Tastes

This bourbon has a fairly strong initial bite of spice, with a just a little taste of honey like sweetness that disapates quickly giving way to the most notable flavor for me, which I would describe as charred corn. There is a noticable taste of ethonal but it's not overpowering and being a lower proof it's still smooth. It has a finish that is still dominated by the corn taste, but the rye spice is there as well. Hints of oak and leather linger in the palette after a each sip. This is a great step above the bottom shelf bourbon for mixing, as it has enough boldness not to get lost in a cocktail and is affordable. It's also fine for an everyday sipper.

1792 Small Batch bourbon hits the nose with a fairly strong alcohol smell. The initial taste is slightly sweet with a faint hint of cinnamon. A bold, spicy rye flavor on the palette, with a strong finish that tastes of oak, char, and leather and it lingers. The aftertaste is slightly bitter. Probably not one of my favorites, but I did enjoy it on the rocks with a splash of water.

I found Ezra Brooks a little rough upon first taste. It has a flavor I have trouble putting my finger on, but I might say it's musty corn. Not a lot of sweetness to speak of. It has woody ethonal aftertaste that lingers, but not too pleasantly. Strong astringent taste straight, but more mellow with a little water. Not the best for sipping, but decent as a mixer. Not a big fan of Ezra Brooks bourbon, although I do enjoy their rye.

I haven't tried many other Rye whiskeys, but I found Old Overholt to be fairly easy drinking. Not a lot of sweetness to note. Smooth without much alcohol burn. A strong, but not over powering rye note is there from start to finish. Slightly woody after taste that diminishes quickly. For the price it's hard to beat, especially in an old fashioned.

Strong tastes of oak, leather, and ethanol. Not much sweetness is notable. A good bit of heat going down. A slightly bitter after taste lingers on the palette. Upon first tasting I find the flavor of Knob Creek bold and spicy, but a little harsh for my taste.

A smooth easy drinking bourbon. Sweet with notes of cinnamon. Not much spiciness, fairly mild and not too complex. Strong oak and toasted corn aftertaste. Very little alcohol burn. A good mild sipper or mixer.

I like this one a lot. Maybe my favorite in it's price range. A sweet taste with notes of cinnamon and caramel. Nice hints of spicey rye. There is a mild after taste of ethanol and oak. Lots of flavor, more complex than similarly priced Bourbons, but still smooth.

Strong initial notes of caramel sweetness and vanilla. Fairly smooth yet bold. There is a hint of ethonal, but not a significant alcohol burn.Has a spicy finish with noticable oak char flavor and sweetness that lingers on the palette. At ten years this is the oldest bourbon I've tasted. I believe this has the same mash bill as wild turkey 101, but tastes a fair bit richer. Might be fun to try them side by side.

For the price it's pretty good. Easy to drink with not much of an astringent burn. Flavors aren't very complex, but not unpleasant. Only slightly sweet, with some hints of tea leaves. Has a mild aftertaste of oak and leather.

Finally got to try this one after picking it up at the distillery. Smooth with a lot of flavor. Sweet caramel and vanilla with a slightly smokey taste and a hint of spice. Almost no astringent burn. The light oak and mild tobacco finish is not too long and leaves no bitter aftertaste. This is a good sipper. I definitely like it.