Tastes

I thoroughly enjoyed Jim Beam Single Barrel and thought I'd try one of their cheaper offerings in the $25 range. I purchased a 375 mL of this for $13.95 and I'm glad that's all I bought. This is a weak bourbon. It tastes like very watery Single Barrel even though the difference in proof from 95 to 86 may not seem that significant. Everything is muted here, I barely smell anything unless I swirl it up. I still get that peanut brittle flavor but again, more muted than Single Barrel. This is easy to sip don't get me wrong, but at $27 you can buy plenty of other easy-sipping bourbons at the same price or less. I would steer you towards Wild Turkey or Evan Williams any day of the week.

I've never had an Irish single malt and NC decided to not sell this anymore, so I picked it up over more well-regarded single malts. It has been disappointing. There is negligible difference between this and a Scotch single malt, which I should've expected. The nose is pleasant enough, that sweet bready smell you get with a lot of Irish whiskey. The taste starts out fine, but the finish is not good. It dries the palate almost immediately and it is not enjoyable to keep sipping. I always struggle with this when I pour >1.0 oz, which is why I've had it open for 3 months. I need to try the Bushmills or Tullamore single malts to see if this is an Irish outlier.

Initially I was wary of single malt Scotches under $40 in NC because I thought they'd be crap, but I dove head first when it was on sale for $30. Imagine my surprise, this is a superb whiskey. I've had a few single malt and blended Scotches this year (Monkey Shoulder, Dewar's White, JW Black, Chivas 12, Auchentoshan American, Glenlivet, Glenmorangie), and this is better than all of those. It tastes most similar to Glenmorangie 10, but sweeter and less drying on the palate, and $10 less. I get more complexity from the oloroso finishing that I don't get from other flagship single malts. It also has a similar profile to the popular blended Scotches I've had, which makes sense since Tomatin is a mass producer for blenders. I honestly don't understand some of the reviews I've seen for this on whiskey blogs, it is one of the best affordable Scotches I've had. This is really easy to sip and enjoy, and at 86 proof has slightly more punch than most cheap Scotches.

I'm a little disappointed with this, same as I was with Elijah Craig Small Batch. They're easy to compare: both $30 in NC, both NAS, both ~94 proof, and both dominant hot spice for the abv. I don't get as much hot cherry oak as I do with Elijah, but it is still the dominant flavor. Maybe more rye spice than barrel burn with this. There are subtle dessert fruit notes here that taste mostly like fried cinnamon bananas or artificial banana candy flavoring, but it is subdued until the finish. I definitely prefer this to Elijah Craig Small Batch if you had the option to get one. I also have the 1792 Single Barrel at the moment and it is a lot better.

I bought the Glenmorangie Taster Pack for $34.95, which includes 4 x 100 mL of Glenmorangie Original 10Y and the three primary finished versions. That breaks down to $8.74 for each, which is overpriced for the original but good value to try the Nectar D'Or. (In NC the 750 mL is $69.95.) Let me clearly state that I'm very glad this sampler was available because the Nectar is by far the least impressive of the 3 finished versions, the least different from the original, and is the most expensive. I chalk this up to the whiskey only being finished for <2 years in dessert white wine casks, while the other two are finished in heavy red wine casks. Other than having a slightly drier taste with more pronounced nose, I don't think the Nectar is remarkably different from the Original. At $70 this is not only $25 more than the Original, but it is $15 and $12 more than the much better Lasanta and Quinta Ruban. Don't misread this as I hate this whiskey, because it tastes nice. But based on value I don't recommend this at all because I think you're wasting your money when you can buy the cheaper finished versions or the original.

I'm almost finished with my bottle and ready to give a review. I've been oscillating between a 3.5 and 4 rating for this depending on the day, and my opinion is sometimes colored by the $39.95 price for a Jim Beam Single Barrel when the other Jim Beam variations are all under $30 in NC. But, the closest comparison I can give in terms of price and distillery is Knob Creek Small Batch, another Jim Beam product I also recently bought and is available for $36.95. Between the two, the Jim Beam Single Barrel is a much better bourbon. I wouldn't recommend the Knob Creek Small Batch if you could only choose one. While Knob Creek has overwhelming alcohol and oak flavor, Jim Beam is less harsh with a very nutty taste. The spice/harshness difference has nothing to do with the rye, since they both have the same percentage of 13%. It's also tough to chalk it up to the minimal difference in proof, since Jim Beam is 95 and Knob Creek is 100. This Jim Beam bottle is sweet and nutty on the nose and taste. I kept thinking of desserts with caramel and lots of nuts, and once I got peanut brittle in my mind I couldn't think of a better comparison. It also reminds me of generic chocolate nut samplers you buy at Valentine's Day. This is a pleasant flavor that gets old after a couple of pours, but I like to switch up whiskeys no matter how much I like the taste. I've enjoyed this bourbon and I'm anxious to try some of the higher priced Jim Beam lines like Knob Creek Single Barrel and Baker's in the future.

I currently have Bulleit Rye which I don't enjoy, and haven't had their bourbon in a while so I bought the 50 mL for $3.95. (In NC the 750 mL is $29.95, which makes the 50 mL ridiculously overpriced compared to other 50 mLs I've bought recently. Is the glass necessary??) This is a high rye bourbon and many of the bourbons I've had of late are <15% rye or wheated, so I have little to compare to other than Four Roses Single Barrel. The Four Roses is superior, but they're different price ranges and one is single barrel. The nose is pretty good, not too strong, but all I get on the taste is spicy rye. It overpowers the other notes listed in reviews. I'm not a huge fan of this bourbon, but I have enjoyed it in the past and can see why it's popular at its price point. I'd definitely recommend trying this in some fashion because there are plenty of bourbons around $30 to choose from.

I think I've only had Crown Royal Deluxe so I bought a 50 mL of this for $2.95. (In NC the 750 mL is $30.95.) Right off the bat, this nose is TERRIBLE. I'm a chemist and I generally do not huff solvents I frequently use, but this nose distinctly smells like a combination of isopropyl alcohol mixed with ketones or aldehydes. I might even smell something akin to ethyl acetate. Let me reiterate, this nose is TERRIBLE. Seriously, it smells like mixture of cheap organic solvents you'll find in commercially available products for household cleaners or topical medication. I honestly have no idea how the Expert Review can pass off this smell as "smoky and robust." I have a poor sense of smell due to genetics and all of my lackadaisical practices as an academic chemist, and I can still smell things in this whiskey that tell me I shouldn't drink this. But I did drink it, and you get a standard alcohol flavor that makes me think it won't kill me, it's just a crappy whiskey. I get no tasting notes outside of alcohol. If you gave me a blind taste test and said this was Aristocrat, I'd believe you. Do not buy this, it is a freaking waste of money for $30 a bottle.

I don't think I've had Woodford Reserve since I was drunk at their distillery over 3 years ago, so I picked up a 50 mL for $2.75. (In NC the 750 mL is $39.95.) Right away I get a nice punch of alcohol and oak vanilla on the nose, more pleasant than other bourbons I've had recently at similar proofs. I expected a harsher taste/finish like I get with Elijah Craig, Knob Creek, and 1792 Small Batches, but surprisingly the taste is smoother than the nose. I don't think it's as harsh as the Expert Review suggests, and I think it's a better overall bourbon than the flagship offerings of other big distilleries. At this price though, I'd be hesitant to say it's something I'd readily buy in the near future but it's still a solid pick.

I purchased a 50 mL for $2.75 since I've never had this and always had the original Jack Daniel's growing up. (In NC the 750 mL is $34.95.) The nose is quite nice, creamy bananas that is reminiscent of 1792 Single Barrel and some pot-still Irish whiskeys I've had. The taste is smooth, buttery, with less banana taste than on the nose. And this whiskey disappears FAST, with little to no alcohol bite. This is a good whiskey for those who want something easy to sip on and are turned off by more challenging bourbons. I would compare this to the aforementioned 1792 and Jameson Black Barrel, but noticeably worse than both. At this price I probably won't be buying it again, but I can see the lane this whiskey travels in and I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy this over Jack Daniel's Black Label.