Tastes

Maker's Mark has a nice initial sweetness. Not much complexity. It has some spice, but the heat mostly comes in with the taste of ethanol. There's just the slightest hint of dark chocolate bitterness on the finish, but mostly oak and char. There is a bit of a bitter aftertaste. Overall it's sweet but a little harsh.

This is a warm spicy bourbon. There's a light brown sugar sweetness with a bit of cinnamon and some alcohol heat. I still think it's fairly smooth and not too bitter. The finish has strong rye notes and hints of oak. The further down in the glass I got the more I liked it.

My bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel was vintage 2011 barrel number 1400. I found this bottle to be smooth yet bold. It hits the tongue with caramel vanilla sweetness. There is a bit of spice and charred oak. The finish is moderate in length with hints of leather and oak with a slightly bitter sweet after taste.

Elijah Craig is pleasantly sweet on the nose. The caramel candy apple sweetness continues on tasting as well. This bourbon is smooth, but with a nice little bite. The finish is fairly long with lots of oak, some char, and a lot of leather. There is a slightly bitter aftertaste that lingers just a bit. This is a good bourbon for sipping and mixing.

Smooth, lightly sweet Scotch. There are Floral and fruity notes. Plenty of smoke and peat on the palette, too. The finish has moderate oak tones with hints of tobacco. Unfortunately, for me there is just the smallest aftertaste of butyric acid which I find unpleasant. It's not as noticable on the rocks with a splash of water or in a cocktail, but I can still detect it.

This is a smooth easy drinking Irish whiskey. Mild, slightly smoky and sweet. Hints of dried fruit and floral undertones. The finish is short with a slight touch of woody tobaco flavor. No bitterness and no ethanol burn. I enjoyed sipping this, but not sure it's flavor profile is strong enough to stand out in a cocktail.

Old Forester bourbon has a strong bite. Only a light molasses like sweetness. I taste bitter citrus and a lot of oak. The finish is strong oak char and leather. It goes down with a fair amount of burn with lingering oak and ethanol. I didn't find this bourbon very smooth, so for me it's not a great sipper. The strong flavor would probably be better in an old fashioned, though.

This bourbon is bold and fairly complex. It has a spicy bite and a mild corn sweetness. There's a hint of cinnamon spice, big rye notes, and a strong charred oak taste. The finish is long and a little bitter. It has a bit of ethanol burn, but it's not bad on ice with splash of water.

This is a smooth easy drinking bourbon. It has a moderate brown sugar sweetness with a dark chocolate bitterness that's nice. Not much bite, and not too complex. Notes of rye spice and very little ethanol burn. A short peppery finish that tastes of oak and roasted corn. This is a nice mellow sipper, but probably too pricey and not bold enough for a mixer.

This a great tasting bourbon for the price. I picked up a bottle at Total Wine and More in Kentucky for 12.99. My understanding is that this 6 year bourbon is only available in Kentucky, so I'm glad I snagged a bottle while passing through. I found this bourbon smooth, but with a nice full flavor. Sweet but not, too sweet. A bit of fruit and caramel flavor on the front end, with char and corn prominent in the finish. Not much spice, and light oak tones that linger only briefly on the palette. I'll definitely grab another bottle the next time I'm in the bluegrass state.