Tastes

My brother and I split this bottle during quarantine. We also bought Four Roses Small Batch Select 2 weeks prior so I had the opportunity to compare both of these new $60 bottles in terms of value. Rich, dense sweetness is prominent on the nose. A creamy nut butter with caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little vanilla added to the mix. For 100 proof the ethanol nose is almost non-existent, in contrast with the KC Small Batch where I get much hotter oak and ethanol. On the tongue the caramel and cinnamon hit first, followed by tannic oak and baking spices. I get some dry, leathery notes as well from the tannins. The finish is medium and oily, and surprisingly the tannic flavors on the back end of the tongue disappear quickly. For me what's notable about this bourbon is I get no fruit flavors whatsoever aside from hints of citrus peel. If I got a little dark fruit sweetness I may have rated it higher. I know they're not similar products, but Four Roses and Knob Creek added two permanent $60 bottles in the last year. I've bought both in the last 3 months, and I think the Knob Creek 12Y is a better buy than the Four Roses SB Select. You get a high age statement, almost the same proof, and a marked improvement over the standard Small Batch bottle. The flavors are richer with this one.

Batch No. 19-02; 54.8% abv; 109.6 proof I purchased another bottle of this because of my disappointment with the Larceny Barrel Proof A120, and because it was $10 off in March ($39.95). My goal was to see if Maker's holds up to Heaven Hill's new, higher proof wheated offering. I will do a blind tasting before I finish both bottles, but needless to say I'm still biased towards Maker's despite it being worse than the MMCS I purchased in 2019. It was very floral and perfumey when I first opened the bottle. It was similar to a waft of citrus-scented cleaner, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But too much can be overwhelming, and thankfully that has subdued over the last 3 months. Now I get more cherry, cinnamon, dried grass, earthy floral, oak, and orange peel. The nose has improved a lot since it was cracked open. The orange peel note disappears on the palate. I primarily taste caramel, sweet corn, oak, and cherry vanilla. The sweetness that was hidden on the nose by the citrus and floral notes is more prominent on the tongue. Finish is medium with oily oak spice lingering on the back of the tongue with hints of toasted caramel. Maker's Mark Cask Strength was consistently good across two batches, although I preferred Batch No. 18-02 last year. It still remains an excellent value at $50 and is almost always available in my area stores. Highly recommend checking it out if you're a fan of affordable high proof whiskey.

Batch No. B817-1; Date 03-07-17 (no idea what the date refers to) We don't often get Balcones products in NC, and when we do, this and Rumble are the cheapest offerings on the shelves. I picked this up last summer and have avoided it, it's just not my jam. For a product with a 6-month age statement the color and oak influence are insane. If you were unsure what happens in Texas heat, this is a prime example of what it can do. The nose is a cinnamon bun without vanilla frosting. It is sweet and bready, similar to Brown-Forman products, especially their double oaked offerings. It is sickly sweet on the tongue. Too sweet for my palate, and I have a gigantic sweet tooth. Most BF whiskeys I've had have balanced sugar, oak, and alcohol flavors. That sugar overpowers other nuanced flavors you may get if this was aged in a different climate or had a different mashbill. It tastes very malty to me with the classic malt funk replaced by oak and cinnamon bread. My opinion has not changed since I first bought the bottle. It is too damn sweet. It's kind of like George Dickel going off the rails and adding artificial sweetener to its GD12 or BiB. Actually for me the closest comparison is Rua American Single Malt. Yes I know this is corn and that is malted barley, but I think the similarities in flavor come from aging. Balcones has that Texas heat, Rua has NC heat combined with aging in small barrels. I think the flavor in both is primarily influenced by the oak barrels and not the new make itself. Because the Rua wasn't as sweet and had more complex flavors, I enjoyed it much more. If you are interested in corn whiskey I suggest trying something cheaper first.

Batch No. 71K; Bottle No. 164 This is one I've conveniently skipped over due to price and scarcity in NC. But when I had the chance to pick up one in December, I figured might as well because I wasn't sure when I'd have another opportunity to buy a bottle. The nose is a burst of stewed fruits. Dark, ripe fruits with added sugar. Reminiscent of a pie filling. It is similar to a light- or medium-bodied red wine that isn't dry on the palate. Similar to pinot noir, merlot, or grenache. Honestly for a 86.6 proof whiskey it smells really good. I can see why a couple of my friends consider this their favorite "bourbon." It contains a rich, sweet fruit flavor that you do not get with most bourbons, especially at this proof point. I taste dark fruits, sweetness (combination of brown sugar and molasses), and a noticeable oak spice. The oak spice builds a little on the finish as well with hints of corn dust. For 86.6 proof it clearly punches above its abv weight in flavor. I've seen multiple reviews say this is corn-heavy, and I get almost none of that on the nose or palate. I've enjoyed this bottle, but I still think it is overpriced for what you are getting. Before I finish the bottle I may try to buy the Isaac Bowman Bourbon Port Finish for comparison. It is $15 cheaper in NC, thus, if it is comparable in flavor then it's a no-brainer purchase when looking for port finishes.

I haven't been a fan of this since the day I opened it last September. There was an astringent, chemical quality that was unpleasant from the get-go. I know people love this, and I'm also a huge fan of most Jim Beam products so it's possible I didn't get a great bottle. Still, it tastes like a young, cheap craft whiskey with all sharp edges. Even after 9 months I get strong hints of oak spice and ethanol with a little dusty corn and caramel. No fruit or vanilla. The tannic oak quality jumps out on the tongue and builds on the finish. It's just unpleasant as it lingers on the tongue. At the moment I see few redeeming qualities about this bourbon except to dilute it with Coke. But if I wanted a good cheap BiB I could buy Evan Williams for $10 less. For me this is a hard pass in the future, I'll take Black Label over this in a heartbeat.

I picked this up on a whim when I saw it on the discontinued shelf, knowing nothing about the product or brand. That was almost 1 year ago, and it's taken me a while to get through this underwhelming bottle. Oak and ethanol hit the nose quickly. There are dark fruits and dusty corn hidden behind it, but they are faint. It's actually a decent nose, standard bourbon profile despite it being a wheated bourbon. The nose is the best part of this bourbon. On the tongue I get bold notes of oak and corn. The pleasant spice and sweetness I typically associate with bourbon is absent. It then starts to burn on the finish. I love high proof bourbons, and this is harsher than almost everything I've tasted over 100 proof. It's actually more pleasant one year later after mellowing in the bottle. When I first opened it I would've rated it closer to 1.5 than my rating today. It tastes like a cheap whiskey I drank as a freshman in college, which should not be the case for a $30 bourbon. Although I love Heaven Hill, I am not a fan of Larceny. I wish I knew this was sourced from leftover Larceny and Rebel Yell barrels because that would've been an automatic hard pass. This is one of my least favorite bourbons to date. Luckily I can dilute this with Coke and Dr. Pepper to finish the last few pours in the bottle. I'm interested in trying the Reserve, but I'll try to find it at a bar first.

I purchased this on sale for $74.95 back in November 2019 when I turned in my dissertation, but I've listed the current price below. I wanted something special and had been hearing a lot about the cask strength Ardbeg's that quietly wait on the shelves. My experience with Islay was limited but promising, and this was clearly a step up in weight class. I get a standard Islay peat on the nose, but not as strong as Ardbeg 10. It is balanced by brine and fruit. The fresh fruit jumps out, like you are walking through an orchard or farmer's market. I get apples, orange peel, and dark fruits balanced by a light sweetness. I know most people would say butterscotch or honey, but this reminds me of agave as well. It is rich without being overpowering. The peat is still tempered on the palate. It's there but it doesn't smack you around like the 10Y Islays. Unlike the classic 10Y, I get much more fruit and sweetness on the palate from the sherry cask. It is wonderful. The fruit continues on the finish, and finally the peat and ethanol come out to play. This is probably my favorite Scotch I've had, and my issue has been with its drinkability and price. It is so damn good but also expensive, so I've taken 6 months to finish it instead of 1. Not a big deal obviously, but buyer beware, this is an easy bottle to kill if you don't show some restraint.

The hardest to find of the Whiskey Row series, I managed to pick one of these up in January just as they were opening a case. Because there are limited double maturation bourbon products on the market, I was very interested to try this in light of the Woodford Reserve Double Oaked store pick I got last year. The nose is dense with oak sweetness: vanilla, brown sugar, buttery caramel, bread pudding, and cinnamon. Surprisingly I don't get any fruit notes. It smells higher than its proof, likely due to the strong oak influence. The cinnamon/bread pudding notes hit harder on the tongue. Of course the oak and rye spice are still present. It is really sweet, but very delicious. The finish is medium, and is not overtly tannic from the oak. I see some reviews mention a medicinal quality, I get none of that. This bourbon is defined by oak and sugar. For me it is the quintessential "dessert whiskey." I really enjoy one or two glasses, but after that the sweetness is overwhelming. This is a bourbon I could drink all day, and is sweet and drinkable enough to introduce friends to more complex and expensive bourbons. It is $2 less and better than Woodford Reserve Double Oaked, but much harder to find in NC. I like this a lot, but I personally wouldn't recommend going out of your way to buy this if you haven't tried the Woodford first. Try that, see if you like the profile, then look for this. I think Woodford was more bready and less sweet, and overall I think this has a more enjoyable profile. But that was a store pick so my opinion is muddled.

I'm not a rye guy, but my brother is. So during Christmas we bought Old Forester 1920 and this to split. My main experiences with rye were: 1) superior ingredient to bourbon in cocktails, 2) sneaky good and cheap on the rocks options at bars like Jim Beam Rye, and 3) gross-tasting Bulleit Rye. Pikesville Rye has made me rethink the category. The nose is so similar to high rye bourbons such as Four Roses, with just a little more cherry and rye kick. Strong aroma of orange/citrus, grass/corn dust, burnt caramel, cherries, and oak. I don't detect any licorice or eucalyptus that I've gotten in 95% rye mashbills. I really hate licorice so this was a welcome reprieve. The high rye spice and oak continue on the palate, it definitely shows its age and proof after a few seconds. The cherry flavor really stands out on the tongue. I can see why people think cherry cola when tasting this, but honestly a sugary soda of any kind tastes nothing like whiskey. The spice really comes out in the finish, with strong peppery notes. It begins to have a cherry medicinal quality towards the end, and this is really the only thing that is holding me back from giving it a 4.5. I wish that flavored cough syrup note didn't appear. If you're a bourbon drinker and have been turned off by high rye whiskeys, definitely try this or start cheaper with Rittenhouse. I've had a few nice ryes since purchasing Pikesville, but none have been as good.

Batch No. 19L2271 I've never had Michter's, it typically flies off the shelves in ABC stores and only the rye remains. It was all over TV last year on Billions and Jessica Jones, so clearly they're marketing this heavily. Because I generally love Brown-Forman products, I decided to pick this up for pandemic sipping. The nose is subtle and muted. I get light notes of oak, caramel, and banana, but it's hard to pick out anything without a few swirls in the glass. It definitely tastes like Brown-Forman on the tongue. But it is still muted, likely due to proof and chill filtration. It almost tastes like a charcoal filtered whiskey. Dusty corn notes pop on the tongue reminding me of George Dickel. The finish is short-medium, nothing but oak and a little pepper lingers. I can see why this is popular. It is eminently drinkable. For me, that only goes so far when it comes to whiskey. I want more complexity and flavor, and this has the bones of other whiskeys I like much more from Brown-Forman. For $2 more I can buy Old Forester 1897. Or for $19 less I can buy Old Forester Signature 100. This is an overpriced whiskey considering what I can get in this price range. As a hypothetical, if this was $10 cheaper I'd lean more towards rating this a 3.75 or 4.0. I see its value as a bourbon to ween someone off of drinking on the rocks, it is that smooth and sweet. It is a nice, recognizable bottle and would make a good gift.