Tastes

I can see the appeal of Kentucky Owl now. It is unlike any bourbon I've ever had. I had this blind, and initially didn't think much of it...but as I sipped, it grew on me. Nose: Cherry pie, corn dust, caramel, spice, an earthy minerality. Palate: Initial burst of heat that zaps the front of your palate...it almost comes off as a codeine cough syrup type of tingling. Think menthol. I love barrel proof bourbon, but I've never had one like this. This tingle carries itself throughout the rest of the tasting experience. You will be able to decipher some other notes, but this is the star of the show. The mouthfeel is fairly thin compared to what I was expecting. It's NOT thick and unctuous...I was expecting a caramel bomb with a luxurious mouthfeel...I was expecting like a Knotter 12 type bourbon. Finish: The finish on this dissipates quickly, but then stays with you for the rest of the pour. As I said, it's really a singular experience. Not the best mouthfeel...not the best nose...however, the culminating experience is unlike anything I've ever tasted.

Amazing stuff. Nose: banana, apple, vanilla, nutmeg, clove Palate: this is full, viscous, and really an experience to behold. Hits the tongue with orchard fruit, banana, and finishes off with the perfect amount of peat. Finish: long. The peat plays off the banana, apples, and clove. In the end, this is spectacular stuff. I just had a nice tasting that included some shot caller whiskey...gts, cask strength highland park and others. I came back to this. Great complexity and easy at the same time.

This is really about as good as a young scotch gets. Nose: Orchard fruit galore, vanilla, wax, slight char. Just a kiss of peat to prevent it from being overbearing and cloying. Palate: Exquisite viscosity...oily. Extremely mouthcoating. Starts off with a tingle, and then it's sublime. The orchard fruit and earthiness create an immaculate balance. Yin and yang. Finish: Goes on for a few minutes. Incredibly pleasant. Leaves mouth with an unreal and spectacular aftertaste. The orchard fruits blend with just a hint of peat to please people on both sides of the aisle. The waxy element is almost addictive in how it's simultaneously unusual but yet...familiar.

Price has to be a factor here. I had $130 in gift cards, and it was still over $200. You go in expecting a lot. Age: NAS (Anyone know?) Nose: caramel, vanilla, honey, apricots, oranges. Palate: silky smooth. Great legs. Oily. Inviting. Starts off with the apricot and honey, and that is the flavor that you ride throughout. It's excellent. A hint of peat...just the usual balvenie hint. Finish: long and lingering. The honey apricot thing stays with you. Listen, this is delicious stuff. If it was $150, I would be very happy with it...however, it's basically three times that price. It's not a game changer. In fact, I drank it next to Glencadam 10...and regardless of the price, I enjoyed the 10 just as much, if not more. I also had the balvenie 15 sherry next to this, and I like it just as much, if not more. Good stuff though. I will review it again in a couple of months when it's opened up. In a certain way though, this stuff feels way overpriced to me. No sherry bomb. No crazy tropical fruits like single barrel aged exclusively in bourbon barrels. I know that I need to give it more time, and I will. I did however give it 30 minutes to breathe, and another hour to drink.

This one is a banger. Almost done with the bottle I grabbed last may. I've had a lot of time to see it develop over that time. Age: NAS Nose: caramel, cherry, vanilla, spice cake Palate: Viscous (Not Cornerstone viscous though) oily. Not super spicy. Apple, allspice, vanilla. Mouth coating. Finish: fairly long. Great hug. Solid minute or so. Perhaps the weakest link however. This is an extremely easy drinking barrel proof rye. I did a side by side with cornerstone...twice. it fell short of that, but it's $100 less. For the price, it's incredible. It's definitely a sweet rye...not spicy. If you're looking for a Willett type experience you will be disappointed. If you're a bourbon lover, this rye will be your jam.

My favorite expression from The Balvenie so far. Age: 15 Nose: dark cherries, caramel, honey, pomegranate. Palate: perfect viscosity...clings to the mouth like it clings to the glass. Hits the tongue with the dark cherry, and leaves the back of the palate with the honey and malt. Extremely pleasant experience. Finish: really the perfect length. Two minutes later and I can still taste the dark fruits. This one is so delightful. I've searched high and low for the first fill bottles...with no luck. However, I finally found a bottle that must have been aged in a barrel that still had a lot to give. Almost as dark as my gd18. I have a Balvenie Tun 1509 Batch 4 that I psyched to pop open. It has work to do to beat this one. For me personally, I take this every single day over Macallan 18.