Tastes

Aroma - oak jumping out of the glass. Bright red fruits, vanilla and caramel. Some herbal green tea notes, hint of rye with black licorice. It’s a nice balance with moderate complexity. Taste - Oak and vanilla touch of caramel. Slight creaminess. Overall- coming off the nose, the palate leaves a lot to be desired. Palate is just way too bland, there is no finish, no body to this. Sure it is smooth, even slightly creamy but what did you expect for 90 proof. Drinks like a $25 bottle of whiskey. If I wasnt grading off of price this would be a 2.5-2.75. Probably a decent entry level bourbon for someone who doesnt bourbon. But in todays market, where $70 can land you an amazing bottle, this is one of the worst $70 bottles out there.

Old Elk 9 Year Wheated 119.7 proof Aroma - tremendous. Caramel, strawberries and berry jam, fruity cereal, cinnamon sugar cookies. Taste - wow. Taste follows the nose here. Overall - incredible all the way around. Finish is soft and pillow-like but medium at best. Proof perfect. The hug is quite mild.

Aroma - Smells like a dessert. Cinnamon, pecan-pie, orange peel, vanilla. It’s awesome. Taste - Wow. Nose transfers perfectly to the palate. All the same notes. There’s a touch more rye spice here than in the nose. Balance is amazing. Overall - Unbelievably smooth for the proof. Extremely long finish, great viscosity. Everything you could possibly want… this whiskey has.

Aroma - That raw honey is so strong up front it’s awesome. Complemented by tons of dark notes here (black cherries, licorice, blueberry jam).. honey wheat bread, some cinnamon and baking spices. Fantastic nose. Taste - Damn…Does NOT follow the nose… So much rye notes coming through here up front (toothpaste-like spearmint, earthy rye, black pepper, baking spices) The rye is overly aggressive to be honest. Mid palate is a nice honey and molasses note but it short-lived as rye quickly takes over again on a very long finish. But then there is a weird artificial drying note (for some reason my brain keeps coming back a similar note from Early Times which I haven’t tasted in over 10 years) Overall - Some might really enjoy this. But I’m not a huge fan of this dram to be honest. It tastes youthful to me and from time to time I’m getting a reminiscent note of Early Times on the finish. The nose is amazing just doesn’t translate to the palate.

Aroma - sweet notes coming though here. Orange creamsicle, brown sugar, some sweet apples, very very light oak (so probably 4-5 years bourbon here) Overall quite nice on the nose. Not overly complex but it is inviting Taste - Still getting a nice orange creamsicle-like note, with caramel drizzle (more like the squeeze bottle stuff you use on ice cream). There’s an earthy/green profile here which is a bit perplexing since there is no rye in the mash bill and I’m also definitely getting some peppery/spice notes. Overall - Nose is very nice and a I prefer it over the taste. But the taste is definitely above average. Wheaters always seem to have a pillow-like softness on my palate and that is what I’m experiencing here. The finish is above average too. This is a good pour. Probably will make for an excellent Old Fashion and cannot wait to make you with this.

Aroma - Citrus, brown sugar, spearmint up front… As it opens I’m getting light notes of licorice and apples. Homemade rye bread (which was my personal favorite growing up)… man that rye bread really brings in some nostalgia for me. And it’s hard for me to not be amazed by this aroma. Taste - Citrus and Mint up front. Sweet cherries and bubblegum mid palate and very very light oak note on the finish. Finding a black licorice note here that at the back of the palate and continues with the finish. Not overly complex but balance and flavor profile are spot on. Finish is medium. Overall - This is sweet for a rye and it’s very well balanced for a 95/5. Very unique and absolutely worth the price of admission. (No dill or pepper presence on this one either) 4.30

Aroma - Oak, toffee, dark fruits all play well together here. I’m also picking up a huge red wine note. The nose is interesting but was expecting a bit more to be honest. Taste - Butterscotch and dark fruits up front. Then mid palate the oak really takes hold and you follow the oak through the finish and then some. There is some slight vanilla bean note from time to time (more of a bitter vanilla than sweet) . The oak is somewhat drying on the finish. Overall - It’s very good and I’m bouncing back and forth from 4.5-4.75. Only knock on this is the finish.. I do find the oak to have a drying effect which takes away from the butterscotch note that is found at the front of the palate. Dont pay more than $120. 4.6

EC Private Barrel Barrel Proof 8 Year 133.7 Proof 66.85% IL Selection- Schenley Floor 6 Aroma- big dark fruits of cherries and black berries up front balanced out with rye and cinnamon notes. Taste - Bold bold bold… Massive black cherries and alcohol soaked cherries notes. Rye on the finish with chocolate peanut butter cup. The Kentucky hug is massive. Overall - the rye on this private barrel is really making its presence known. Reeses peanut butter cups are also quite intriguing. Not getting a ton of oak here. The Kentucky hug is quite extreme on this one. I love my high proof whiskeys but this one is really lighting me up.

Aroma- peanut brittle, chocolate, dark fruit. Nice oak profile as well. Taste - again, chocolate, peanuts, dark fruit are up front. Chocolate and vanilla swirl ice cream. For the proof, the alcohol on the palate is shockingly light, but the hug reminds you that it is there. Overall - first batch 2023 is starting off with a bang.