Tastes

Batch 2A Open 6 months Nose - Stewed berries, maple syrup, s'mores, crushed mint, rich oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Maple syrup, cinnamon bun, star anise, pine needle, black pepper, and rooibos tea. Finish is long with rich herbal and peppermint tea, slightly bitter oak, caramel, cinnamon, and medium ethanol. Another solid offering from Sagamore. They know how to do MGP rye, and it is always a really good price point for the age and proof.

Open 5 weeks Nose - Cocoa powder, cinnamon, cherry, cardamon, black pepper, medium oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Black cherry, black pepper, slightly bitter oak, cinnamon, green apple, apricot, vanilla bean, and salted peanuts. Finish is medium-long with bitter oak, cherry pit, baking spices, apricot rind, and medium ethanol. I wasn't a fan of this at first, but it opened up nicely. I am rarely disappointed by Barrell products. They are one of the best blender's out there for the money. And it's great to see them consistently for $70-80 when they were steadfastly at $90 for a while.

Sourced from Ben Nevis Distillery Cask No. 1684 Distilled in 2012; Bottled in 2023 Aged in ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks for 6 years Finished in ex-Premier-Cru Pauillac cask for 5 years Age - 11 years 57.2% abv; 114.4 proof Open 7 months Nose - Honey, honeysuckle, fresh flower bouquet, strawberry, cereal, green apple, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Apple pie, Honey Nut Cheerios, caramel, saltwater taffy, peanuts, and a hint of baking spices. Finish is long with some sharp, youthful malt notes, honeysuckle, fresh strawberry, white sugar, and light ethanol. Fantastic whiskey. I've never heard of this wine cask, but apparently it is a coveted Bordeaux appellation that is not commonly used for Scotch. It should be. The cask imparts some of the best notes from ex-bourbon and ex-sherry cask finishes, combining classic honey and apple notes with red fruits. I love sherry finished Scotch, but sometimes heavy red fruits can obscure everything else. I've tried a few Ben Nevis offerings from multiple bottlers, and I am always impressed. They make good stuff.

Batch No. 013 Cigar Blend finished in Armagnac, port, cognac, and sherry casks Bottled in 09-2025 Age - 8 years 59.1% abv; 118.2 proof Open 5 months Nose - Mixed berries, cherry pie, light chalk, honey roasted peanuts, grape bubble gum, light oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Heavy red wine, sweet oak, bread pudding, light gingerbread, white grape, light vanilla, cereal grain, and pine sap. Finish is long with peanut brittle, berry compote, cherry and grape cough syrup, burnt toast, and medium ethanol. Cigar blends can be anything. I've seen them as simple as toasted or double barreled bourbon and rye to finished in multiple fortified wine and spirits cask such as this. It's not bad, but there is a lot going on. On the bright side it is probably one of the cheapest cigar blends on the market. Copper & Cask is a solid NDP that puts out good blends and single barrels, but I wouldn't call this one of their better offerings.

OHLQ pick Cask No. 29598 Age - 14 years 56.4% abv; 112.8 proof Original price $124.99; Sale price $74.99 Open 7 months Nose - Heavy red fruits, plums, dates, sweet barley, honey, and medium ethanol. Palate - Sherry syrup, red fruit compote, Honey Nut Cheerios, cocoa, toffee, and a hint of grain. Finish is long with sweet barley, plum, strawberry, white grape, white pepper, pine needle, and building grain and ethanol on the back end. This is by far the best Irish whiskey pick I bought from OHLQ. It is pure sherry decadence, with barely a hint of Irish grain. For the clearance price it was an absolute steal. Looking back I wish I bought the other two Teeling picks instead of experimenting with the younger Bua and The Whistler picks. This is so much better, and now I'm always on the lookout for Teeling picks if they're reasonably priced.

Total Wine & More pick Barrel No. 25-0511 Warehouse TY-M; Floor 4 Distilled - 01-18-2017 Dumped - 06-18-2025 Bottled - 07-14-2025 Age - 8 years, 5 months Open 1 month Nose - Caramel, honey, cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pleasant oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Coffee cake, powdered sugar, white pepper, Reese's, and vanilla bean. Finish is long with a surprising level of viscosity and oak, white pepper, peanut brittle, marshmallow fluff, and light ethanol. This has almost the exact same origin as the previous pick I bought in New Hanover County, but 6 weeks older and picked by Total Wine. Must have been a popular round of barrel picks from TY-M. I am not complaining. This is a rock solid Russell's pick.

Allview Liquors/Drug City/Meander Matt pick Barrel No. ELE-009 Mashbill - 78% corn / 13% rye / 9% malted barley Distilled on 09-14-2014; Bottled on 01-2026 Age - 11 years, 4 months 63.48% abv; 126.96 proof Open 1 month Nose - Caramel popcorn, cherry bubble gum, honey roasted peanuts, creme brulee, gentle oak, and medium ethanol Palate - Rich pralines, vanilla bean, white pepper, cardamon, candied walnuts, and hints of mineral water and chalk. Finish is long with delightful sweet oak, heavy cherry bubble gum, pine sap, peanut shells, and medium ethanol. I wasn't sure what to make of this at first, but it was interesting and I kept going back to it over other things on my shelf. Originally my score would've been around 3.5, but it has really grown on me. I thought this was a cross between Booker's and a sourced Barton, and it turns out it was sourced from Jim Beam. If this weren't $100 I would rate it higher. Either way, I've been really impressed with Rare Character since I bought my first bottle last year. They know what they're doing with blending and single barrels.

Drug City/Allview Liquors pick Barrel No. 6823791 Age - 10 years 62.8% abv; 125.6 proof Open 6 weeks Nose - Rich caramel, hot cinnamon bun, pie crust, powdered sugar, rich oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Coffee cake, milk chocolate, pralines, maple syrup, and nutmeg. Finish is medium-long with sweet oak, white pepper, soft caramel candy, light pine sap, and medium ethanol. Really nice pick. Not too complex, but still a very enjoyable sipper. These two stores in the Baltimore area are certainly worth checking out, great selection and great picks.

Open 3 months Nose - Toffee, burnt sugar, burnt marshmallow, clove, sour peanut, dill, strong oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Velvety, creme brulee, lightly sweetened cinnamon bun, spruce tips, graham cracker, clove, cardamon, and light aromatic bitters. Finish is medium-long with light bitter oak, caramel, vanilla bean, conifer, and medium ethanol. Many people hype these Penelope Estate Collection bottles, but I am underwhelmed. Luckily, the price point is very fair for the age statement and proof, so I cannot complain too much. If this was marked up to $100 on secondary I would say that's a bad buy. This bourbon leans heavily to the savory side of the spectrum, and is not counterbalanced with classic sweet notes. It reminds me of some of the Old Forester picks and older MGP picks I haven't liked. It tastes elegant and refined, but it is clearly missing something.

Sample pour at Drug City Pharmacy in Baltimore Nose - Dark caramel, brown sugar, toasted vanilla, cardamon, clove, pine, rich oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Viscous and oily, molasses, burnt marshmallow, star anise, cardamon, black pepper, cereal grain, and pine sap. Finish is medium-long with sweet oak, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, black pepper, brown sugar, and medium ethanol. Really nice pour, but I'm not quite sure how to rank it because it is an expensive pour for a half ounce and I am sure the bottle costs too much.