Tastes

Nose: Caramel, dark fruit, vanilla, cacao, coffee. Palate: Caramel and vanilla on the entry. Cacao, tobacco, dried cherries appear after. Some black tea and spice at the end. High alcohol burn. Does very well with water. Finish: Medium-Long. Bitter cacao notes dominate. Dries the mouth (tannic) A nice bourbon with a more complexity than the normal caramel and vanilla notes. Big bold flavors and a very memorable dram. This would be hard to pass up at MSRP, though the bitter notes were a bit too strong for my taste.

Nose: Initial notes of grapes, bright and fruity red wine, rounded off by oak and dark chocolate. Sweet caramel appears at the end. Occasionally I get a brief warm chemical (bleach, swimming pool) note. Water opens up the chemical note into more of a citrus note. Palate: Sweet, spicy, salty, and very slightly bitter. Upon first opening, the texture was very thin and almost disappeared on the tongue. On a second tasting a week or so later, the texture was standard. Citrus (orange zest) on the entry transitions to raisin and other dark fruits. A decent spice follows quickly. Adding water seems to open up more of the citrus and allows some sweet caramel note to come through. Finish: Short and warming from the high ABV. Raisin and cacao nibs, including the bitterness. Water adds sweetness (caramel) and soft bitterness to the finish. Upon first opening the bottle, this was a bit underwhelming as the nose had a distinct chemical bleach note, the palate was thin with little flavor, and the finish had no distinct notes. Coming back to it a week or so later, the chemical notes of the nose take more of a backseat, the palate developed to a more standard texture, flavors popped out a bit more, and I got more distinct notes on the finish. This has definitely been one of the biggest turnarounds for me.

Nose: Orange zest and caramel rolls off into a crisp fruity note (apple, white grape), followed by oak. Water added more fruity and earthy notes. Palate: Raisin, honey, and a slight apple/white grape. Somewhat oily. Water added more earthy notes (hay, barley). Finish: Immediate hot spice. Oak tannin. Water added more sherry notes on the finish and diminished the spice. An easy, if boring, drink for a nice price. Good for relaxing and not having to pay too much attention to the whisky. Despite being only 40%, a generous splash of water really helps with bringing out different notes.

Tasted 1oz at a bar. Nose: Oak and vanilla are upfront. Taste: Oak and vanilla come through from the nose. A medium spice is noticeable. Finish: Bitterness, oak, and tannin are on the finish. Thin. Overall I think a very solid, standard bourbon. Nothing surprising and nothing too complex.

Tasted 1oz at a bar. Nose: Blast of juicy fresh fruit(pear, lychee), flowers and sweet cinnamon. Vanilla and oak is found at the end, but balanced by the sweetness. Taste: Very floral and fresh. Juicy dark cherries and fresh herbs. Sweet, salty, smooth. Finish: Transitions into caramel and vanilla notes with a hint of saltiness. A very enjoyable, balanced and smooth drink. This comes off as fruitier, more herbal, and less spicy than other ryes I've tasted. Faintly reminiscent of barrel aged gin.

Tasted 1oz at a bar. Nose: Soft floral notes rounded off by creamy vanilla. Taste: Sweet, tinge of honey. Oaky bitterness balanced by a nutty/malty note. Texture is slightly oily. Finish: Slight floral notes are balanced by bitterness. Enjoyable bourbon. Sweetness is balanced by the oak and bitter notes.

Tasted 1 oz at a bar. Nose: Vanilla and sweetness dominate, reminding me of a rich vanilla ice cream. Oak notes follows. Taste: As expected from the nose, oak and vanilla are present. A strong cinnamon spice note follows. Not as sweet as I expected from the nose. Finish: The cinnamon spice from the initial palate follows through to the finish. There's a lengthy bitterness which coats and dries the tongue. Decent bourbon though a bit overhyped for me. The oak bitterness is strong and present even with a dash of water.

Nose: Initially floral, nutty and sweet (brown sugar, dates) with a very distinct oak character. Letting the whisky breathe a bit in the glass reveals more of the sweet character, with caramel and fruity (white grape, apple) notes coming through. Water adds more of the sweet notes (floral, brown sugar, caramel, grape) character while maintaining the strong oak note. It almost feels like you're sticking your nose straight into the barrel. Taste: Earthy. Malted barley, hay, grass and oak are dominant followed by a soft spice. On the back end, the floral and sweet notes come through (particularly caramel, green apple). Water brings more oak, caramel, and apple notes coming through. Finish: A hit of spice which rolls off gently into malt and oak character. The oak lingers for a long while. Minor alcohol burn. Excellent expression of a single malt for a great price (bumped up the score +0.25). The young age is not apparent with strong oak notes coming through on the nose and palate. Nose is fantastic and the taste makes for an easy to enjoy drink.

Nose: Juicy sweetness (peach, lychee, honey), followed by charred oak and a light peat. Caramel, butterscotch, and malty notes appear after it sits in the glass. Slight hints of vinegar. Taste: Slight sweetness (caramel?), some citrus and oaky bitterness. Smokiness is noticeable and warm, but not strong. The flavors felt muted so I tried swishing this one in my mouth and it brought out much more fruity (apple and lychee) and earthy notes (hay, malt). Finish: Light smoke, some spice, some bitterness. Not bad, not great. The nose is nice with different flavors popping out as it sits in the glass. There's a balance of flavors on the taste but they all feel a bit muted. Improved as I swished it around a bit in the mouth.

This review is for the limited edition. Nose: Very fruity (fresh apple juice, floral, dried peaches), then malty (oak and barley), then the slightest hint of cigar smoke poking in here and there. Taste: Malt (plain cereal), slight sweetness (vanilla), medium spice, slight metallic/iodine note at the tail end. A dash of water really opened up the sweetness. The fruity notes from the nose appear briefly, followed by characteristic bourbon (caramel and vanilla) and toffee notes. Finish: A warm spice (black pepper), plus a long bitter/metallic note. I really enjoyed fruitiness of the nose. The palate was missing the huge fruity notes on the nose initially, but really opened up with some water. The finish left a little to be desired as there were not many lingering flavors from the palate. The bitter/metallic note I got at the finish was off-putting.