Tastes

Liquor City Uncorked pick, "Gallenstein #3" Warehouse 1; Floor 4; Rick 17 Barreled on 10/06/2014 Bottled on 05/27/2020 Age 5 years, 7 months, 21 days Open 5 weeks Nose - Boozy, strong baking spices, toasted grains, leather, bitter oak, cocoa, dried herbs, and light maple syrup. Palate - Dry spices, cinnamon, black pepper, oak, toffee, brown sugar, hay, and herbs. The palate is long with dry, bitter oak, heavy rye spice, heavy black pepper tobacco smoke, brown sugar, and medium ethanol bite. This is the worst single barrel I've had of Knob Creek Rye, which is saying a lot. The picks I've gotten through BCBC were fantastic, so my expectations were likely too high. This is the most classic barely legal rye profile I've had in a while, nothing exceptional or unique. If you told me this was high rye bourbon, I wouldn't blink. This and Pikesville are easily the best way to ease a bourbon drinker into the world of rye, and both continue to be great values when there are a ton of sourced 4 year ryes that cost more.

Liquor City pick, "Gallenstein's #2" Barrel No. 20 Contract distilled at Wilderness Trail Mashbill? 75% corn / 21% rye / 4% malted barley Bottled on 02-10-2023 Age: 7 years, 9 months, 24 days 57.25% abv; 114.5 proof Open 7 weeks Nose - Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, bubble gum, bananas, chalk, butterscotch, lemon custard, milk chocolate, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Corn Pops with a menthol coating, fresh mineral water, old fashioned bubble gum, unripe bananas, sweet hay, cocoa powder, and saltwater taffy. Finish is long with a fresh minty pop, dry oak, the chalkiest Sweet Tarts imaginable, and medium ethanol. I went ahead and took the plunge at my new favorite local store with one of the many NDPs I've never seen or heard of until moving to Cincinnati. Liquor stores in KY are jam-packed with store picks from so many new NDPs that primarily source from MGP. Yet, I accidentally grabbed this bourbon because I loved the bottle design and the age statement. It's actually sourced from Kentucky. Initially, I presumed Barton based on the flavor profile. But apparently Luca Mariano has a longstanding contract to distill their own product within Wilderness Trail and are currently building their own distillery next door. This unmistakably has characteristics of Wilderness Trail with fresh cereal and chalky fruit notes. I like it better than the Wilderness Trail bourbons I've tried, but it's not as good as their cask strength rye. For me, these unique flavors work better with a higher rye mashbill. It's still good, easy to sip, but not a flavor profile I would drink for hours. At this price there are plenty of other bourbons I would buy. Apparently Liquor City will be getting a Luca Mariano Rye pick soon. That sounds more up my alley.

Liquor City Uncorked pick; "Gallenstein #4" Barrel No. 139 MGP sourced 75% corn / 21% rye / 4% malted barley Warehouse WG; Rick level 3-94-01 Char #3; Toast - Medium 57.05% abv; 114.1 proof Open 1 month Nose - Toasted marshmallow, caramel, maple candy, cinnamon, black cherry, buttercream, charred oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Burnt cinnamon bun, toast, sweet grain, caramel, dry oak, and milk chocolate. Finish is medium-long with sharp oak tannins, burnt brisket glaze, cinnamon dust, maple, and medium ethanol. First time trying Heaven's Door, and it's solid. I can't find anything wrong with this other than a slightly drier than desired oak bitterness. There is nothing exceptional about this barrel. But, it is such a solid sipper that it's basically been my go-to bourbon for the last month. For $60 I can't complain. I'm interested in how this compares to their more common George Dickel sourced bottles.

Bought at the distillery Barrel No. 10106 Barreled on 04-09-2018 Bottled on 05-20-2022 Age 4 years, 1 month, 11 days 54.05% abv; 108.1 proof Open 7 weeks Nose - Sweet rye spice, citrus oil, caramel, eucalyptus, cereal grain, spruce tips, and medium ethanol. Palate - Black pepper, pine sap, caramel, clove, dill, cherry cinnamon, dry gain, anise, and orange rind. Finish is medium-long with chewy rye spices, black pepper, oak tannins, medley of conifer and herbal leaves, and medium ethanol bite. New Riff's ryes are much better than their bourbons. I've purchased a single barrel of both, and visited the distillery bar multiple times since I moved 10 min away. The obvious reason for this difference is the distillery is still pretty new and ryes age to their sweet spot faster than bourbons. The other reason is the 95% rye / 5% malted rye mashbill shares a lot in common with MGP rye, but that malted rye substitute for malted barley gives this whiskey a little extra kick and uniqueness. In this price range is easily competes with other high rye offerings. I really appreciate that New Riff produces their own whiskey, is transparent on what they make, experiment with different mashbills, and price their stuff very competitively. That's pretty rare these days for newer distilleries. If you visit the distillery bar you can taste a flight of single barrels for $20. Since my first visit, I just skip the bourbons and taste the ryes and whatever limited releases are available.

Master Distiller March 2021 pick Stave Profile: Baked American Pure: 5 Seared French Cuvee: 0 Maker's Mark 46: 1 Roasted French Mocha: 0 Toasted French Spice: 4 55.0% abv; 110 proof Open 4 weeks Nose - Barrel char, spicy cinnamon, toasted sourdough, black cherry, orange spiced tea, burnt marshmallow, and medium ethanol. Palate - Red hot cinnamon and charred wood, dry baking spices, medicinal cherry, nutmeg, and black pepper. Finish is medium with dry and bitter oak, charcoal, cherry cinnamon candy, and a significant ethanol kick. These combo packs are normally $60. When I saw them at retail for $45 in Kentucky I had to buy it considering Maker's 46 CS is normally $60 and Private Selection is normally $70-75. This is probably my least favorite Maker's stave finish I've had. The nose is very good, but the palate is too hot and lacks complexity. If the palate matched the nose it would be closer to 4.5 stars. Still a good value at the price I found, but would not buy this particular bottle at MSRP.

55.15% abv; 110.3 proof Open 3 weeks Nose - Cinnamon, toasted oak, burnt marshmallow, nutmeg, pie crust, vanilla bean, and medium ethanol. Palate - Apple pie with heavy cinnamon, glazed doughnuts, sweet cereal grain, and dry baking spices. Finish is medium with spicy and drying oak, fresh nutmeg, cinnamon powder, grainy caramel, and sharp ethanol. These combo packs are normally $60. When I saw them at retail for $45 in Kentucky I had to buy it considering Maker's 46 CS is normally $60 and Private Selection is normally $70-75. This is not as good as I remember, but I did try Maker's 46 CS before ever trying a Private Selection or Wood Finishing Series. It's still an excellent product that is eminently drinkable, but the Wood Finishing Series is simply better.

The Party Source pick, "Shady's Pick" Barrel No. 21-0117 Warehouse K; Floor 4 Distilled on 12-26-2012 Dumped on 09-20-2022 Bottled on 10-12-2022 Age 9 years, 8 months, 25 days Open 7 weeks Nose - Hot cinnamon buns, caramel, hint of nutmeg, cherry bubble gum, light minerality, medium oak spice, and medium ethanol. Palate - Honey Nut Cheerios, sweet grain, ginger snaps, brown sugar, medicinal cherry, white pepper, baking spices, and sweet oak. The finish is medium-long with drier and tannic oak, black pepper, dried stone fruits, grainy caramel, toast, and medium ethanol. This is where I dock it 0.25-0.5 points, and it was a cleaner finish earlier in the bottle. Apparently RR picks are really hard to find now, at least in the Ohio/Kentucky area. The prices reflect that in Kentucky, where RR is >$20 more than state controlled liquor. But I walked into the store and saw only 2 of these left, and the manager said they were just released and sold like crazy. I wish I bought both of them despite the price. It's the best RR pick I've had. A good Russell's pick is hard to beat. Maybe because it's the oldest one I've had? Generally they are 8-9 years old, while this is closer to the 10-year age statement of the entry Russell's 10.

The Party Source pick, "Shady's Pick" Barrel No. 21-0117 Warehouse K; Floor 4 Distilled on 12-26-2012 Dumped on 09-20-2022 Bottled on 10-12-2022 Age 9 years, 8 months, 25 days Open 7 weeks Nose - Hot cinnamon buns, caramel, hint of nutmeg, cherry bubble gum, light minerality, medium oak spice, and medium ethanol. Palate - Honey Nut Cheerios, sweet grain, ginger snaps, brown sugar, medicinal cherry, white pepper, baking spices, and sweet oak. The finish is medium-long with drier and tannic oak, black pepper, dried stone fruits, grainy caramel, toast, and medium ethanol. This is where I dock it 0.25-0.5 points, and it was a cleaner finish earlier in the bottle. Apparently RR picks are really hard to find now, at least in the Ohio/Kentucky area. The prices reflect that in Kentucky, where RR is >$20 more than state controlled liquor. But I walked into the store and saw only 2 of these left, and the manager said they were just released and sold like crazy. I wish I bought both of them despite the price. It's the best RR pick I've had. A good Russell's pick is hard to beat. Maybe because it's the oldest one I've had? Generally they are 8-9 years old, while this is closer to the 10-year age statement of the entry Russell's 10.

The Party Source pick; sourced from Craigellachie Batch No. 23.0109.SC11.139 Distilled in 2009; Aged in ex-ruby port barrels Bottled on 01/25/2022; Age Statement 13 years Yield - 259 bottles 52.4% abv; 104.8 proof Open 3 months Nose - Red grapes, honeysuckle, strawberries, raspberries, milky cereal, baking spices, white chocolate, and medium ethanol. Palate - Berry infused honey, plums, cocoa, allspice, sweet malt, hay, light brine, and white pepper. Finish is medium-long with oily grain, bitter oak, black pepper, brine, dried dark fruits, and medium ethanol. This was my second purchase at The Party Source, a new release for them back in November 2022. Based on the specs alone I bought 2 bottles without tasting it. My first ever single barrel Scotch at cask strength with a 13-year age statement for only $80? Sign me up. It delivered and then some. I'm generally not a fan of port finishes, but that is mainly because it is used as a quick way to make bourbon sweeter and more expensive. Compared to a sherry-finished Speyside, this is sweeter. But it also retains a lot of Highland malt and brine character that shines through the port finish over time. The neck pour was port sweet, but it evolved over time and lost that dominant ruby port influence. Frankly for $80, it's a phenomenal buy. There are few cask strength Scotches outside of Glenlivet, Highland Park, Ardbeg, and Laphroaig that can be had for under $100 these days. The fact that there are still bottles available of this at the store is baffling. I'm impressed with my first Mossburn purchase. I hope to see more single barrels like this in the future.

Nose - Caramel, cinnamon, raisins, musty grain, copper, spiced orange, and medium ethanol. Palate - Subtle honey and caramel, raspberry, creamy malt, anise, and orange compote. Finish is medium and oily with dry sherry dark fruits, oak tannins, cardamon, black pepper, and light ethanol. OHLQ has a 3-sample Redbreast set for $14.99 including this, the Lustau, and the 12 Year. For a tasting set that's a pretty great value considering the price of these bottles. This is easily the worst value of the three. It is slightly better than the 12Y, more refined and creamier while also incorporating more sherry and ethanol heft. But it is not by any means better than the Lustau. Considering the 15Y is typically $40-50 more than the Lustau and 12Y, this should be a hard pass.