Tastes

There are hints here of how good a Michter’s Rye can be—their upper tier ryes are some of my absolute favorites. But in this expression they are hints at best, and it’s priced $10-15 too high.

Early into the bottle, it was big, but frankly not as purely delicious as I hoped. With a little time & air, it’s every bit the powerhouse I wanted it to be.

Technically, it’s tasty enough. But unlike the 10 year Rye, this bottle simply underwhelms at even retail price in a way a bottle this high end cannot afford. Too expensive to be this boring.

I’m an unabashed fan of the ECBP, so it took me awhile to concede I like to TASTE this batch more than actually DRINK it…it delivers a brash burst of flavor, true to form, but wears my pallet out more than carving out that groove the best of these do. But it’s still a big punch I enjoy in small doses, and a bottle I’d recommend, even if not one of my favorites of the lineup.

1792 is rarely going to win a blind taste for me of full proofs, but that lovely convergence of sweetness & heat is damn delicious every time. At $40-45, it’s a must buy if you see one in the wild.

Standard Bulleit can be a little love/hate…I like it just fine. As a mixer.

Not to damn it with faint praise, but while I appreciate the balance of the 12, the high bar of the 9 year single barrel reserve 120 proof, & the many great single barrel select expressions out there, relativize the 12 for me a little. It’s solid, but not the Knob Creek profile at best.

While I generally find the 9 year single barrel reserve 120 proof to be worth the leap in price, there is no arguing with the supreme value of the standard 9.

The Single Barrel is infinitely better for only $5 or so more. Skip this, and if you want a small batch expression, proceed straight to the superior small batch select.

I love the Four Roses standard Single Barrel, whereas the standard Small Batch was a total misfire for me. But the Small Batch Select is a different beast: the classic sweet notes of the single barrel are all here, but that little extra heat takes this one over even further. Highly accessible bourbon, in all the right ways.