Tastes

Woodford Reserve is arguably one of the more widely known “premium” bourbons on the shelf, a position bolstered by effective marketing in certain well known Kentucky horse races. This Woodford expression is still relatively new by modern bourbon standards being created about 23 years ago by its current owner, Brown-Forman; however the distillery site has existed for over 230 years producing other brands from bygone eras. The bourbon is unique in one aspect in that it combines pot still and column still product into the final batch, although the ratios are undisclosed. Will this bourbon live up to its premium image in taste? Let's find out! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. On the nose this is one of the most complex bourbons I've had the pleasure of sniffing. It runs the flavor wheel with sweet toasted sugar and oak, light fruit and florals, cocoa, butterscotch, honey, spice and mint, orange zest, touch of leather belt with faint tobacco leaf. Classic rich and well rounded bourbon profile, very inviting. Palate starts sweet and creamy with deep and richly dark flavors of coffee bean and dark bitter chocolate or cocoa popping out immediately followed with citrus zest, baking spices, toffee and toasted oak. Pretty complex and rich taste with one of the strongest coffee and chocolate notes I've tasted in any bourbon thus far. There is also a tingle left on the tongue that's rather unique. It's very well balanced and easy drinking with a pleasant warmth and spiciness. Finish is rather long with honey, lingering tingly spice on the front of the tongue, vanilla, light anise, more light cocoa and toasted oak. Very nice! In the interest of full disclosure, I came into this sip thinking it just wouldn't be terribly good or interesting and I'm not even sure why I had this negative bias. I couldn't have been more wrong! I really like everything Woodford has to offer here and there's not much to find fault at the price. Maybe I wish it were a bit higher proof, but it's fine really. The nose is complex and rich and the taste is deep and dark and bright and lively all at once. Very well balanced, flavorful, and ultimately unique. I think if given this blindly, I would guess it came from a roughly $45 to $55 bottle, but instead at $33 I believe this is a great deal for the quality! It offers the classic bourbon notes you expect, but also brings a great uniqueness too that stands out from the crowd. I think in the $30 bourbon crowd this has earned a rotation among some of my other favorites in this range, such as Elijah Craig, Eagle Rare, Four Roses SmB, and Russell's Reserve 10. All are beautiful expressions of their respective distilleries and offer their own distinctive flavors. Well done Woodford, these guys aren't just horsing around afterall! Cheers!

Col Edmund Haynes Taylor was one of bourbon’s founding fathers after operating the Old Fashioned Copper (OFC) Distillery well over a hundred years ago. Their Small Batch BiB is the entry level expression in the EHT line of bourbons. While Eagle Rare can be considered a premium Buffalo Trace product, EH Taylor is positioned above Eagle Rare but below the Blanton's, Elmer, or BTAC collection in pecking order. For the $10 premium over the already great Eagle Rare, is this entry into the Taylor bourbon line worth the extra cost? Let's find out! I normally don't make much ado about the packaging with a bourbon and focus primarily on what counts, that being the flavors. But I will point out with EH Taylor SB, you do get a very nice packaging tube which makes for nice presentation, and is more reminiscent of a nice scotch packaging. And said tube carries a bit of history and information about this fine bourbon, but one of the more interesting pieces of information to ponder while you sip is that this bourbon is aged in warehouses Mr. Taylor constructed over a century ago. Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. The nose is immediately so inviting of a sip with rich and fairly complex notes of sweet fruits and cherries dipped in a hint of dark chocolate, butterscotch, and toasted sugar but also a bit of ethanol underneath it all. Sweet toasted oak binds it all together. Just a wonderful start for this bourbon! Palate begins beautifully oily and creamy, initially sweet turning a bit tart mid taste. Cinnamon and clove spice lead off the taste with surprising little heat for the ABV. Mid palate begins the complexity with a mix of dark chocolate, citrus zest, touch of coffee at times, fruity, and a nice toasted oak backbone. Everything is so balanced and flavors come in waves. Definitely more lively, complex, and flavorful than Eagle Rare with enhanced spiciness. Seems like a worthy $10 upgrade from ER! Finish is medium to longish once the palate adjusts, but wish it lasted a bit longer. It leaves a delicious light tobacco and leather, lingering peppery spice, toasted oak, and sweet honey. Finishes a bit dry. Overall, such terrific bourbon from Buffalo Trace! For a BiB it is easily drinkable, fairly complex, and so well balanced. EHT shares some of the darker fruit notes with Eagle Rare but goes up another level in brightness and complexity. While I greatly enjoy ER, it can be overly dark and less spicy at times, while the Taylor is having none of that. At the low to mid $40 range a definite worthwhile purchase for BTrace fans or those looking for a great premium bourbon experience at a fair price for the quality. With so many of BTrace's premium bourbons being scarce and commanding sky high prices, it's nice to enjoy one of their premiums at this price and always being on the shelf here. You could easily pay more for other bourbons and not get as nice a pour. Also consider Rare Breed, Knob Creek SiB, or Makers 46 though in this price range. Cheers!

Jack Daniel's Red Dog bottling is a limited run product commemorating 125 years since the opening of one of two of Mr Daniel's saloons of the same name in Lynchburg Tennessee, the other being the White Rabbit. It seems not much is known about this mysterious saloon other than folklore as it doesn't exist today, nor are there photographs. Red Dog is a slightly higher proof at 43% ABV than No 7, and other than the higher ABV not much else is known about how the product differs in production or quality from standard JD, which I'm not the biggest fan of personally. On the Red Dog bottle you get a rather elegant gold accented label which looks great. Also each bottle comes with a "Limited Bottling Number" on the back of the bottle where it can be registered on the JD website, and a nice certificate of ownership can then be printed with your name on it. Nice touch! So will this limited edition and higher proof be worthy of its mysterious name and limited run? Let's give it a go and see if this Red Dog can hunt! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. The nose immediately presents as more interesting, rich, and more complex than No 7. I'm getting sweet cinnamon roll, rich vanilla cream, with cherry and banana on top of light cedar or pine plank. The smell is just a bit reminiscent of one of my favorites, Wild Turkey 101. Not a bad start for this expression! On the palate it is a bit thin and watery on entry, but still packs a good kick. Starts mildly sweet with more signature Daniel's banana like No 7, but kicked up a notch, and warming heat with a bit less spice than the nose would suggest but still present. A bit of grain and cornbread comes through also with toasted oak. Finish is short to moderate with lingering toasted oak and sugars, vanilla, some honey. Overall definitely better than your standard ubiquitous No 7, but not really a standout whiskey at its $30 price point. Honestly there are plenty of other $30 bottles (or cheaper) I'd rather acquire first, such as Dickel 12, Elijah Craig, McKenna 10, Beam Distiller's Cut, Eagle Rare, or Russell's Reserve 10 to name a few. I think if you're already a big fan of JD then you would be pleased with the additional flavors and higher proof from Red Dog. And I imagine collectors of the JD brand would want this and it's sister bottle White Rabbit as memorabilia. Honestly as far as JD product goes, it's probably one of their better in recent times at this price point. I'd pick it any day over No 7 or Gentleman. Not a disappointing buy but nothing overly special about it. Cheers!

Dickel is the other Tennessee whiskey that most folks don't immediately bring to mind where Tennesse whiskey is concerned. It employs similar charcoal filtering, but instead of dripping it through the charcoal like JD, Dickel is chilled to around 40* then soaked in vats of charcoal about a week then barreled. To be blunt, Jack Daniel's rules the roost in brand recognition, but who is king where it counts, i.e. flavor? Let's find out! Enjoyed neat, no added water. Nose is certainly interesting and oddly what you smell may vary day by day. One day I get sweet vanilla pudding with hints of maple, fruit, and oak. Another day I can only focus on the mineral smells of Centrum multivitamins and sweetness. Yet on another whiff I can call it sweet doughy bread with nuts. I wouldn't call the nose too complex, but it's rather amazing the range of scents one can gather on this if you're looking for them. Whatever the case, there is way more going on here than your standard JD! With a high corn mash bill, the palate is very sweet and fairly light in mouthfeel. Starts off with a hit of spiciness and warmth, but quickly followed by citrus zest, dark chocolate, leather, toasted sugar and smoky barrel char. After the palate is fully adjusted, I get maple pecan biscuits. Yum! There can, at times, be a hint of the mineral like multivitamin in the taste but it fades very quickly into the better palate notes. While the 12 in the name doesn't suggest age of the product, this expression does have a bit more age (8+ years on average) on it than what most of its competition offers. And I believe the longer aging is evident in the flavors that linger on the palate and long into the finish. Finish is actually ridiculously long here and offers flavors reminiscent of a nice bourbon, that is predominantly maple and toasted sugars, honey, and oak. Also a nice menthol and minty quality that is very pleasant. Serioulsy the finish just doesn't quit and very long into it there is lingering maple and oak. So good and this is only a $20 bottle! Overall, fantastic value at $20! Far more flavor and bang for the buck than its main Tennessee competitor JD No 7. And I can say I like it more than some bourbons costing double than this Dickel. While some may be understandably put off by the vitamin qualities in smell and taste, I wouldn't say this bothers me much at all, particularly as this isn't the dominate flavor of the expression, and quickly provides very tasty traditional bourbon notes beginning mid palate and continuing through the long finish. I'd say at the $20 price point, I can't think of much else that I'd rather pick up honestly. Dickel 12 is quickly becoming my best buy in budget whiskey/bourbon! It beats the pants off JD in both price and quality, offers more refined and complex flavor than other budget bourbons like Evan Williams Black, Four Roses Yellow, standard Jim Beam, and honestly this is more flavorful for me than something twice the price, like Woodford Reserve. And while Gentleman Jack (my former preference for a TN whiskey) may be smoother and more mellow, it lacks the complexity and flavors of the Dickel and is much costlier. Dickel 12 makes a perfect frequent sipper for the price, yet without tasting cheap. Of course spend a mere $5 more and there are plenty of choices I like as much or more, like Turkey 101, Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam Black, Devils Cut, or particularly Distiller's Cut, and maybe Bulleit depending on mood. It's great to have so many fantastic choices for so little $, but if you're truly sticking to a hard $20 or so limit or just want to try something new, you'd be hard pressed to do better than this great Tennessee whiskey in Dickel 12! Cheers!

Everyone knows Maker's, but perhaps you didn't know with Maker's 46, it was the 46th wood stave profile attempt before this distillery was satisfied with the final outcome of this expression and was thusly named. And so with this expression you take standard Maker's and finish it a few more months with seared french oak staves added to the barrel. Was it worth all the trial and error to end up with Maker's 46? Will I finally meet my Maker's? Let's find out! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no water added. On the nose, you are greeted with a sweet vanilla, honey, with some cherry fruitiness, and a bit of cinnamon spice. The additional oak stave finishing doesn't impart much enhanced oaky character or char on the nose. But the nose is definitely improved over standard Maker's, just richer and more focused in its intent. On the palate it starts pleasantly, but never overly, sweet followed by an immediate high spicy cinnamon kick, really high actually, and pretty hot on the tongue. Mouthfeel is light. Following the initial spicy kick, the sip turns a bit tart as the extra oak staves finally announce their presence on the expression with a nice astringent oaky tannin note popping up. A taste of new cut wood mixed with light coffee or chocolate at times is what I'm picking up. Very tasty palate here, definitely amps up and adds to the flavors from the standard variety. The finish is moderately long with more vanilla and caramel sweetness, light cherry, mixed with toasted oaky wood char and tobacco fading in and out. Overall, a very worthwhile upgrade from your standard Maker's. 46 takes the sweet lightly fruity profile of regular Maker's and turns up the heat a few degrees in spiciness and woody character. Are these factors worth the $15 price increase from regular Maker's? Depends on how much you value a much more wood forward character and a blast of cinnamon spice. I happen to love wood forward expressions and the lively spice definitely wakes the senses, so I much prefer it to the regular octane variety. I typically much prefer Weller Special Reserve to standard Makers for a wheater, both for flavor and lower cost. But I think I might like 46 more than Weller SR, but it comes at about double the cost. Larceny offers similar high spiciness, but loses the woodiness and frutiness for a more nutty character and is also much cheaper for a wheater. So while I feel Maker's has created a winner in all their trials to end up at 46, I think the higher cost will hold it back for me as a regular wheated pour. For those regulars, Weller or Larceny will still rule the rotations, while 46 will earn its keep as something as a special pour when the occasion calls for it, or as a comparative basis on how Maker's created only its second whisky in as many years to hit shelves. From a technical point of view it is pretty interesting in how their wood finishing changes the final product, but know that it comes at a cost. It's a great whisky actually, but in the mid $40s range, I'm picking Rare Breed, Knob Creek SiB store pick, or EH Taylor BiB. While not wheaters they are, for me, far superior whiskeys for the buck. And if you really must have a wheated bourbon, and special too at the $40 mark, the Weller 12 or Antique is your huckleberry, but good luck in finding them on the regular. Cheers!

Jim Beam Extra Aged is yet another bourbon that lost its age statement (was 8 years) in recent times, an unfortunate trend in the bourbon world right now. So where does this Beam Black fit in with existing Beam expressions? Let's find out! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. On the nose, a nice lightly sweet caramel with a bit of vanilla frosting and an oaky backdrop. On the palate, somewhat thin mouthfeel, starts lightly sweet but quickly changes over to a bitter tart. More caramel and vanilla with a bit deeper character than you expect from the lower end Beams, and accented by a bit more oaky char than usual also. Very smooth, with just a little spice and heat. At times I seem to detect a light fruity note but it's not dominate by any means. Probably a good place to start for beginners in the bourbon world or those looking for a nice smooth sip to ease into a session. Finish is somewhat long actually, producing lingering vanilla, some honey, and nice oaky smoky char. The enhanced smoky char is the best part of the sip for me. Overall, a fairly basic Beam bourbon but the extra aging, as is typical of longer aged bourbon, produces a bit more character and depth of flavor. I'd put the Black certainly well above White label and Repeal Batch and on par with Double Oak, but a bit below Devil's Cut (stronger oaky character I prefer), Bonded (stronger Beam peanut funk), and well below Distiller's Cut (just delicious and best Beam expression for the $). So Black falls about mid pack in the Beam bourbon portfolio for me. It's far from bad, just not their very best either. It's a classic bourbon profile really, with caramel, vanilla, and smokiness in spades, but not a whole lot more. It lacks complexity and enhanced spicy fruity or floral notes, but is super smooth and easy to pick apart the classic bourbon profile. I feel like the 43% ABV is hurting this one a bit. Kicked up to 47-50% I think would really bring out the bit of extra aging and take the flavors up a notch. Not bad, but go for Distiller's Cut if budget allows, as it offers so much more feel, flavor, and kick. Cheers!

Jack Daniel’s Rye is the Tennessee distiller’s fourth rye expression in recent years, and utilizes a nice fairly high rye percentage of 70% in the mashbill. While there is no formal age statement, word on the street is around 4 to 5 years, and it is also filtered in the traditional Jack process through maple charcoal. And have to give JD credit in actually producing their own rye product in house, instead of sourcing from MGP which is very common these days from NDPs. Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no added water. The nose is immediate and strong and certainly unlike other traditional ryes I’ve tasted. In all honesty, at first it reminded me of something familiar but I couldn’t place it right away. Reminded me of a more traditional bourbon actually, and more specifically I think it smells very close to one of my very favorites, Wild Turkey 101. I think the reason is that the nose on JD Rye is giving off lots of sweet fruitiness for me, and specifically cherry dominate but also a backnote of typical JD banana, mixed with vanilla and pepper spice, and an undernote of charred oak to round it out. There might be a touch of eucalyptus in there too, which is the only nod to traditional rye I could pick out. Minus the little hint of banana, this is almost the exact profile of the Wild Turkey 101 nose, which for me is also cherry syrup heavy, spice, vanilla, and oak. The JD Rye smells like a bourbon! But I think the similarity ends here. Palate is medium bodied and doesn’t really coat the mouth. It is, for a brief moment, initially somewhat sweet but quickly turns a bittery tart. You are greeted with a pretty high peppery bite with a little warmth that wakes the taste buds for sure and warms the chest going down, with the rest of the taste being pretty tart. Some fruity and slightly herbal flavor is present with a backnote of alcohol graininess and oak. Also this is a very very drying sip leaving the mouth puckered. Given the sweetness and familiarity of flavor on the nose, the palate is anything but familiar here. Strange really, but not unenjoyable. Finish is medium length and fruity, almost peachy like, with notes of honey, vanilla, lingering pepper, and light toasty barrel char all fading in and out at random. The more the palate adjusts to the flavors, the toasty oak barrel becomes more prominent and pretty nice. Also dry and astringent on the finish. Overall, not bad or unenjoyable per se, but a very unique rye profile. Nothing about the JD Rye is like any other rye I’ve tried, save for the high pepper notes, which dominate this expression. I’ll say this one is worth a try before you commit to a $30 bottle. At the very least, grab the $2 trial vial on the shelf and give it a go, you might be surprised at this unique rye from JD! Cheers!

Wish this were a tasting, more of a rant and question. The LLS has 2 bottles of this stuff at $500 per bottle! Is this the going market rate for this stuff? Seems steep for a 10 year! Arg! They've also got George T Stagg at $400! Sheesh!

Elijah Craig, a preacher who apparently enjoyed himself some whiskey back in the day, was said to be the father of bourbon, and credited with coming up with the process of charring oak barrels to age whiskey. Whether or not all that is true, who really knows (evidently even its distiller Heaven Hill isn’t totally sure about the truth), but it definitely makes for interesting bourbon mythos and history surrounding the label namesake. So I guess bourbon gets its “I am your father” moment here, and in that regard, it better live up to expectations. Let’s find out! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no water added. Very nice, rich, complex, and inviting nose of sweet butterscotch, deep vanilla cream, sweet fruit, with undertones of some dry leather, and toasted oak. In a way it really reminds me of a fruity bubblegum, like Juicy Fruit, one of my childhood favorites! Palate starts beautifully creamy and oily coating the mouth in liquid velvet, a likely byproduct of non chill filtering. Leads with a pleasant initial sweetness but mid palate it's more of a balanced sweet with a little tart. Nice hit of cinnamon and nutmeg baking spices too upon entry, very lively with a gentle warm burn but never overly so. Then on the backend it becomes mostly new oak forward with bit of of tannin astringency, even some dark chocolate poking through. Finally later in the taste fruity apple or baked apple tarts show up. A beautifully well balanced, complex sip, with rich flavors. Very well done! Finish is moderately long in length with sweet honey, vanilla, toasted wood, more light fruit akin to ripe red apple. Works for me! Overall a very fresh tasting lively bourbon with a richness and depth I honestly didn’t expect. Going into this I half expected the same flavor profile of Heaven Hill’s other premium aged products, Henry McKenna BiB or EW SiB. But the HMcK, while every bit as delicious, is a very different bourbon in that it hits darker somewhat mustier notes, in the same vein for me as Eagle Rare 10 really. And I was very underwhelmed by EW SiB, as it just lacks a richness and depth that this ECSB masters. By comparison the ECSB is just fresher and creamier tasting, more complex and offers more lively spiced flavors. It’s almost like Heaven Hill has a dark side of the force in the HMcK BiB and a light side in the ECSB. Choose your path wisely! I think Heaven Hill is doing the “father of bourbon” namesake justice here and for $30, a heck of a good bourbon really; and (for a $2 price difference) I enjoy it far far more than the higher rated Evan Williams SiB from the same distillery. Personally I think their respective expert scores should be reversed, i.e 96 for ECSB, 88 for EW SiB. It’s a shame they dropped the 12 year age statement on this a few years back, but it's still very worthy at its price point I believe. You could favorably compare this to any number of $30 expressions, like Four Roses Small Batch, Evan Williams SiB, HMcK BiB, Eagle Rare, Russell’s Reserve 10, and the like and the Elijah Craig easily holds its own offering a unique nose and palate of complex and delicious flavors. I’d consider that the HMcK BiB, ER, and RR10 are on the darker side of the bourbon flavor wheel, whereas the FRSB, EW SiB, and ECSB hit lighter more fruity and fresh oak notes. Picking a favorite here would be like picking a favorite child as a parent I suppose; each has its own personality and all are worthy of a frequent rotation! Cheers!

I’ll start by saying I’m a huge fan of Wild Turkey Distillery, WT 101 and Rare Breed in particular. The WT flavor profile fits everything I want to taste in a good strong everyday bourbon. I’ve tried most of the other distilleries 10 year or older aged stated products in this price range (Henry McKenna 10, Eagle Rare 10, Knob Creek 14yr), but never got around to Russell's Reserve 10, until now. Given my love for WT101 and Rare Breed, I am greatly anticipating the RR10! Let’s dig in! Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn, no water added. On the nose I get similar notes to 101, just more refined and a bit richer. I’m picking up their signature toasted barrel smell that I love, laced with sweet and buttery burnt sugar, and finished in cinnamon spice. Not the most complex or unique nose but everything comes together here in harmony that really invites a sip. Moving to the palate it’s got a nice oily coating feel, moderately spicy with some heat for a 45% ABV product. A little tartness and astringency comes in quick as It seems there are a bit more oaky tannins present, which gives way to bitter dark chocolate and orange zest. RR10 offers classic WT flavor, but is less rough around the edges than 101; and while it’s not extremely oaky for a 10 year, you can tell the age has refined out the firey rustic nature of 101, which I personally love anyhow. One thing missing from RR10 vs 101 is the oddly more pronounced char, smoke, or ash flavor in 101. I personally like the more char forwardness of 101. Also 101 is far more sweet cherry candy forward, which is mostly absent in RR10, and replaced with more tart and bitter chocolate and citrus. Again I’ll say RR is definitely more refined, but it almost refines out the best parts of 101 for me. A potential factor here is that 101 is (obviously) higher proof than the 45% of RR. It may be that RR is a bit too watered down for me, muting its best qualities. Alas, there’s only so much 10 year old stock to go around so it's often the nature of the beast to water down to stretch inventory and sell more. I really believe if this one were 50% ABV or higher, it would be killer! Rare Breed is the cask strength I’m after, but lacks the age statement and is blended of varying ages. The finish is moderate to long with toasted wood, char smoke, dry leather, and some vanilla and even honey late in the finish. Overall, I do like RR10 a lot actually, it’s still got the signature backbone of Wild Turkey, but in all its refined nature, it has lost a bit too, even in comparison to cheaper WT products, like 101. 101 is rough and rowdy and that’s part of its charm and appeal for me. 101 has much stronger sweeter cherry, high spice, and strong charred barrel notes. I honestly find more flavor in 101 than the RR10. If I’m looking for even more kick and punch, I think I much prefer WT Rare Breed to the RR10; even though you lose the aging, you gain all the flavor coming straight from the cask. Of the products I listed in the intro, I’d rate them in the following order of preference: Knob Creek SiB 14 yr ($38) tie with Rare Breed ($45) McKenna 10 BiB ($35) RR10 ($35) ER10 ($32) They are all in the $30 price range, save for RB, but all offer something unique and flavorful in their own right. The KC14 is just a monster of a good bourbon and the best value out there for a 14 year pour and at 60% ABV. It would honestly be a near tie for me between the HMcK10 and RR10. Their flavor profiles are certainly different but both very refined and tasty. And as much as I love ER, it just falls a little short of the others for me in direct comparison due to lack of spice/heat and more muted flavors. All of these are superb expressions of their respective distilleries, some are just a bit more to my liking than others. Cheers!