Tastes

Split purchase with a friend, open 8 weeks. Nose - Rich caramel and peanut brittle, strong oak and ethanol, baked apples, light baking spices and even some mint, light berries, hints of rye whiskey Palate - Up front it's sweet, dark caramel and peanuts, berry compote, rye spices. The mid-palate and finish are overtaken by oak, peanut brittle, and ethanol. It is a medium-long finish with a bite that dries the mouth. When it fades, you want another one because each sip takes you on a journey. This was my first ever Booker's purchase. I actually didn't buy it, my friend did and I gave him three whiskeys in the trade (Talisker Distiller's, ECBP A120, 1792 Single Barrel). I've seen Booker's go up in price in $10 increments over the decade, and I've always avoided it because of the cost. I understand the hype, this is really good stuff and much better than most Jim Beam offerings. But this falls flat when you compare it to its cousin, Knob Creek Single Barrel, which is $40 cheaper and can be found nearly twice its age as store picks. Even if you can't find a store pick, Knob Creek SiB is 2-3 years older than Booker's and I can't imagine the quality difference between the barrels justifies that price disparity. Additionally, you can buy what I consider the superior ECBPs for $30 less. I do think this is a very solid bourbon, but unless you live in a state where you can find this for $70 I suggest passing on this and use that money for something in the $60 range.

Purchased in July 2020 from Fletcher, NC ABC store Split with a friend, open 4 weeks Nose - Bursts with ripe red fruits/berries, honey, caramel apples, corn dust, medium oak and ethanol. I've heard bubble gum and cotton candy as a feature for some bourbons but rarely get those notes. This screamed Juicy Fruit or Big League Chew, the most prominent bubble gum note I've gotten from a bourbon. Palate - Honey and apple sweetness on the front of the palate. Light corn dust and berries, most fruit notes hidden by the strong honey flavor. Mid-palate and finish are taken over by rye baking spices and oak. Surprising medium to long finish, sticks to the tongue but the ethanol is never overwhelming. My second purchase of 1792 SiB did not disappoint. This is a quality whiskey for the price and a big step up from the 1792 Small Batch for only $10 more. I wish 1792 provided any sort of information about these bottles, because I have no idea how this compares to my previous purchase or other reviews on Distiller. With that lack of transparency it makes it hard to shop for these compared to single barrels with transparency or small batch releases like Elijah Craig BP and Booker's. It's still a really good bourbon, I'm just wary of buying it less than 2 years apart in a different location in NC. It could be the exact same barrel. Who knows based on my last review, because I get no banana notes with this one.

Open 6 weeks** Nose - Dense, sweet cinnamon bun, candied raisins, dry baking spices, medium oak, surprisingly light ethanol. The nose is outstanding, far better than any other Maker's Mark product I've had. Palate - A mouthful of warm bread pudding, toffee, pecans and almonds, maple syrup and brown sugar Finish - The hotness of Maker's appears, dominant oak and ethanol, light baking spice and vanilla, sweetness somewhat hidden by the oak This is my favorite Maker's Mark to date, and is a great value at $60. This has one of the best noses of any bourbon or finished bourbon I've had. After that smell, the taste is slightly underwhelming, it's closer to a Maker's Mark Cask Strength profile. The first few weeks this was open, the nose was even better and the palate was hotter and less complex. Now, the nose is slightly less amazing but the palate and finish have improved significantly. This hasn't changed my rating, I was going to give it a 4.5/5 for the nose alone so this change balanced that out.

Split purchase with a friend, open 1 month. Distilled in 2009, bottled in 2019. I've only had Talisker 10 once at a bar and really enjoyed it. Recently it went up $12 in price, making it $72 overall. I thought it might be nice to try this since it was only $3 more and is a yearly release. A nice hit of peat smoke up front. Medium-light smoke weaker than Ardbeg or Laphroaig, but more potent than the Highland Parks and Johnnie Walkers I've tried. The peat has a nice brine to it, probably my favorite smell in Scotch. Bright red fruits, a mixture of berries, cherries, and apples or apricots. Light notes of honey. Wonderful briny peat on the tongue. It is bright and fruity, very dissimilar from the campfire and bbq smoke of Ardbeg/Laphroaig. Honey, citrus, and stewed dark fruits. Brine, pepper, and smoke are the dominant notes on the finish, while the fruits and honey notes fade in the background. I freaking love this whiskey, it wonderfully combines ocean air with peat. The Amoroso influence is just right, adding some fruit and sugary elements while letting the original whiskey shine through. Highly recommend picking this up, especially if it's similarly priced to the 10Y.

PSA for my NC friends. Durham County ABC has the old version of these bottles on sale for $35. That's a $25 discount, almost unheard of for sale prices in NC. I'm not sure if this is happening in all counties but I'd check out your local store if you want a bottle.

Finishing off this bottle, you can check out my notes in a previous taste. Overall I liked this bottle and think it's worth $40 considering the age and proof. But I remember the days when I was a young grad student 7-8 years ago and I would see 10+ bottles of this and Buffalo Trace on the shelves every time I went to the ABC store. Back then it was $30 or maybe even cheaper, and the only time I bought it I thought it was too harsh and spicy. Things have certainly changed. Other than the awards and recognition I don't really get why this is so scarce now. It's good for what it is, but there are a lot of bourbons I like more at a similar price. Definitely do not overpay for this just because of its popularity, it's not worth it.

Finishing off this bottle of EC SiB Select purchased in Spring 2019, barrel pick by Orange County NC ABC. For a full description of tasting notes I have two previous tastes of this posted already. I just wanted to add a few things. I like this a bit less than I did last year when I purchased 3 bottles, one was for my brother. It could be I've tasted a lot since then, and also I've been a high proof hound. Still, this is a really enjoyable sipper at a great price. In recent months I've seen single barrel store picks in my area with 9Y and 10Y age statements. Additionally, the label on the bottle now includes warehouse, rick, barrel no, bottle no, etc. This is all in Orange County NC ABC stores. I haven't picked up any of these, probably to my detriment, but it's great to see these store picks with more information. The Spring 2019 bottles I picked up had zero information other than the selector of the store pick. Single barrel bourbon 9-10 years old is an incredible value at $30. It is higher proof, higher age, and cheaper than Evan Williams Single Barrel. If you see these store picks I highly recommend grabbing one, it'll be about $10-60 cheaper than other low proof 9Y+ bourbons.

Split purchase with my brother, open since end of June. I'm slowly getting more into ryes, barely legal rye mashbills mostly because I'm not a fan of MGP ryes. This new release seemed like the perfect split with my brother since I love Wild Turkey and he loves ryes. Big mint, black pepper, semi-sweet honey, rye spice, and ethanol on the nose. This overpowers the citrus peel and burnt caramel I get after a few sniffs. It smells a lot hotter than its proof. Rye spice, mint, citrus peel, and black pepper are the dominant notes on the tongue. I get hints of chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, anise, nuts, and baking spices. However, the finish overwhelms the initial taste with huge oak, rye, and black pepper flavors. It is a long finish that really mutes all other notes. On the back end the lasting tingle on my tongue is mint, it really lingers. This is a great addition to the shelves, and I think it is a solid price for a barrel proof rye. However, ever since this was released all I could think of is how this stacks up to Pikesville. Almost the exact same mashbill and proof, while Pikesville is $10 less. Personally, I enjoyed the Pikesville more because it tasted more like a high rye bourbon with stronger oak and sugary notes. Unlike Pikesville, the WT Rare Breed Rye is heavy on the mint and black pepper. It doesn't feature as much eucalyptus and licorice as MGP ryes, but it has more of those notes than I expected for a 52% rye mashbill. Still, this is a really good whiskey and I'm sure a lot of people will rate this higher than I have.

Blind tasting - 1.0 oz neat in a Glencairn Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select (NAS) bottled in 2019 for Orange Count ABC (47%, open 6 months, $29.95 in NC) Henry McKenna 10Y Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond Barrel No. 7279, Barreled on 05-29-09 (50%, open 8 months, $39.95 in NC) Nose: A - Rich cinnamon and caramel, vanilla cream, medium oak, rye, and ethanol, light brown sugar and toffee, light dark fruits 8.5/10 B - Honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, chalky dried fruits and corn dust, light oak and peanut, very light ethanol and rye 7.5/10 Palate: A - Surprisingly muted on the tongue because I was expecting more with the nose, light caramel and vanilla, light corn dust, light oak and spice 6.5/10 B - Stronger oak and ethanol, spicy, light caramel sweetness, dry cereal with no added sugar, could use more fruit and sugar for balance 6.5/10 Finish: A - Oak and tannins pop, rye and baking spices, light vanilla, medium-short finish 6.5/10 B - Dry and tannic, oak lingers, corn dust and cereal, medium finish 6/10 Drinkability: A - 7/10 B - 6.5/10 Total Score: A = 28.5/40 B = 26.5/40 A = Henry McKenna 10Y Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond B = Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select This one surprised me a little because I purchased multiple bottles of the Elijah Craig because I loved it and it was a great value at $30 or $27 during sales in 2019. I immediately disliked the Henry McKenna when I bought it in December 2019, it was too astringent and artificial chemical on the nose and taste, but I think it has greatly improved after being a few months open. Both of these were much better on the nose than on the palate, particularly the Henry McKenna which smelled wonderful. It was a letdown on the tongue, while the Elijah Craig had a bolder flavor but was a little too dry and tannic. Both are great values though. I use my score out of 40 for my Distiller rating. By themselves I'd probably rate them closer to 3.75-4.

Blind tasting - 1.0 oz neat in a Glencairn Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select (NAS) bottled in 2019 for Orange Count ABC (47%, open 6 months, $29.95 in NC) Henry McKenna 10Y Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond Barrel No. 7279, Barreled on 05-29-09 (50%, open 8 months, $39.95 in NC) Nose: A - Rich cinnamon and caramel, vanilla cream, medium oak, rye, and ethanol, light brown sugar and toffee, light dark fruits 8.5/10 B - Honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, chalky dried fruits and corn dust, light oak and peanut, very light ethanol and rye 7.5/10 Palate: A - Surprisingly muted on the tongue because I was expecting more with the nose, light caramel and vanilla, light corn dust, light oak and spice 6.5/10 B - Stronger oak and ethanol, spicy, light caramel sweetness, dry cereal with no added sugar, could use more fruit and sugar for balance 6.5/10 Finish: A - Oak and tannins pop, rye and baking spices, light vanilla, medium-short finish 6.5/10 B - Dry and tannic, oak lingers, corn dust and cereal, medium finish 6/10 Drinkability: A - 7/10 B - 6.5/10 Total Score: A = 28.5/40 B = 26.5/40 A = Henry McKenna 10Y Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond B = Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select This one surprised me a little because I purchased multiple bottles of the Elijah Craig because I loved it and it was a great value at $30 or $27 during sales in 2019. I immediately disliked the Henry McKenna when I bought it in December 2019, it was too astringent and artificial chemical on the nose and taste, but I think it has greatly improved after being a few months open. Both of these were much better on the nose than on the palate, particularly the Henry McKenna which smelled wonderful. It was a letdown on the tongue, while the Elijah Craig had a bolder flavor but was a little too dry and tannic. Both are great values though. I use my score out of 40 for my Distiller rating. By themselves I'd probably rate them closer to 3.75-4.