Tastes

Had high expectations for this bottle and I hate to say it but I was a little let down at first. The neck pour was a little off to begin with coming across the palate as flat and then coming in with some burn on the finish. I have revisited this bottle and on the second and third pours it improved a lot with more of the same flavors I found in the small batch just amped up due to the higher proof. You will find fruit on the palate with rye spice and alcohol coming through on the finish. Overall it is a buy at retail and rated 3.75. If bought for over retail or close to secondary (100) this rating goes down a bunch. I luckily bought for MSRP so I will enjoy this bottle for what it is - a up and coming barrel proof offering

Really like this pour. Nose of some spice with lighter fruit (almost like citrus or apple) Has classic bourbon notes on the palate with a great, spicier finish that lasts for a bit. Can pull the rye and fruit out on the finish for sure. Would recommend this one for the money. One of the best bottle designs is a bonus.

This pour is one that fits the sweeter/milder bourbon enthusiast. In eh Taylor fashion it is bottle in bond but you really don’t notice on the palate. Finish does reveal its proof but still very smooth. You get vanilla on the nose with a bit of alcohol. Notice it is very oily in the glass. This helps as is coats the palate and tastes very much like it smells. Finish is good at its 100 proof. I recommend drinking neat. When water is added it turns the sweetness up even higher. Also, the water doesn’t mix the best with this oilier pour. Verdict: if a fan of BT then definitely pick this up (I absolutely enjoy it). However, If you are looking for heavy spice you may be disappointed here.

Picked this up because I found it for $29 and you can’t beat that for a 10 year bourbon. Nose is dried fruit with sweet notes. Palate is smooth/sweet and dangerously so. I call this the sneak attacker. Finish - you can pull some fruit out but the longer it sits you can also get a faint cinnamon profile at the very end. Short finish is the only knock here but for 90 proof it is very enjoyable. Verdict: I would buy this again. Have the single barrel on the bar and this makes me excited to pop the top on that one soon.

This is excellently done! Though the bourbon purists will hit on it for still being sourced it is hard not to appreciate this pour. And as a note their distillery is complete and they are patiently waiting for their first bottled offering to come of age. Verdict: sweet on the nose, get the proof on the palate, mild finish (roasted peanuts/peanut butter) ranked top 20 in whiskey advocate 2019. Expect this to continue to fly off shelves. It is a must have in the barrell proof collection with a lower proof than the bigger named barrell proof offerings on the market. Search for it at retail. An inflated price has already taken over in places.

Great to see a “new” bottled in bond hit the market with this New Riff selection. Fans of a little higher rye mashbill will really enjoy this one. Sweet with some heat that’s not overpowering but then you get the nice spice that the rye brings. Verdict: if you want a new bottling from a craft distillery this is worth picking up especially if you enjoy a high rye mashbill. (30% rye)

Not for the beginner and not for the faint of heart. I recommend trying neat then adding a few drops of water to really pull the flavors out of here. BIG and BOLD should be this bourbons nickname as it will take you back a step when nosing or tasting. Verdict: Very very good stuff but beware the high proof and explosive nose and palate.