Tastes

Nose - smoked pear, fruit salad with lime juice, buttered pie crust with a hint of salt Palate - more pear, sweet apple sauce, pinch of white pepper Finish - long and savory, numbed mouthfeel.

In my opinion, this is a good whiskey but not a great one. I loved the nose. I smelled this for about 5 minutes before tasting because I enjoyed the nose so much. It's sweet with maple syrup, cherries, dried berries, oak and a hint of char. On first taste I was immediate let down. The overwhelming flavor and texture of the whiskey was a bitey, white pepper flavor that I was not expecting at all. After a few seconds the flavor hit in a really big way though: more dried fruits with layers of espresso and malt chocolate. The finish was medium length but the berry flavor left and it was more espresso and chocolate. All in all, I really enjoyed this but it's not a 98 in anyone's book, or it shouldn't be. I'm happy to have it on the shelf. If I could give this a 3.5 star rating I would just but I'll be honest and say that 75% of the 4 star I'm giving this is for the nose.

Lots of clementine and orange on the nose along with something like pine sap. The palate is surprisingly smooth but more of the same orange flavor. Floral notes and again just a tinge of what I would think Pinesol would taste like. This is a big step toward the Rock & Rye liqueur. other than for use as a mixer in an old fashioned or something like that, I'd definitely not buy this.