and the finish was not as oaky. I’m not sure if batch variations are this great, but I’d still recommend this. I just hope more batches are like what I tried at the restaurant. BUY AGAIN? - I’m willing to try another batch to see if I can get something more similar to my first experience.

NEAT NOSE - Caramel, Honey, Blueberries and Oranges PALATE - Oily, Viscous Mouthfeel. Extremely pleasant on the palate with the notes from the nose carrying over perfectly. The orange comes through on the back end. FINISH - Honestly one of the smoothest and easiest sipping bourbons I’ve ever had. This goes down with no burn whatsoever. BUY? - At the price point, you’d be crazy not to. This bourbon doesn’t try to be something it’s not but its perfect at being what it’s trying to be. A flavorful and easy sipping bourbon that won’t break the bank. BUY AGAIN? - There’s no reason not to. This is my favorite of Redwood’s Core Lineup.

BARREL NO. - 14529 BARRELED ON: 7.5.13 NEAT NOSE - The nose is fairly light with hints of caramel, vanilla, and oak. The nose leaves alot to be desired. PALATE - Fairly basic run of the mill bourbon. It’s very pleasant on the palate, a little sweet, with the same notes on the nose transferred over to the palate. FINISH - Medium - Long BUY? - Mmmmm. Not sure. After the hype surrounding this bottle, it’s definitely a letdown considering the hype. I do know there are variations between barrels but still. BUY AGAIN?? - Since trying this, I have passed on it multiple times in stores. I may replace this bottle once its finished in hopes of getting a much better barrel, but I’m not too keen on stocking up on this one.

NEAT NOSE - While I wouldn’t describe the nose as rich, it is very perfumey. The nose is actually quite deceptive in reference to the proof of this bottle. The nose is a perfect amalgamation of caramel, oak, and vanilla. None of the notes on the nose outshines one another. They all come together perfectly to create this fantastic nose. PALATE - The palate is not as balanced as the nose, only because the oak comes through much more on the palate than the nose would suggest. Supporting the very apparent oak notes are notes of dark brown sugar with a hint of vanilla. Mouthfeel is pretty basic in my opinion. It doesn’t necessily coat the palate or stand out as being viscous. FINISH - Long! The finish goes on for quite a while! BUY? - This is my first Booker’s batch and I’d say it’s a buy. I wouldn’t necessarily back this up at its price point, but I will look forward to future batches and recommend this bottle.