Tastes

Well rounded, rich, little burn which pokes through the buttery feel in mouth. The wheat definetely show up here. The smell is pleasant, mild, butterscotch with hints of cinnamon. Very pleasant, but challenging taste for classic corn high bourbon drinkers.

I don't know where the 90 proof here came from. At least in EU the common bottle, this one, was always 40%. I don't trust 40% ABV bottles much for variety of reasons. But when you trying to perfect and balance your spirit, you probably wouldn't end on perfect 40%. Not with non-blended spirits. This bottle is an another proof. You're not enthusiast by far ending with this bottle as your sipper. It lacks the soul. Smell is unsurprisingly turpentine mixed with rotten apples and the taste is very straight forward. Bland, watery, classic sweet toffee, vanilla, corn, hints of nuts notes, but in very forward and mushed together way. Little tiny burn at the end. I'm not sure what to do with this bottle. The profile isn't something to go mix your drinks with, the taste is so easily drown in any other dilution or component. On the rocks it must be quickly unappealing with dilution and cold. Enjoying straight lacks the ebjoying part. But, for friendly game of poker, this might do. The taste of the bourbon, it comes down easily and you can focus on your friends and the game, not disturbing self for downing a bottle without enjoying it. That would do. But that's far from getting great score here.

The smell is nothing to enjoy, mostly turpentine little bit of that bourbony sour-sweet smell on background. Nothing to write back home to mom about. The taste is fine, when you give the dram little bit of rest. Sweet flat acidity, hint of winter spices, baked apple, the composition is bit weird for my enjoyment at sipping. But with 50 ABV it's nice mixer. It will not let you down in some Old Fashion or any short drink. In that field it could bring nice bang for buck ratio. Also my note - charcoal filtered is probably something I would rather avoid. I tested quite a few filtered whiskey and they all have in common they're little bit unappealing to my taste. They're all not complex and like missing a soul.

Smell - peaty, disinfectant, bit of ripe pear. Taste is smooth light, feels like 34-ish ABV. Little burn if you splash whole mouth. Little honey in water. Little apple, little acidity. Overall, nothing interesting. It goes down nicely but yes, this is nothing special, nothing to remember. And the cork is shit. It broked, the 2/3 in bottle was impossible to pull out by corkscrew, I ended doing cork surgery. Shame.

Well this was pleasant surprise. Full rich smell, honey, oak, pinch of pine forest. Just lovely with very small amount of alcohol, which is for 50 ABV surprising. The taste - first is velvety smoothness. Like caramel toned full fat milk, then it comes with very pleasant burn - like when fireplace starts to burn, not like spilled gasoline catching fire kind of some other liquors. And that brings more flavours (and smells). High cocoa milk chocolate, walnuts, peanut butter, hint of orange zest. It's very nice overal taste. The end is which I love about bourbon - the acidity. Very refined one. This is well balanced, super tasteful, beautiful bourbon. I dare to say, in my county one of the best price/performance ratios there. I don't really know why some folks here compare it to rubbing alcohol (they should really taste it, for the experience). And those who wants something sweeter and more mellow should turn they rudder towards rums instead. Yeah, there is plenty better ones for many reasons, but ten times more worse ones for much fewer reasons.

This is not bad, but the shelf price is way above the promise. It's blended to be somehow "complex", but that didn't create some interesting shape but boring sphere. I usually frown upon bottles of well aged alcohol diluted to bare legal minimum of 40 ABV. Sometimes even the 2-3 extra makes difference, at least a gesture that master blender stop before bottom. This "theory", by my taste, fit's most of the bottles and JW Black Label is no difference. This is entry level Scotch, or "I don't know but it says 12 so that must be good" level. For the first one, there is plenty different and better options, for the latter there is no hope. I just don't think this is bottle needed to be shelved by any user of this database.

Very nice profiled whisky, first smell is with alcohol hints, bit iodine, but after little breathing it smells still powerful but nicer, little peat and smoke even if it's stated as not peated. Taste is well ballanced, tasteful, vanilla, beautiful acidity in middle and overall fruit sweetness (apples/pears). Nice but not needed in my sipper collection.

Got this one with 45 %ABV. Pretty nice smell, missing that sweet notes of caramel and vanilla on behalf of that sour alcoholic odour. The taste follows the sour note, but it adds sweetness of bakery products (that baked sweet dough taste), with little fruital freshness and smooth finish with sour, bit bitter (like burned caramel) aftertaste. Feels stronger, like 50%ABV. The overall taste make it not really preferable sipper (but I'm not implying that it is bad sipper!), but I'm looking forward for some ice and splash of coke or Old fashion with it.