Tastes

NOSE Crisp, honied orchard fruit, smoke, malt, vanilla pastry, char, baking spice, toffee sweetness and a bit of wax. This is just plain lovely. It’s warm, it’s fruity, it’s… unexpected. PALATE Minerality, smoke, hay-like malt, lemon curd, toffee, herbal spice, dried orchard fruit, honey and some light char and banana chips. Darker and heavier than the aroma, but also more spirit-forward with the minerality showing through. Like the aroma, the Octomore 12.2 palate has an unexpected delivery and I’m enjoying it. FINISH Long -> Smoke, brine, vanilla candy and toffee drift to a dry maltiness.

NOSE Oak, baking spice, roasted nuts, vanilla, caramel, dried dark fruit, dried apples, cocoa and some notes of copper and hay. The similarities between this and the EW 1783 are undeniable, but this carries more oak and more of that dark heaviness. PALATE Oak, peanut brittle, baking spice, vanilla, citrus peels, dried dark fruit, dried apples, cocoa and some notes of copper and hay. A bit more fruity than I was expecting, but not at all distracting or overpowering. Quite the opposite, the notes work very well in this Five Brothers Bourbon. FINISH Med-long -. Peanut brittle, oak, fruit, char and some copper on the fade.

NOSE Metallic herbal, raw corn, vanilla, coconut, sugary apple juice, butterscotch and some pops of spirit, mustiness, wood and minerality. Very light, not much happening and what is happening isn’t interesting. It’s basic, rather watered down and youthful. PALATE Wood, grits, imitation vanilla, metallic, herbal, dried fruit, hazelnut syrup, and an odd alcohol pop with a bit of minerality. The aroma isn’t unpleasant, but the palate is getting there. A weird, cloying, and slightly metallic note appears as the Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey, A Blend opens. I can’t quite place the exact note, but it gets more prominent with each sip and I’m not enjoying it. FINISH Short -> Raw wood, alcohol, flour, copper and raw grain dissipate quickly.

NOSE Caramel, dried apples, oak, roasted peanuts, citrus, cocoa and a touch of vanilla. A light, bright, aroma that sits somewhere between the Evan Williams Bonded and the EW Black. PALATE Peanut brittle, oak, copper, herbal spice, stewed apples and a bit of cocoa and vanilla taffy. This new Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch is less fruity than the old version, but that fruit character is still there and quite noticeable… though not in a bad way at all. FINISH Medium -> Roasted nuts, oak, caramel fades to roasted corn and milk duds.

NOSE Floral, butterscotch, oak, nutmeg, vanilla cake and herbal notes. It’s light, floral and not quite cohesive. There’s something a touch off here. It’s disjointed and doesn’t remind me of any specific distillery. PALATE Butterscotch, oak, nutmeg, yellow cake and touch soapy, herbal and fruity. J.R. Ewing Private Reserve Bourbon has this floral note that comes and goes in strength which keeps throwing me and I’m not enjoying… at all. FINISH Short -> Caramel, floral and fruity drifts quickly to a metallic nuttiness.

NOSE Caramel, oak, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, touch citrus, biscuity and fruity. Light. This is incredibly light. It’s so light and basic that it’s the definition of MOTR (middle of the road). PALATE Caramel, oak, vanilla frosting, biscuity, copper, touch fruity and baking spice. Yup, the palate of the Calumet Farm Bourbon keeps up the light trend and does little else. FINISH Medium -> Oak, caramel, fruit and spice fade out evenly.

NOSE Malt, golden raisins, honey, toasted bread, graham, apricot, fruit juice, oak and a bit of leather. SUPER juicy, complex, fruit (lighter golden and orchard fruits) mixed fruit juice cocktail. PALATE Malt, biscuity, golden raisins, caramel frosting, toasted bread, graham, complex orchard fruit (pears, apples, peaches), fruit juice, oak and a bit of spice. More complex than aroma, this Teeling Revival Volume IV Muscat Cask 15 Years is juicy juicy juicy. Wow. FINISH Med-long -> White grape juice, honey graham, orchard fruit and lightly spiced oak fade.

NOSE Metallic grapey dark fruit, malty sweet, brown sugar, light spice and a touch of melon rind and leather. This a touch dry and leathery but the fruitiness hits heavy, yet balanced, giving it an inviting profile. PALATE Metallic grapey dark fruit, earthy (mushroom like), malty sweet, brown sugar, and a bit of cinnamon and leather. This is deeper and warmer than the aroma, but it feels a tad disjointed, like it hasn’t fully merged just yet, but it’s so dang close. FINISH Medium -> Grapey fruity, malty , brown sugar and a bit of citrus fade out tartly.

NOSE Tropical and orchard fruit, vanilla taffy, fruit gems, honey and cinnamon with a touch of oak. This is a lovely aroma that comes through soft but heavy. PALATE Exact carbon copy, but a tad richer and deeper. I’m enjoying the overall profile of the Penderyn Rich Oak Single Malt. It’s warm, bold and expressive. It’s awesome. FINISH Medium -> Tropical fruit candy, vanilla taffy and some malty sweetness dissolve to turn a tad metallic and oaky.

NOSE Spirity vanilla, fruit, smoke, SweetTarts and minerality. The spirity character pops at first, followed by the peat and then doubles back to become very prominent as it opens. PALATE Spirity vanilla, fruit, smoke, SweetTarts and minerality with a bit of melon rind and banana taffy. It’s a tad more complex, but the Penderyn Peated Single Malt is still dominated by that spirity profile. FINISH Medium -> Spirity, vanilla and banana taffy fade to minerally smoke.