Tastes

Soild entry into the four roses lineup. Its not overly sweet, and has nice floral and herbal notes. I found these get better the further into the bottle you get. I think I prefer the single barrel 100 proof, personally, but the select is miles ahead of the standard small batch.

I've pretty much abandoned the chase for rare and overpriced bourbon, but I managed to snag this bottle of Russell's Reserve 13 year in the state lottery. Im a Wild Turkey fan, so I was eager to try this bottle. Its got the classic Wild Turkey funk and a nice balance of sweetness, spice, and oak. Nothing about it blew me away, although it's very good. It's just not head and shoulders above other WT offerings. I haven't had Wild Breed in a while, but I don't think that the barrel proof RR 13 is significantly better. Would like to do a blind side by side. This was just my first pour, so maybe I'll be more impressed with subsequent sips. Bottom line, at its current price point $149 its overpriced, even more so at secondary around $300.

A nice surprise with Whip Saw. My wife bought me this, which is always fun because she chooses whiskey strictly based on the bottle its in. This was pretty good. You can definitely taste the wine influence here, and a nice soft oak. Its slightly dry with fruit notes. I would but this again.

George Dickel Barrel select is really underrated in my opinion. As far as lower proof bourbon/Tennessee whiskey goes, this is a great choice if you want something smooth, sweet and rich in caramel notes. I've found myself reaching for this bottle often lately, when I just want something light and delicious to sip on while chilling with friends.

Thankfully this was a bit easier to find than many of the new releases over the last couple of years. Of course it's bananas, a stronger Old no. 7 for the most part. It immediately reminded me of Old Forester 100. Where the of is bananas and fruit cake , the JD bonded is more banan laffy taffy. This is pretty good, and somewhat reasonably priced, although I would say there are definitely better values at 100 proof, namely OF 100.

I received this as a gift, and I really didn't know much about it. Having fairly low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised. Just a nice solid bourbon that hits a lot of the marks that you expect for a good sipper. It did have a memorable light cinnamon note that I really enjoyed. Great by itself, but also makes a fine old fashioned.