Tastes

Aroma- decent balance of honey, oak and vanilla. Picking up some orange peel on the back end and a slight apple pie note. Dessert-like. It’s nice for the price point Taste - more sweet notes of honey, vanilla, and caramel. Slight touch of berries and toasted oak. Getting an herbal note coming through as it opens up… For the price, it’s quite a bit of complexity. Overall - the mouth feel is quite thin at the 101 proof. Hot finish. But overall this is really solid for the price point. Above average at $22-$25 ranges. Great for cocktails too. Definitely a great go-to everyday sipper

Aroma- holy crap… I got a splinter up my nose from the massive oak profile. Seriously… I can smell the oak as it sits on my end table. Once I get passed the oak, it’s predominantly smoke. I’m really reaching here, but I get a dark fruit and maple. Amazing aroma. Taste - oak and smoke are the big guys here. But the secondary notes really make this one nice. Herbal tea, caramel,leather, sap honestly comes to mind (like pine)… Overall- Incredible… the finish is super long for 89.5 proof. And I only wonder just how orgasmic this would be at a higher proof. But I’m gonna still give this a 5… because it is a lower proof bourbon. I don’t usually come across something that is this aromatic and flavorful at this low of abv… It’s absolutely tremendous.

Aroma - apples, pepper, oak, leather, really awesome nose. Taste - first sip and it’s mind blowing. Just a super decadent beverage. Tons of sweet notes cuts out all the heat. Layers upon layers of caramel and vanilla. Tons of mixed berries… blueberries, blackberries come to mind. Creamy finish. Dammit this is amazing. Complexity is insane. Damn. This is just an unreal whiskey. At 67.45% ABV it drinks like it’s 50% ABV. Massive thanks to my buddy for providing the sample. Had a Willet 25 year many years ago and that was my all time favorite… this offering is just as memorable.

Joe’s Beverage Warehouse 109 proof 54.5% Barreled 3/24/16 Single barrel number 7347020 Aroma - nice balance of oak and pepper. Dark fruits , touch of spice, and brown sugar also detectable. Taste- first sip oak, vanilla and bubblegum. Wasn’t what I was expecting. But very unique first sip. Proceeding sips… that bubblegum fades away bringing up more baking spices, brown sugar, oak up front and comes back on the finish again. The finish is quite long. Definitely packed with tons of flavor. At $60 for single barrel, this is exactly what I would expect. Very good. Definitely worth the price of admission

Aroma -big Carmel apple and cinnamon notes. Very Very sweet. Pretty inviting. But man i can’t get over how sweet this smells. Taste - brown sugar, sugared candies, caramel, vanilla.All sweet notes up front. Picking up a smokiness aspect mid palate. The finish brings a black cherry cola note with a slight nuttiness. It’s a very unique finish. Overall - this is super crushable and dangerous. A little polarizing because like the feel of heat on the gums. But this one is so sweet that it drinks so fast without that aforementioned heat. It’s worth the purchase and is rightly priced in $55 range.

Stellum - whoa! This is one of the best smelling bourbons/ryes I’ve ever experienced. Massive oak and caramel and vanilla. Mint and that rye spice secondary… slight cinnamon. Taste - super buttery. The viscosity is massive. Almost chewy. Oak and mint are super well balanced. Light dusting of cinnamon bread, dark fruits, red hot candys. Overall- honestly the balance of the flavors is what makes this such a great offering. Each sip brings forth a new aspect and the finish is long. Problem is you keep wanting to get back into it to find out what other flavors are going to pop. And before you know it, your glass is empty and it’s time to pour another. The price point is steep but this one is honestly worth it.

Aroma- black cherry vanilla cola, cinnamon, lightly herbal, deep oak tone. Taste- oak, vanilla, black pepper, lacks finish. Overall - nice flavor, but drinks closer to a $70-$75 than the $100 that my friend paid for.