Tastes

At long last my journey to true taterdom is complete. I have procured and tasted the much sought after, Blanton's. The nose is slightly fruity, with just a whiff of ethanol. I was a little surprised by how smooth my first sip was. I was expecting a little more spice from mashbill #2, as it's the higher rye content bill at Buffalo Trace. Only lightly sweet, with classic carmel and vanilla. Not as complex as I was expecting, a little smoky with tobacco notes too. The finish is oak and leather, and it hangs around for a bit. This is a tasty, smooth pour, but for me it doesn't quite live up to the hype.

I think I may have been a little too harsh on my last review of Old No. 7. It's actually not bad. Ethanol on the nose, but sweet and fruity on the tongue. Banana Laffy Taffy, not fresh banana is what I taste. Not a whole lot in the way of spice. The finish is short and just slightly bitter sweet. It's easy to drink at only 80 proof, but not too complex. I've avoided other Jack Daniels offerings because I didn't think I liked Old No. 7, but maybe it's time to rethink that.

The nose is like sweet fragrant maple syrup. It has a nice thick, oily mouth feel. I can taste the classic Buffalo Trace mash bill, but it's richer and more complex than either Buffalo Trace or Eagle Rare. Smokey and sweet there are also notes of vanilla, toffee, and oak. Very little bitterness on the finish. This is a very tasty bourbon.