Tastes

Wow! Just by swirling this in a Glencairn glass I can see that it has a lot of body as it takes quite awhile for the legs to develop. On the first nose, beyond the initial sweetness of the corn, I'm picking up chocolate, dark cherries, hints of vanilla and what seems like very mild cream in the background. The mouthfeel is very rich and creamy, has a wonderful amount of spice, tastes of the chocolate & cherries from the nose and finishes just beautifully. Warm, long, full and the spiciness is so nice. Just after the first few noses and sips, I can easily say that this is one of the best bourbons I've tasted so far. Worth every penny of the $55 I paid for it at a local liquor store in the Phoenix Metro area. Again...Wow! I just added a little water, as I usually do when tasting something for the first time. Upon nosing again, the sweet corn has become dusty corn, there is sweet barrel spice coming through and the chocolate, cherry and cream notes have gone way into the background. Even just this small amount of water really took away from the flavor and finish too. Still very full bodied but not nearly as bold. I will definitely not be adding any water to future pours...like the refill that is probably coming in a few minutes!

The first thing that hits my nose is bananas, bananas, bananas. The initial mouthfeel is a bit oily with a hit of oak on a short finish. Not much else on the first run. Coming back a few minutes later for a second pass, I'm picking up more classic bourbon aromas of caramel & butterscotch but they're somewhat muted. The bananas are still there but deeper into the background. The oily mouthfeel is much more present now and some bitterness is coming through. Pass three includes the addition of a small amount of water. The water helped bring the bananas to the front again and I'm also getting some subtle spices like cloves & cinnamon. It also pushed the oak flavor up front and there is actually a hit of warmth on what feels like a longer finish. The last short nose and sip were pretty much the same as the previous pass. Although I'm not the most experienced whiskey taster or reviewer, I feel this falls into about the 3.5 stars range. I do like the banana aromas but there isn't very much going on flavor wise for me. That having been said, it is pretty good considering the $13.49 price for a 750ml bottle. I'm looking forward to tasting this again down the line.