Tastes

This is a very smooth and easy sipping bourbon. The caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar smells and flavors are really foreword, with some oakyness on the finish. It’s a great easy sipping bourbon under $30 but with more flavor than budget bourbons. I would put it on par with Maker’s Mark and probably prefer it slightly.

On the nose there is a lot of caramel and sweetness. Also vanilla cream and a pastry smells that reminds me of buttered croissants. Tasting, I get deep rich flavors of caramel, vanilla and oak There’s a long lingering finish that has some alcohol burn and bitterness. I wouldn’t know this is 100 proof until I get to that alcohol burn on the finish. There are definitely smoother bourbons out there, but I’ve never had one so intensely flavored.

On the nose it’s very floral and malty. It has a yeasty/grainy/bready thing going on, reminds me almost of pumpernickel bread The taste is deep and rich and round. I get flavors of oak, vanilla, caramel. There is a sweet-bitter balance going on that is just spot on. I wish I had some regular Jameson’s for comparison. On its own, this is really great and a new favorite for me as a sipping whiskey.

As mentioned in my other review I tried this back to back with the Song of Ice version. I tasted the Song of Ice first and I believe it affected my taste of this one. On the nose, this was very slightly fruity, with some vanilla and caramel. Tasting, the difference between this and the Song of Ice is immediately apparent. This one is much, much dryer and very oaky with some smoke and eventually the peat shows up. After tasting the Song of Ice I don’t really taste any fruit or floral notes at all in the Song Of Fire. I rather like the oaky/smoky/peaty-ness of this.

I tasted this and the Song of Fire version back to back. On the nose this was lightly floral and fruity. It reminded me of pears, peaches, honeysuckle and apple blossoms. The taste was slightly sweet and fruity. I didn’t really get anything floral when tasting. It was good but not very complex. It reminded me a lot of Paddy’s Irish whiskey. This would be a good scotch for someone who never had scotch before.

On the nose I get a lot of fruit. Hints of applesauce and green grapes, also a little tartness like lemon or grapefruit. The taste is less fruity than the smell would suggest, it’s there but much more subtle. It’s a little sweet and well rounded but not really complex. It’s very nice but there’s a little hint of bitterness or tannin on the finish. It’s not really oaky, not like oak wood. It almost reminds me of an acorn. I’m not a fan of this bitterness, but it’s mild enough not to bother me. This whiskey was recommended to me as being very good considering how inexpensive it is, and I would agree with that.

This was my first try at a single malt, after mostly drinking bourbon and rye whiskey. I tried it because it was inexpensive. On the nose it was very floral and over ripe fruit and intense sweetness Tasting was very unpleasant. The fruit and floral notes were there but everything seemed.... off. It was like artificial fruit flavors, or maybe canned fruit. The floral notes were there too but again they seemed artificial and chemical-ish. It reminded me slightly of the scented soap my grandmother used to have on the back of the toilet. It also had a sweetness but not like a honey or sugar or caramel sweetness, but artificial. It was like sugar-free fruit candy.

On the nose, this comes across as sweet, reminiscent of banana bread. I also get a little oak wood and a hint of caramel. Almost reminds me of a bourbon but not quite. At first taste, the sweet bread comes out but is gradually replaced with a more rye/wheat bread flavor. There’s definitely an okay quality to it and the hint of caramel is here too. The rye spicyness comes in later. The finish, despite coming across sweet initially, is dry and typical of a rye whiskey. There is a not unpleasant burn at the end. It’s not particularly complex, but there’s nothing bad here. For the price it a very good rye. I sip it neat and enjoy it very much, though I do like the George Dickel rye a little better

On the nose, it’s very caramel-y and oaky. Tasting the oak is forward but not in a bad way. Then there’s caramel, a hint of vanilla and over-ripe fruit. At 100 proof, I like to sip it neat with a tiny splash of water.