Tastes

This was a single barrel store pick by Orange County NC, and is the best bourbon I've had so far. The standard Single Barrel Select is 9 years, this barrel was 15 years and 1 month old. I wasn't the biggest fan of Knob Creek Small Batch, this is miles better by comparison and only $13 more. I think the age completely mellows out the harsh nose and taste I got from the Small Batch. This is incredibly drinkable for 120 proof. Huge brown sugar and oak notes on the nose. Maybe some berries and caramel, but it's a brown sugar/oak bomb and you need a good nose to pick out the rest. It is sweet and delicious on the tongue. Not sickly sweet, the dessert spice and oak balances the brown sugar/caramel sweetness to perfection. I also taste more stewed dark fruits than what I smelled. Oak and alcohol are most prominent on the finish. It lingers for a long time and turns to toffee, spice, and a little tobacco or vegetal. I saw a review on WhiskeyJug describing one of his KC SiB Select bottles as creme brulee, and I think that describes this well. It's a classic example of what I think bourbon should taste like. As a high proof/cask strength bourbon (>55%), I like it more than these I've had in the last year: Elijah Craig, Old Grand Dad, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey, Russell's Reserve, 1792, and Old Forester. At $50 it's hard to think of a better buy when you consider how many unique single barrels you can try. Barreled 02-11-2004, Bottled 03-11-2019, Orange County ABC Batch No. 1, Warehouse W-X, Floor F-04, Rick R-033

I'm happy I was able to pick this up before Old Pulteney started releasing this at 80 proof instead of 86 proof. The difference in expert reviewer score is certainly dramatic, from 95 to the newer 84 score. The nose is delightful. It is bright, buttery, corn dust, and most of all heavy sea salt/brine. Sea salt mixed with light barley is the dominant taste, with some spice that could be a mix of black pepper and something else. The sea salt lingers on the palate, a medium finish with a shortbread note more common to Irish whiskey. Overall I think this is outstanding, and it's a shame they lowered the proof to 80 because I imagine the sea salt is tampered down with additional water. This is one of the best under $50 single malts I've bought. I also think this is very similar to the Oban 14, so if you are in the mood for an unpeated briny single malt buy this first and save yourself $30-40. My friends and I have bought at least 5 bottles of Oban 14 over the years and if I knew about this we could've saved a lot of money.

This is my first experience with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and the highest proof bourbon I've tasted so far. The initial nose is surprisingly light on alcohol, very deceptive. I get dried dark fruit, and with a deeper inhale, oak and alcohol. Big dessert spice/sweet oak overwhelm the tongue, much stronger than the fruit from the nose. I also get vanilla and chocolate that are in tune with the spiced oak flavor. The alcohol burn is lighter than expected. The finish is super long and oily. The alcohol is most prominent on the finish, and the dark fruit reemerges along with dessert spice and tannins. I normally avoid adding water to any of my whiskey these days, but with a proof this high I figured I should try it. After a small splash of water, the oak and alcohol are stronger on the nose than before. The taste is more tannic with added water, which clearly brings out the oak and alcohol flavor. In my opinion it gets worse with water, muting the fruit, vanilla, and spice. Overall this is a fantastic cask strength bourbon and I think in the future I'll try to buy one of the releases once a year. The EC A119 is not my favorite high proof bourbon, but it is widely available and a tremendous value. You cannot say the same for a lot of cask strength offerings.

I snagged this when it was first released in NC, which turned out to be good fortune because I haven't seen these bottles on the shelves since. Before I dive into the notes I have to say a 13-year old 100 proof American whiskey is an incredible value at $36. Can you imagine what the other prominent Tennessee distillery would charge for whiskey this old? $75? $100? Moving on. I had George Dickel No. 12 before purchasing this, and one of the big differences is the corn dust/cereal nose/taste is tampered way way down in the BiB. Due to its age, I get a lot of sweet oak and black pepper on the nose with muted corn dust. I also get hints of tobacco and dark fruit. I get more spice on the taste besides black pepper, but the corn and oak make this distinct from a lot of bourbons I like that lean more heavily into sweet dessert spices. Despite its age and proof, this whiskey avoids being harshly tannic. The oak flavor is sweet and smooth on the way down. I get more corn dust on the finish, reminding me this is a George Dickel product. Overall I think this is a fantastic addition to the market and an unbelievable value. If you see it, pick it up because I'm guessing it will always be in demand.

$11 pour at a bar, neat in a rocks glass My second time trying this whiskey, I still can't believe this is $30 and readily available. It's like a blend of Jim Beam and Knob Creek, combining the peanut brittle of Jim Beam with the oak and alcohol of Knob Creek. Will pick up a bottle soon.

$16 pour at a bar (actually got 1.0 oz free but that was the price), neat in a rocks glass, did not remember barrel information The Bowman line has intrigued me for a while but I never took the plunge. Fortunately I got a free pour because my friends and I were spending good money on a Monday night. The primary takeaway from this was SWEET. I could not believe how smooth and sweet this whiskey was at 100 proof, almost like candy. This was very good at one note, but had no complexity. Maybe it was the barrel? Either way, I'll probably pick up a bottle of Small Batch or Port Finish before this.

$16 pour at a bar, neat in a rocks glass I never see this in ABC stores, and rarely at bars. Even though I think they were overcharging for this considering the bottle price, I had to try it. My main takeaway was I liked this better than the reviews. At 125 proof it drank so soft, it could've been 95 proof and I wouldn't have batted an eye. It was delicate, sweet, and oh so drinkable. The finish was delightful, a combination of cane sugar, oak, and berries, as if it was finished in rum barrels. It tastes nothing like the mediocre Small Batch. I am for sure buying a bottle of this when I see it.

$18 pour at a bar, neat in a rocks glass, 59.9% abv, 119.8 proof Holy campfire! This is wood ash doused with vodka in a glass, and I love it! I've never had Laphroaig, but I've had Ardbeg cask strength so I'm familiar with the profile. Since the 10Y Cask Strength is not readily available in ABC stores, I thought $18 was a good price for a pour. I think this was more medicinal and ashy than Ardbeg. The proof and peat forced me to drink this slowly, which was highly enjoyable. I think I'll be picking up a Laphroaig next time it's on sale.

$10.25 pour at a bar (actually discounted to $8.25 for daily special), neat in a rocks glass, did not get barrel information Could be the bar's single barrel, but this is very overrated. Had an unpleasant chemical quality to it that I find in young bourbons. Honestly the closest comparisons were Jim Beam Bonded and Evan Williams BiB, which is not a great compliment for a coveted $60 single barrel.

$9 pour at a bar (actually discounted to $7 for daily special), neat in a rocks glass Surprisingly good rye. This tasted like a lower rye %, closer to a high rye bourbon and very enjoyable. I think I liked it more than Knob Creek Bourbon 100 proof.