Tastes

Until recently, I foolishly thought that Woodford's Batch Proof was the same every year so I never bothered to purchase another bottle after my first tasting a few years back. Oh the horror. This year I am righting that wrong. 2024's release is bottled at a lofty 121.2 proof and like previous years, the proof doesn't burn with regret. The nose does have an undercurrent of ethanol from proof but nothing more than expected. Vanilla with brown sugar carries a wave of baking spices making for a very delicious, classic bourbon scent profile. The taste opens sweet with brown sugar and a dusting of cocoa powder. Interestingly I don't taste much vanilla but perhaps it gets washed away by the sweet and spicy cinnamon sugar bomb mid taste. As that spice and accompanying tongue prickle smolder away, tannic oak takes center stage to dry up the taste. Oak carries into the finish and there's not much else happening but the finish is long and oily. There's a faint tartness.. some kind of berry on the finish but I can't really decipher it past the oak. Overall another solid release. Now that I am more in the know about Woodford's Batch Proof releases, I will be sure to keep my eye out for each and every special release.

This week has been a great week for me. First I got my very own bottle of Maker's Mark The Heart Release and now a new Blood Oath: Pact 10. A fresh Blood Oath release is always cause for celebration. Yes they are super hyped and typically sell for astronomical values over RRP but its worth it to try to catch a release at launch and pay close to RRP. The nose is deep and swimming with rich, velvety sweetness. Caramel and vanilla provide a luscious bath for the fruity cherry scents ushered in with a little bit of smokey charred oak. My God what a nose on this one... can't wait for the taste. The taste begins on a nice sweet bed of Caramel. Its soft and not cloying at all. There's a slight twang of tart and sweet cherries about mid taste. As the taste moves toward the finish it dries up a bit with some tannic oak and tobacco. The finish on this release is full, long and satisfying. That cherry on the taste is pretty prevalent especially after a few sips. It's tart and viscous like cherry preserves. There is a little bit of the oak and tobacco experienced at the end of the taste but overwhelmingly the finish is sweet and fruity. WOW! I like this as much, if not more than Pact 9. Bitter tannins, sweet fruit and caramel... it really does these flavor profiles right. Pact 10 is still available at or near RRP in most stores, do yourself a favor and GET A BOTTLE. It is one of the best I've had.

A second run of Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series?! Be still my beating heart. At RRP these are some of the best bang for the buck, limited release bourbons you can buy. And I couldn't wait to get my grubby little hands on this one. Baking spices and bittersweet chocolate are dominant on the nose but also some slightly burnt caramel that adds a slightly charred, toasty character to the nose. Deep into the nose, you'll catch a whiff of over ripened cherries and a bit of the tannic oak to create a well rounded if not slightly less sweet scent. Luckily, the sweetness certainly shows itself at the front of the taste with chocolate and maple gently rolling warmly onto the tongue. The heat adds a bit of prickle, but it's not unpleasant nor does it sting. That tannic oak is much less present on the taste but definitely an underlying note but comes on mid taste with baking spice. Sweet and spicy cinnamon rounds out the taste and brings on a little more tongue tingle from the proof. As the taste rolls in to the finish, some tart cherry joins the spice to create a little more viscosity on the mouth feel that was otherwise lacking until then. The finish is medium long but not super oily. Cherry sticks around for the finish as well as some tannic oak. The spice slowly fades out to give center stage to slight tartness and tannins. Although this release is a bit less sweet than I am used to seeing from Maker's Mark it is indeed yet another home run. I've read that they've just been released this month, so hurry out and snag a bottle before they're gone. It is well worth the price of admission.

I've known about Woodford Reserve Wheat Whiskey for a while and have always wanted a taste but always had something I wanted more. Whelp, today's the day. The nose is so soft and light, you REALLY have to dig deep in there to get the scents out of it. But once you do, there's an almost dessert with warm apple cider quality about it. Caramel, chocolate and hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick brings back memories of having dessert in front of a fireplace. Speaking of fireplace, if you dig deep enough there is just a kiss of tannic oak in there, too. The palate has a really unique taste I've never quite had in whiskey. Vanilla and oak are slightly present but I get really odd but oddly satisfying Andes chocolate mint thing happening mid-taste. And it turns out to be the predominant flavor profile. The finish dries up in a more classical sense, with the tannic oak making a comeback from the nose. Dark chocolate and peppercorns join the mix, too. What an incredibly interesting whiskey. It's so different that I can't really say if its good or not because I don't have a standard to judge this against. So I'm just going to stick this with an agreeable 3.5 and suggest you try some for something incredibly unique.

Hello Distiller friends. I've not reviewed a whiskey in quite some time. It feels good to make my return with the first in what appears to be a limited release series from Heaven's Door. I'm always a bit weary of limited edition Heavens Door releases. Looking at my past review history of their products, it seems that at best they are a "better than average" distillery. The nose on this one is overrun by sightly tannic charred oak. There's also some spicy cinnamon and brown sugar in there as well as a faint hint of fruit. Perhaps candied apples? The palate begins sweet and innocently enough but opens up to a world of spice. For just a split second, the taste begins with some sweet and yeasty cinnamon breakfast claw pastry but is quickly cancelled out by a tongue tingling cinnamon explosion. The back of the taste is quite dry, with leather and more of that slightly charred oak from the nose. The finish carries the dry, tannic qualities of the back of the taste through. There may be a little hint of apple in there but its hard to taste past leather, charred oak and peppercorns. This is a hell of a lot drier and spicier than I would prefer a bourbon to be but its different at least.

Almost exactly a year ago I was sitting in a restaurant neighboring a hotel I was staying in having a late dinner after catching a flight in to Phoenix International for one of my many business trips that I was on for a previous job of mine. I was delighted to see Elmer T Lee on the menu and had a taste. But when you're sitting in a restaurant surrounded by the smell of food and the sounds of music and conversation, it's difficult to focus on the task at hand. Well, fast forward a year later and I was able to finally get a bottle of my very own. And now here comes the serious review of Elmer T Lee, sipped neat from a Glencairn as the whiskey Gods intended. The nose is a beautiful mix of sweet and spicy. Smells like sweet apple pie but a little heavy handed on the cinnamon. Plenty of vanilla whipped topping on there and all that dessert sweetness is wrapped up in a leather jacket. The taste is distinctly devoid of alcohol heat and beautifully sweet. That apple pie follows right into the taste and you definitely get the cinnamon swirl from the nose. Some caramel cream really softens the flavor profile up mid taste and creates a viscous and coating mouth feel. So good. Just before the prevalent spiciness of the finish kicks in, a little bit of leather jacket dries up all of that sweetness from the taste and leaves just the cinnamon. But remember that thick mouth feel I described from the taste? It luckily stays for the finish which is satisfyingly long, oily and spicy. Your tongue is left with a slight tingle which keeps you going back for more. God.... this is truly one of the greats. I see why its so hyped and it does deserve the hype. Exactly a year ago secondary pricing was going for 300-400. But I just picked up my bottle local for 199, which is still more than we should be paying for the privilege ( a place local to me had a Black Friday special on Elmer for $99 a bottle. I missed the last one by about 5 minutes ). However, sometimes you've just got to treat yourself to some damn good bourbon.

Last year on one of my many business trips to the Phoenix, AZ area I had to entertain some clients and took them to a very nice, small steakhouse in Tempe. On their whiskey shelf stood some very prominent whiskies I wanted to try including several editions of Blood Oath, some EH Taylors and of course, Weller Single Barrel. I did have a pour, but a bustling steakhouse while trying to conduct business is hardly the place for proper whiskey tasting. I remember telling myself that I had to buy a bottle some day and have a proper taste at home. I didn't realize how insanely expensive this and CYPB were in the secondary market. But now, with availability starting to ease up for Buffalo Trace / Sazerac offerings I had an opportunity to purchase a bottle of Weller Single Barrel to call my very own. Yes... it was very expensive. But perhaps not as expensive as one might think. Is it worth the cost of admission? If I'm going to drop the kind of money I did on this bottle of bourbon, it had better be one of the best Damn bourbons in the world. ( Ironically, this was an impulse buy as I originally went in for a bottle of Elmer T Lee which I do actually consider one of the best bourbons in the world. Updated review of that one to follow ). The nose is all Weller. Sweet, a bit fruity but somehow deeper than 12 and less hot than Full Proof or Antique. Its balanced and smells delicious. Cherry and citrus peel give way to some caramel and oak. That oak isn't charred however so the usual tannic tinge from other bourbons is absent. What a taste. Weller Single Barrel is soft, sweet and such an easy drink. Sweet cherries underwrite the the majority of the taste. The taste isn't cloying but then again, I've not known really any Wellers to be that extreme. Caramel and cocoa powder commandeer at mid taste as they fade into the finish. As that finish settles in a bit of baking spiciness pokes its head through, riding on the back of drier, more tannic oak and leather. You do still get some cherry in that finish but its a little more bitter sweet than bright and vibrant. Wow, you really do get the full gamut of flavors here. I hate that Weller has been so allocated that we're forced to fork out such high prices for offerings like this Single Barrel and CYPB. But the hype is justified ( not a popular opinion but oh well ). This one earns a rare 5 out of 5 for me because its complex, there are absolutely no harsh or jarring tastes or smells within this entire bourbon. Delicious in every way imaginable.

Is it just me or has there been more Stagg released in 2023 than years past? Resulting in the surprising availability of Stagg ( not super common but not quite as rare as unicorn piss like before ). At least in my area that has led to the availability of Stagg at the 150-199 price point. So when I saw a bottle of 23c for $150 well... you didn't have to ask me twice. The nose on 23c seems a bit less fiery than I'm used to from Stagg but then again, it's all relative. If you aren't used to smelling barrel proof bourbons then Stagg will always smell like liquid fire to you. The nose is vanilla with tannic, slightly toasty oak meets over-ripened cherries wrapped up in some dry leather. Yes, there is some ethanol heat but its not overwhelming. There's a little bit of creme bruleé sticky sweetness hitting the back of the nose as you pull the glass away from your face. Spice opens up the taste very boldly. Tongue tingling pepper and cinnamon swirled with the proof remind you that you are in fact, drinking something just a hair over 125 proof. As the spice dissipates a touch of salted caramel and chocolate with some vanilla peek through mid taste but quickly dissipate to a much drier back of taste where the tannic oak from the nose makes a comeback with some leather. Throughout the taste, the spice stays... it doesn't really start to dissipate until you cross over into the finish. Surprisingly, the finish on 23c is a bit short, not quite as viscous as other barrel proof offerings and dare I say I bit simple? The spice slowly leaves your tongue and what's left is that tannic oak and leather from the back of the taste. The mouthfeel is a wee bit powdery and while that is up to personal preference, I much prefer an oilier mouth feel on the finish. The dryness sticks to the very last seconds of the finish. You know, I actually think Stagg 23b is the all around better of the two. However, like most Stagg releases, it's worth a try! With more Stagg coming to market, availability is a little more widespread so why not take advantage and try to find this at your local whiskey bar for a taste? I probably wouldn't commit to a bottle purchase unless you're really into a spicy dryness.

Oh Boy. When you can get a bottle of this swill + a bottle of EH Taylor Small Batch for $10 LESS than the bottle of Taylor Small Batch alone.... you know this stuff ain't gonna be good. So why do I insist on doing this to myself? Let's get this going. The nose smells like rubbing alcohol, musty prunes and grape jelly for some reason. Already, the relatively young age statement is evident in the nose, this stuff smells like it's going to pack of a wallop of astringency. Shockingly... and this is maybe the best thing I will say about this blended whiskey, it isn't that astringent or offensive. It kind of just tastes like a watered down mediocre blend. Which... is probably exactly what it is. The front of the taste is.. well.. nothing really. Maybe some of the musty prune but hard to pick up. As the taste reaches mid, the alcohol burn makes your tongue and mouth tingle. Again, very difficult to pick up much taste but I'm getting a flat Dr. Pepper vibe from this stuff. The finish turns oddly sour. Like post corn syrup sour. You know that weird sour after taste you get after drinking Coca Cola? That kind of sour. Do yourself a favor. If you happen to get a bottle of this stuff for free ( or even get PAID to take a bottle ) just use the contents for something other than drinking.

Oh boy. Ever since Cellar Aged was announced, I searched every bar I could find, high and low for a taste. I couldn't justify the prices this bottle was going for in my area. Alas, that taste was never to be. And then I got a notification from a global whiskey distributor that they had bottles available for about $200 less than market value local to me. Yes, that still makes this a ridiculously pricey bottle... but I gave in. After all, I'm a bit of a Maker's Mark fanboy having previously collected every edition of their now defunct Wood Finishing Series. The nose is quite heavenly. It reminds me of the first time I caught a whiff of RC6 and realized that Maker's Mark could be so much more than Maker's 46. It's bold from the proof but deliciously sweet. Caramel syrup drizzled over Monkey Bread ( do you remember eating this as a kid? ). Maple Syrup and vanilla bean carry the sweet nose but wait.... do I detect some spiciness? Besides the cinnamon from the Monkey Bread, some very faint baking spice hides somewhere behind all of the viscous sweet. That viscosity carries into the palate. First thing you notice is just how tongue coating and oily the mouth feel of this bourbon is. Delicious caramel syrup drapes that cinnamon sweet, sticky Monkey Bread on the nose. Dark cherries make an appearance somewhere mid palate and as the taste goes down, the back of the taste introduces some cinnamon spice to the party. Or perhaps it stuck around from the front of the taste to the back. As the finish comes on, that spice stays but ushers in drier flavors such as leather and charred oak. It's a long lasting finish with an emphasis on the sweet cinnamon heat that's stayed all the way from the nose to the tail end of the finish. Bravo to Maker's Mark for this one. Boo to all of the gougers who are selling this bottle for quadruple MSRP. If you get a chance to try this Bourbon, please do. You might think you know Maker's Mark, but this bottle will challenge that notion. A nearly perfect bourbon.