Tastes

Almost exactly a year ago I was sitting in a restaurant neighboring a hotel I was staying in having a late dinner after catching a flight in to Phoenix International for one of my many business trips that I was on for a previous job of mine. I was delighted to see Elmer T Lee on the menu and had a taste. But when you're sitting in a restaurant surrounded by the smell of food and the sounds of music and conversation, it's difficult to focus on the task at hand. Well, fast forward a year later and I was able to finally get a bottle of my very own. And now here comes the serious review of Elmer T Lee, sipped neat from a Glencairn as the whiskey Gods intended. The nose is a beautiful mix of sweet and spicy. Smells like sweet apple pie but a little heavy handed on the cinnamon. Plenty of vanilla whipped topping on there and all that dessert sweetness is wrapped up in a leather jacket. The taste is distinctly devoid of alcohol heat and beautifully sweet. That apple pie follows right into the taste and you definitely get the cinnamon swirl from the nose. Some caramel cream really softens the flavor profile up mid taste and creates a viscous and coating mouth feel. So good. Just before the prevalent spiciness of the finish kicks in, a little bit of leather jacket dries up all of that sweetness from the taste and leaves just the cinnamon. But remember that thick mouth feel I described from the taste? It luckily stays for the finish which is satisfyingly long, oily and spicy. Your tongue is left with a slight tingle which keeps you going back for more. God.... this is truly one of the greats. I see why its so hyped and it does deserve the hype. Exactly a year ago secondary pricing was going for 300-400. But I just picked up my bottle local for 199, which is still more than we should be paying for the privilege ( a place local to me had a Black Friday special on Elmer for $99 a bottle. I missed the last one by about 5 minutes ). However, sometimes you've just got to treat yourself to some damn good bourbon.

Last year on one of my many business trips to the Phoenix, AZ area I had to entertain some clients and took them to a very nice, small steakhouse in Tempe. On their whiskey shelf stood some very prominent whiskies I wanted to try including several editions of Blood Oath, some EH Taylors and of course, Weller Single Barrel. I did have a pour, but a bustling steakhouse while trying to conduct business is hardly the place for proper whiskey tasting. I remember telling myself that I had to buy a bottle some day and have a proper taste at home. I didn't realize how insanely expensive this and CYPB were in the secondary market. But now, with availability starting to ease up for Buffalo Trace / Sazerac offerings I had an opportunity to purchase a bottle of Weller Single Barrel to call my very own. Yes... it was very expensive. But perhaps not as expensive as one might think. Is it worth the cost of admission? If I'm going to drop the kind of money I did on this bottle of bourbon, it had better be one of the best Damn bourbons in the world. ( Ironically, this was an impulse buy as I originally went in for a bottle of Elmer T Lee which I do actually consider one of the best bourbons in the world. Updated review of that one to follow ). The nose is all Weller. Sweet, a bit fruity but somehow deeper than 12 and less hot than Full Proof or Antique. Its balanced and smells delicious. Cherry and citrus peel give way to some caramel and oak. That oak isn't charred however so the usual tannic tinge from other bourbons is absent. What a taste. Weller Single Barrel is soft, sweet and such an easy drink. Sweet cherries underwrite the the majority of the taste. The taste isn't cloying but then again, I've not known really any Wellers to be that extreme. Caramel and cocoa powder commandeer at mid taste as they fade into the finish. As that finish settles in a bit of baking spiciness pokes its head through, riding on the back of drier, more tannic oak and leather. You do still get some cherry in that finish but its a little more bitter sweet than bright and vibrant. Wow, you really do get the full gamut of flavors here. I hate that Weller has been so allocated that we're forced to fork out such high prices for offerings like this Single Barrel and CYPB. But the hype is justified ( not a popular opinion but oh well ). This one earns a rare 5 out of 5 for me because its complex, there are absolutely no harsh or jarring tastes or smells within this entire bourbon. Delicious in every way imaginable.

Is it just me or has there been more Stagg released in 2023 than years past? Resulting in the surprising availability of Stagg ( not super common but not quite as rare as unicorn piss like before ). At least in my area that has led to the availability of Stagg at the 150-199 price point. So when I saw a bottle of 23c for $150 well... you didn't have to ask me twice. The nose on 23c seems a bit less fiery than I'm used to from Stagg but then again, it's all relative. If you aren't used to smelling barrel proof bourbons then Stagg will always smell like liquid fire to you. The nose is vanilla with tannic, slightly toasty oak meets over-ripened cherries wrapped up in some dry leather. Yes, there is some ethanol heat but its not overwhelming. There's a little bit of creme bruleé sticky sweetness hitting the back of the nose as you pull the glass away from your face. Spice opens up the taste very boldly. Tongue tingling pepper and cinnamon swirled with the proof remind you that you are in fact, drinking something just a hair over 125 proof. As the spice dissipates a touch of salted caramel and chocolate with some vanilla peek through mid taste but quickly dissipate to a much drier back of taste where the tannic oak from the nose makes a comeback with some leather. Throughout the taste, the spice stays... it doesn't really start to dissipate until you cross over into the finish. Surprisingly, the finish on 23c is a bit short, not quite as viscous as other barrel proof offerings and dare I say I bit simple? The spice slowly leaves your tongue and what's left is that tannic oak and leather from the back of the taste. The mouthfeel is a wee bit powdery and while that is up to personal preference, I much prefer an oilier mouth feel on the finish. The dryness sticks to the very last seconds of the finish. You know, I actually think Stagg 23b is the all around better of the two. However, like most Stagg releases, it's worth a try! With more Stagg coming to market, availability is a little more widespread so why not take advantage and try to find this at your local whiskey bar for a taste? I probably wouldn't commit to a bottle purchase unless you're really into a spicy dryness.

Oh Boy. When you can get a bottle of this swill + a bottle of EH Taylor Small Batch for $10 LESS than the bottle of Taylor Small Batch alone.... you know this stuff ain't gonna be good. So why do I insist on doing this to myself? Let's get this going. The nose smells like rubbing alcohol, musty prunes and grape jelly for some reason. Already, the relatively young age statement is evident in the nose, this stuff smells like it's going to pack of a wallop of astringency. Shockingly... and this is maybe the best thing I will say about this blended whiskey, it isn't that astringent or offensive. It kind of just tastes like a watered down mediocre blend. Which... is probably exactly what it is. The front of the taste is.. well.. nothing really. Maybe some of the musty prune but hard to pick up. As the taste reaches mid, the alcohol burn makes your tongue and mouth tingle. Again, very difficult to pick up much taste but I'm getting a flat Dr. Pepper vibe from this stuff. The finish turns oddly sour. Like post corn syrup sour. You know that weird sour after taste you get after drinking Coca Cola? That kind of sour. Do yourself a favor. If you happen to get a bottle of this stuff for free ( or even get PAID to take a bottle ) just use the contents for something other than drinking.

Oh boy. Ever since Cellar Aged was announced, I searched every bar I could find, high and low for a taste. I couldn't justify the prices this bottle was going for in my area. Alas, that taste was never to be. And then I got a notification from a global whiskey distributor that they had bottles available for about $200 less than market value local to me. Yes, that still makes this a ridiculously pricey bottle... but I gave in. After all, I'm a bit of a Maker's Mark fanboy having previously collected every edition of their now defunct Wood Finishing Series. The nose is quite heavenly. It reminds me of the first time I caught a whiff of RC6 and realized that Maker's Mark could be so much more than Maker's 46. It's bold from the proof but deliciously sweet. Caramel syrup drizzled over Monkey Bread ( do you remember eating this as a kid? ). Maple Syrup and vanilla bean carry the sweet nose but wait.... do I detect some spiciness? Besides the cinnamon from the Monkey Bread, some very faint baking spice hides somewhere behind all of the viscous sweet. That viscosity carries into the palate. First thing you notice is just how tongue coating and oily the mouth feel of this bourbon is. Delicious caramel syrup drapes that cinnamon sweet, sticky Monkey Bread on the nose. Dark cherries make an appearance somewhere mid palate and as the taste goes down, the back of the taste introduces some cinnamon spice to the party. Or perhaps it stuck around from the front of the taste to the back. As the finish comes on, that spice stays but ushers in drier flavors such as leather and charred oak. It's a long lasting finish with an emphasis on the sweet cinnamon heat that's stayed all the way from the nose to the tail end of the finish. Bravo to Maker's Mark for this one. Boo to all of the gougers who are selling this bottle for quadruple MSRP. If you get a chance to try this Bourbon, please do. You might think you know Maker's Mark, but this bottle will challenge that notion. A nearly perfect bourbon.

There's been some online buzz surrounding this new blended whiskey offering from Buffalo Trace. Obtainable, affordable... but is it any good? The nose is pretty light, which is ok. Many fine whiskies I've tried... have light noses. However, of what you CAN smell..... there is a bit more concern there. There is vanilla, cream and tannic oak but more importantly there is an odd underlying smell of sharpie marker there, too. Yikes, not a great start. The taste is rather light, as well but pretty sweet. Some sweet caramel with candy corn hit the palate. There might be a hint of baking spices before the finish rolls on through, but the light taste really makes it a bit hard to tell. The finish is short and not oily. An interesting backdrop of rye spices mingle with some vanilla before dissipating into nothingness. There is oddly the aftertaste one can get from sweetened corn syrup like what you find in coca cola. Yeah... I don't know about this one. Proof that not everything Buffalo Trace is gold: Traveller Whiskey just doesn't quite cut the mustard for me.

I received a rather lovely bottle of Oban 18 year for Christmas from a friend and neighbor. A surprising gift, considering that he is not a whiskey man himself. The nose is bright and vibrant with citrus shining past all else. There's some sweet orange jam with honey, prunes and a very faint, interesting water biscuit thing going on in the background. As you take in the sip, tannic oak opens up with some apples and tongue tingling spice reminiscent of a hot toddy. This whiskey is very very dry, with flavors of leather coming out on the back half of the palate. There's also a tiny bit of dried seaweed there... almost peat smoke in quality but not quite there. As the spice and tongue pricking subsides and amongst the remnants of the dry back of the taste, some sweetness finds its way back on the finish in the form of honey and raisins but it isn't strong. Not nearly as strong as the palate. It is however; quite long and satisfying. There's a bit too much spice and dryness going on here for me but I prefer sweet and oily whiskies. I guess that's why I am inherently a bourbon man myself. That said, it's an interesting and definitely unique selection.

You know, I've never actually tried a Larceny Barrel Proof release before and have always heard good things. I had the chance to snag up a bottle at MSRP while I was buying a bottle of Stagg 23b and decided to jump on it. Wow... it this stuff really 126 proof? The nose certainly doesn't smell like it. Throughout the nose is a underlying spicy hit of cinnamon. Tickles the nose ever so slightly. But on top of that cinnamon is brown sugar, lemon peels some leather and slightly charred, damp wood ( think: campfire the morning after ). The taste opens with salted caramel. There's a really interesting thick mouthfeel with some saltiness mixed in with the sweet. The spicy cinnamon carries a theme throughout but there's definitely some yummy honey roasted nuts and brown sugar in there too. The more you drink, the more that spice opens up and devours your palate so enjoy that first sip ever so carefully. At the start of the finish an odd fruity tartness lies in waiting. Tastes like under ripened cherries, but its hardly noticeable past the spicy cinnamon, dry leather and oak tannins. The proof makes itself known on the finish, as the tummy warming drink fills you with fiery proof heat. Yeah this one is a solid sipper full stop, not just for its proof. If you can find a bottle at MSRP, I'd swoop it up because it is quite the bargain.

I'm always rather weary of Stagg. Albeit not the most popular opinion, I've now tasted 2 different batches ( 18 and 22b ) and found them both to be a bit too hot to really be amongst the best. By chance I was offered a bottle of 23b for the incredibly modest price of $99 and I was all too happy to pick this up. Maybe third time's a charm? Although the nose does smell a bit hot, much like 22b; this particular batch doesn't smell nearly as hot as 127.8 proof would suggest. Vanilla and toffee are gentle and sweet at first but end up pushing towards bittersweet chocolate toward mid nose. A little kick of rye spice and some tannic oak turn that nose quite dry. The taste explodes with baking spices and tongue tingle. The proof is noticeable in burn only but there isn't a sinus clearing ethanol hit. Right about mid taste some of that dark chocolate mixes in with the baking spices and actually, is quite appropriate as a holiday dram. There's a bit of rye bread quality about this mid taste, an interesting touch to the background of spiciness. The finish is decidedly dry and spicy. That baking spice bomb from the taste never really fades away but on the finish, some tannic oak joins the party. The finish is actually quite long and oily. Some may like this long and drying type of finish but I'm not a huge fan ( what can I say, I have a sweet tooth when it comes to bourbon ). This doesn't feel quite as potent as the last Stagg I tried, 22b. And by the proof, it isn't far off ( 130 vs 127.8 ) but I think its how that proof is delivered. This feels a bit more polished than 22b but I'd still really love to try a Stagg that is less spice and more sweet.

I'm not a rye fan, not in the least bit. But I will concede that in a lot of mixed drinks ( most of which are sweet ), a spicier rye would certainly shine. I had initially purchased Smoke Wagon's Uncut, Unfiltered for the task but realized that is quite a good bourbon on its own and felt it would be a shame to waste it in mixed drinks. Enter - Sazerac Rye. A classic that I've never had due to my aversions to Rye. Of course - if I'm to use this in mixed drinks... surely I have to give it a taste on its own, no? Interestingly, the nose doesn't combo punch you with spice. Cherries, orange pith and some darker pitted fruit ( perhaps plums ) mix together with charred oak, rye spice and beeswax. Caramel appears for a very brief moment on the initial taste and then comes the surprisingly sweet and fruity flavors. Cherries and orange pith come back strong from the nose but there is a slight underlying vanilla quality about this. There's some dryness going on here, too - toward the back of the taste with some tannic oak. The finish shines with rye spice and the traditional herbaceous flavors that come with it. An interesting sweet licorice thing happens right before chocolate and cherries take center stage. There's a little bit of tongue tingle in the form of peppercorns. The finish is pretty dry, despite the sweet/fruity hit mid finish. You know something? I don't hate it. Actually this really wipes the floor with some other sub $40 bottles I know of let alone sub $20. Its just fine neat but I have a feeling it will make a very tasty cocktail.