Tastes

Balcones Peated Single Malt - 2021 Release Neat // Glencairn Appearance: Ruddy brown with a hint of copper. Like a nicely stained red oak. Legs form quickly and linger. Nose: Freshly opened package of bacon bits, orange zest, apricot and blackberry jam, toasted sourdough. Great variety on the nose. It invites you into the glass and doesn’t punish with alcohol burn, allowing long, deep breaths to take it all in. Just me being a Texan, or is there a red dirt smell here too? Reminds me of turning the A/C on in my granddad’s farm truck on a hot summer day. Great memories unlocked here. Palate: Wow, very distinct transitions across flavor profiles here. Starts with the salty, smoky bacon, then pivots to a juicy slice of blood orange, followed by a nicely buttered slice of sourdough toast. This finishes with a very smooth, luxurious oak spice. Finish: Oak spice starts and simmers nicely with a nice layer of oak smoke over the top. Blonde toast and smoked candied bacon are present as well. Several minutes later, I’m tasting red hots, and a fruit candy concoction - like if you just stuck your hand in a bag of jelly beans and ate everything at once. Beautiful. Finally picked this up after several weeks of waiting, and BOY does this deliver. I especially love the complexity on the finish - I’m still tasting this one 5 - 10 minutes later and unlocking new flavors along the way. This is fantastic stuff that I am extra proud of because it comes from the Great State of Texas. We do whiskey good. 95/100 My scoring system: 59 and below: Bad. Not worth buying. 60 - 69: Decent, but with obvious flaws. Might buy, but very price dependent. 70 - 79: Pleasant to good, worth buying, but nothing spectacular that wows me. 80 - 89: Good to very good. Insta-buys that I actively seek out. Must contain some “wow” moments. 90 - 94: Greatness has been achieved. No detectable flaws, and every moment is sheer pleasure. 95 - 100: This is where I score my “best of all time” drams. Similar to lower 90s, but with something tangible/perceptible that sends it over the top.

ECBP A120 Neat // Glencairn // Tasted Blind Nose: Sticky caramel, tart green apple and barrel spices, cinnamon and nutmeg, are really showcased, along with dry oak. Palate: Holy cow. I can only describe this as a tidal wave of caramel and barrel spice (cinnamon, nutmeg), then sweet oak, cinnamon candy, and cayenne pepper. Finish: The long finish starts with sparkling apple cider and cinnamon candy, then cayenne pepper and sweet, dry oak. I also pick up a mostly-dry-but-still-somewhat-chewy apple chip here as well. This bottle has achieved greatness. It’s overwhelming without being overbearing, which is what I think ECBP should be - pedal to the metal flavor, like bourbon turned up to 11. 92/100 My scoring system: 59 and below: Bad. Not worth buying. 60 - 69: Decent, but with obvious flaws. Might buy, but very price dependent. 70 - 79: Pleasant to good, worth buying, but nothing spectacular that wows me. 80 - 89: Good to very good. Insta-buys that I actively seek out. Must contain some “wow” moments. 90 - 94: Greatness has been achieved. No detectable flaws, and every moment is sheer pleasure. 95 - 100: This is where I score my “best of all time” drams. Similar to lower 90s, but with something tangible/perceptible that sends it over the top.

ECBP A122 Neat // Glencairn // Tasted Blind Nose: Sticky caramel, tart green apple and barrel spice. I also pick up a dry herbal note - rosemary and/or thyme. Palate: Pops into the palate with tart, crisp green apple and barrel spice (nutmeg, cloves). Mid-palate transitions to barely cooked yeast roll brushed with melted butter and caramel candy before moving to black pepper/red pepper flakes. Finish: Starts with a rather astringent finish, like apple skin. Also notes of dry, dusty oak, cayenne and cinnamon powder. The finish is long and pleasant - tingly and warm on the tongue, back of the throat and into the chest long after the whiskey is gone. I faintly taste dried apple chips - the kind that still have a bit of chew to them. After some more time in the glass, the initial bitterness to the finish has faded away completely. This is what ECBP should be. Glad I was able to get a bottle of this release. If you find it at MSRP, it’s a must buy. 88/100

JDSBSR Coy Hill High Proof - 139.5 proof Neat // Glencairn // Tasted Blind Nose: Dark red apples, dripping cherries, maple syrup, grape soda, sweet oak, caramelized sugars, bit of green banana, no alcohol burn whatsoever - wowza. Palate: Grape soda, caramelized sugar, cherry pie filling, sweet oak, banana pudding - complete with the mushy banana and vanilla wafer, and that familiar subtle oak spice that slowly builds throughout and punctuates the transition to the finish. Finish: Hot Tamales, grape soda, sweet chewing tobacco, vanilla bean, toasted brown sugar, mushy banana, cinnamon Altoid mints, Juicy Fruit gum. This one DRIPS, and I really struggle to find any flaws. The alcohol presence is next to nothing, leaving only the thick, rich, juicy sweet flavors to be experienced in their fullest. Not to be outdone, the spicy qualities tingle and tease throughout, and provide an excellent transition into the finish. This is an amazing, amazing dram. 95/100

Woodford Batch Proof Neat // Glencairn Sample provided by: @tbran19 Nose: Holy banana cream pie, Batman! Complete with nicely toasted crust and a light sprinkle of cinnamon dust on top, this nose is absolutely wonderful. Dusty oak, leather, cherries are all present as well. I revisited this nose several times, and the dusty oak become more pronounced with time, as well as cracked black pepper. Palate: banana taffy, Swedish fish, black pepper, a bit of star anise as well. Numbs the front of a tongue a bit, and tingles on the sides. I detect some milk chocolate as well. Finish: Long finish. No Kentucky hug at all, which I miss. Dry oak, chocolate, a bit of nuttiness, a touch of black pepper and tobacco leaf. I like this! The nose was especially pleasant, and the palate backed it up. I wish the finish had more of a Kentucky hug, but the absence of any alcohol burn allows the flavors to be tasted without distraction. 89/100 My scoring system: 59 and below: Bad. Not worth buying. 60 - 69: Decent, but with obvious flaws. Might buy, but very price dependent. 70 - 79: Pleasant to good, worth buying, but nothing spectacular that wows me. 80 - 89: Good to very good. Insta-buys that I actively seek out. Must contain some “wow” moments. 90 - 94: Greatness has been achieved. No detectable flaws, and every moment is sheer pleasure. 95 - 100: This is where I score my “best of all time” drams. Similar to lower 90s, but with something tangible/perceptible that sends it over the top.

E.H. Taylor Single Barrel 2021 Neat // Glencairn Nose: Cherry Vanilla Coke, alcohol burn, fresh cracked black pepper Palate: Cherry vanilla cream saver, sweet oak. Very oily on the tongue with a numbing quality as well. Not overly complex on the nose or palate. Finish: Dry finish, medium in length. Heavy cream, dried cherries and slight oak tannins. I’d say this is better than the standard EHT bottling, but it’s nothing spectacular. $69 for a bottle feels like a bit of a stretch but I’d probably buy. Secondary price for this is insane considering this is a pretty middle-of-the-road dram. If BT switched labels with Benchmark Full Proof I think we’d all be happier for it. 77/100 My scoring system: 59 and below: Bad. Not worth buying. 60 - 69: Decent, but with obvious flaws. Might buy, but very price dependent. 70 - 79: Pleasant to good, worth buying, but nothing spectacular that wows me. 80 - 89: Good to very good. Insta-buys that I actively seek out. Must contain some “wow” moments. 90 - 94: Greatness has been achieved. No detectable flaws, and every moment is sheer pleasure. 95 - 100: This is where I score my “best of all time” drams. Similar to lower 90s, but with something tangible/perceptible that sends it over the top.

Benchmark Full Proof Neat // Glencairn // Blind Nose: Waxy red apple, vanilla extract, Bit O’ Honey (caramel and very light peanut), strawberry pop tart filling, sugar cookie, bread dough, sweet pipe tobacco, dry oak chips Palate: Whoa. This is delightfully sweet. Red pop tart filling, strawberry shortcake, heavy cream, pull apart Twizzlers, also some nice, sweet citrus - I’m thinking blood oranges and/or fresh blueberries, am I crazy or is there a bit of bananas foster here as well? Or maybe banana pudding. Definitely caramelized sugars and vanilla, and I THINK I detect some mushy banana. Finish: Maybe my favorite part of this dram, though the palate is no slouch either. Cinnamon candy (Hot Tamales) escort the dram out and lingers nicely, tingling my tongue and cheeks. Bit O’ Honey/Big Hunk, baking spices, tobacco leaf. Man. I really like this! It’s like a trip down the candy aisle, then to the breakfast pastry aisle right afterwards. It’s not so sweet that I’d call this dessert whiskey, but the rich, sweet qualities definitely shine through making for a fun dram. I’d say this mashbill consist mostly of corn based on that, but I could also just be having a really great day and not feeling spicy at all. Thanks for the sample, @trentoniousmaximus 86/100 My scoring system: 59 and below: Bad. Not worth buying. 60 - 69: Decent, but with obvious flaws. Might buy, but very price dependent. 70 - 79: Pleasant to good, worth buying, but nothing spectacular that wows me. 80 - 89: Good to very good. Insta-buys that I actively seek out. Must contain some “wow” moments. 90 - 94: Greatness has been achieved. No detectable flaws, and every moment is sheer pleasure. 95 - 100: This is where I score my “best of all time” drams. Similar to lower 90s, but with something tangible/perceptible that sends it over the top.

WTMK One Neat. Glencairn. Rested 15 min. Appearance: Rich amber and honey in color. Coats the glass exceptionally well. Legs are extremely slow to form. Nose: butterscotch, toasted marshmallow, deep red apples, sweet oak. Very sweet and inviting nose with next-to-no ethanol presence. Palate: Werther’s Originals, red delicious apples, dry and sweet oak undertone, a nice cinnamon character throughout and then really punctuates the transition into the finish. Finish: Cinnamon apple cider, dry oak, leather, brown butter, spearmint, black pepper What a treat. It’s cheesy, because it’s on the bottle, but I really can see the tribute to both father and son’s preferences. Sweet, delicate and inviting on the surface, but with many layers of rich character and depth underneath. One that provides a thought provoking experience without being pretentious or too serious. A true delight. 92/100

SW Private Barrel Select Nose: Damp rickhouse, cocoa powder, roasted marshmallows, Graham cracker, caramel popcorn, red apple and rose petals Palate: Buttery mouthfeel, milk chocolate, red apple, great balance of sweet oak with a subtle spice underneath Finish: Oak spice sizzles to start, and leaves the tongue and top palate tingling and gives the impression of Red Hot or Hot tamale candy, heavy cream aftertaste along with tobacco leaf and dried apple Overall, a very pleasant dram. I love the buttery/creamy mouth feel and great balance of sweet and spicy notes. Interestingly, the creamy sweetness and cinnamon notes make me think of horchata or eggnog which is really fun. 86/100

Neat Glencairn Nose: Grape soda, dates, figs, and other dark, dried fruits. Palate: Grape soda, dried red fruits, with a creamy custard quality. The mouth feel here is incredible - almost like a tiger’s blood flavored cotton candy that permeates the palate with rich red fruits mixed with cream. Incredible. Finish: Dark, sweet, dry and warm. 95/100 What an incredible dram, and a neck pour to boot! This has the balance and richness of a dram much closer to the middle-end of a bottle (if you believe in such a development). Thanks for the pour, @TravHernandez!