Tastes

Nose - Toffee, brown sugar, light dried berries, grain, pine and juniper, heavy rye spice Palate - Strong bitter oak, grainy and dusty rye spice, brown sugar, light toffee, very dry and tannic. Long oily finish with bitter tannic oak and hint of burnt sugar. Tried this at Alley Twenty Six during their Whiskey Wednesday where pours of the chosen whiskey are at cost. I'm glad I got to try this here instead of buying a bottle for $130. It is horribly overpriced, I'd rather drink standard Woodford Reserve. At some point bourbon is overaged and over-oaked, this is a prime example.

Barrel pick by Brightleaf Select, Durham County Barrel No. 7015833, Barrel filled on 02-23-2015 Age 5 years 8 months 57.5% abv, 115 proof Open 2.5 months Nose - Artificial cherry, vanilla wafer, Juicy Fruit, sweet corn, grass, light cocoa sharp wood notes, light ethanol. Palate - For the proof it is light on the tongue. Cherry bubble gum, almonds, medicinal sugar, raisins, nutmeg, and light rye spice. Finish is medium-short with some rye spice and dry oak, plus light artificial fruit notes and cocoa. I picked up this on a whim not realizing this was sourced 1792 Barton. I figured a store pick at 115 proof from a smaller KY distillery was a decent deal, but this tastes like a 1792 barrel that was happily given away then obscenely marked up. The Yellowstone single barrel has similar notes to a 1792 Single Barrel, but not as much fruit complexity or rye spice. Given it is $25 more and 11% abv higher than a 1792 Single Barrel, you would expect a lot more flavor. It is not even in the same realm of quality as 1792 Full Proof, and yet it is $20 more expensive. As you can tell, I think this is a waste of money unless you picked a barrel yourself. Just buy a 1792 product, you'll get a much better deal and likely a much better bourbon.

Open 2 months Nose - Grain, corn dust, caramel, butterscotch candy, funnel cake, light ethanol. Palate - Thin and watery, cornbread, caramel, brown sugar, light cinnamon. Medium-short finish with dry, tannic oak making an appearance. Lingering notes of caramel and corn dust. It's so thin I can swirl it in my mouth like an 80 proof bourbon with little flavor outside of sugary notes. This is the most disappointing whiskey I've had to date. There was an allocation drop in my county at the beginning of December and I managed to snag the last bottle in the most rural ABC right after work. I waited until Christmas to open this with my brother. To our surprise this was one of the worst whiskeys we had during the holidays. Out of the 10 random bourbon, rye, Irish, and Scotch whiskeys we brought home, this placed 8th for me and 10th for my brother of whiskeys we enjoyed the most unblinded. (Jack Daniel's 2020 Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye was #1 for both of us.) It is not a bad bourbon, but in no universe does it deserve the hype and scarcity it receives. For a $40 BiB, it is far too thin, watery, and sugary compared to a lot of other bourbons you can get at this price point. I would buy Wild Turkey, Knob Creek, Maker's, Four Roses, Elijah Craig, and Old Forester any day of the week over this. You should not waste your time searching for this bottle, and you definitely shouldn't pay ridiculous markups for it. Hopefully one day I'll get to try the barrel proof version at a reasonable price, but I'm not holding my breath.

Open 1 month Nose - Peanut brittle, vanilla, grainy rye spice, candied or artificial cherries, prominent oak and ethanol notes. Palate - Caramel, salted peanuts, cherry bubble gum, cinnamon bun, hints of grain and grass. Medium finish with hot dry oak tannins, rye spice, and lingering notes of caramel, cinnamon, and peanut shells. My friend picked this up in Texas during the holidays at a solid price. When we first cracked it, we thought it was a harsh dud during a night of tasting. Give it a week or two and it opens up nicely. I still don't like regular Bulleit, but this and their Single Barrel have been excellent. This blend is also listed as 9 years old, and I think it compares favorably with Knob Creek Small Batch and Four Roses Single Barrel at this price point.

Open 5 weeks Nose - Orange spiced chai tea jumps out of the glass immediately, hints of cinnamon apples, honeysuckle nectar, butterscotch, breakfast cereal, and noticeable ethanol punch. Palate - After that nose it is surprisingly light on the tongue at first. Canned apples and pears, floral honey, golden raisins, shortbread, black pepper, hint of citrus rind. Medium-long finish with bitter wood and ethanol, then followed by delicate apple and honey notes as it fades. I wanted to buy something special for NYE that my brother would equally enjoy. This seemed like a good choice at least in name only. Although considerably more expensive than most Johnnie Walkers or highland malts, there is a lot going on here at considerably higher proof. This is the best JW I've had, but I haven't had Green or Gold yet so one day I may change my mind. If you like highland malt, this is a definite buy and the type of special release I'd like to see more of from JW. It's frankly amazing that JW priced this so cheap.

Open 6 weeks Nose - Bright green apples and pears, honey, white grapes, sweet cereal grain, noticeable ethanol punch. Palate - Honey malt, apples, light brine. Medium finish with oak age showing up, bitter floral and wood notes with a hint of brine on the back end. A really solid Speyside single malt I split with my brother over Christmas. (He bought it in NJ, it's $10 cheaper in NC.) It is similar in profile to The Balvenie Doublewood 12, but at a significantly cheaper price point. If those Speysides seem too much these days, highly recommend BenRiach.

Open 4 weeks Nose - Green apple, honey, butterscotch, shortbread, very light ethanol. Palate - Apples, honey, salted caramel, hint of oak and baking spices. Short finish with light honey and shortbread cookie. I haven't had this classic in a long time. I picked up a 375 mL of this to give it a whirl against some other Scotch whiskeys I have open. It is an excellent base malt and is one of my favorite Speysides under $60. Unfortunately, the price increases have put it in the realm of Islay and island malts I love and I have difficulty justifying pricier Speysides. But, for someone who likes classic Scotch malt with no peat and no frills, this is one of the best available on the shelf.

Barrel pick by Spec's (Houston, TX) Barrel No. 27964 Age 5 years 57.1 % abv, 114.2 proof Open 4 weeks Nose - Soft caramel candy, Frosted Flakes, cinnamon, brown sugar, orange-flavored chocolate, medium oak and ethanol. Palate - Caramel, brown sugar, grain, and heavy rye spice up front. Finish is medium-long and hot, with building oak, rye spice, and ethanol with hints of caramel and orange rind. I always seem to miss these picks in NC, so my friend picked up one in Texas during the holidays. This is a solid bourbon, but in this price range I think Belle Meade is the better sourced MGP high rye bourbon. There are some sharp, younger notes here that are rounded out in the two Belle Meade lines I've had. At almost the same proof and mashbill I think you could save $20 and be more satisfied with OGD 114 as well. Definitely not a bad effort by any stretch, but in the $50's you could get better MGP stuff and better high rye/high proof bourbons from other distilleries.

Open 2 months Nose - Ocean-scented candle mixed with charcoal smoke, lemon, honeysuckle, honey, medium ethanol. Palate - Brine, medium peat, honey, black pepper, green apple, citrus rinds, bready. Finish is medium and oily, with spicier black pepper and citrus notes followed by salty honey and peat. This budget version of Talisker punches well above its weight. Considering it is the same proof but $18 less (comparing SC to NC prices, Storm isn't available in NC), I would recommend buying Talisker Storm over 10Y if you're hesitant on price. It has everything the 10Y does with a little more wood and peat influence. In this same price range I also prefer this to Laphroaig 10Y, although Ardbeg 10Y may still be my favorite in this class. Talisker is quickly becoming my favorite peated Scotch with its balance of peat, light honey, and sea salt.

Barrel pick by Bull City Bourbon Club, dubbed "Pulled Pork" Barrel No. 95669, Warehouse 1, Floor 1, Rick E Age 16 years 52.25% abv, 104.5 proof Open 3 weeks Nose - Sharp cinnamon and maple syrup, cereal grain, floral rye baking spice with hints of pine and fir, brown sugar, medium ethanol. Palate - Light and sweet up front, vanilla, brown sugar, maple candy, hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, hint of citrus rind, light ethanol. Finish is medium with a grainy sweetness that resembles a spiced maple candy dissolving on your tongue. Some mint and pine on the back end, surprisingly low spice and ethanol on the finish. I have never had WhistlePig due to their exorbitant prices, but my friend gave me 150 mL of this local BCBC pick in a trade. A 16 year old single barrel pick sold at the price of the 10 year? I had to try it. This is good stuff, but I think I got lucky with the age on this barrel pick. No way would I pay close to $100 for a sourced 10Y rye when there are plenty of excellent ryes for almost half that price. If you do see a really old barrel pick at a lower price, it might be worth picking up if Alberta rye is your thing.