Tastes

The mild nose whisks me to a temperate island on Pacific Coadt. It’s dominated by the mizunara oak, with hints of raspberry, pine and briny sea air. Mizunara often reminds me of an agave/tequila smoke. In this case, it draws out the sweetness of the wheat in a unique way, that leads into the caramel and candied apple finish. Brilliant.

Orange marmalade on the nose turns into Tang & marzipan on the palate. Lots of depth for a gentle bourbon. I dig it.

The gold standard for a gentle, non-wheated bourbon. A bit of spice over the burnt sugar & caramel base.

At retail, it’s worth every penny. But at $45 or more, there are so many better options. The nose has that dark sugar baking spice that I love. Caramel, honey and pine come out in the pallet. The aftertaste has more bite than I’d expect from something aged 10 years at this proofing.

Solid bourbon. Evan Williams BIB is still better and cheaper. But if this is a taste of what is ahead for Green Brier’s own still, there’s reason to be hopeful. Hopefully the prices don’t go up as the whiskey gets older. I pick up a grassy nose over a yeasty base. The palate is a bit thin, driven by a sweet, yeasty, shortcake flavor. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very drinkable whiskey.

Powerful nose. Some citrus & honeysuckle. Orange blossom and lavender emerge on the pallet. Gentle finish.

Earthier than I prefer. But a solid orated option.

One of my top 5 whiskeys. So much depth complexity in a truly unique whiskey. There are moments that I think I’m drinking an elegant and aged Red Zin. The finish competes with a 40 year old tawny port, without forgetting it’s still a whiskey. Jam, plum, & cherry , with a hint of strawberry are all tied together with the subtle licorice (rather than a pepper) of the Zin.

A poor man’s Vinho Barrique. Side-by-side, there’s no comparison. But based on memory, it seemed pretty close. The nose reminds me of a classic ex-bourbon Scotch with the blackberries of an elegant merlot. The red wine jamminess drives the flavor. For the first week this bottle was open, it tasted very young. But after revisiting it a month later, the oxidation left it very well balanced. An amazing whiskey at this price. This was one is a Binny’s barrel pick.

Excellent expression of a classic distillery. I have been very impressed with this independent bottler. This is a deceivingly drinkable Scotch, making it easy to miss its depth and complexity. I notice some creamy lemony citrus on the nose. This opens into some honeysuckle on the pallet with a little allspice. At $100, this was a great value.