Tastes

Liquor City Uncorked pick, "Gallenstein Selection #38" Warehouse Z; Floor 04; Rick 023 Barrel Filled 11/09/2011 Bottled on 06/13/2021 Age - 9 years, 7 months, 4 days Open 7 months Nose - Kettle corn, caramel, honey roasted peanuts, toasted marshmallow, tobacco, medium oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Burnt caramel, oak extract, peanut shells, toffee, brown sugar, and old leather. Finish is medium-long with lots of tannic dry oak, burnt popcorn, salted caramel, and strong ethanol. These used to be a tremendous value, but I think those days have passed. Let me bring you back 6 years on a trip to bourbon nostalgia where these picks were easily one of the best buys in the market. I first got into store picks in 2018-19, and a Knob Creek SiB pick that was over 15 years old at my local ABC store was $45. It was amazing. To this day one of the best bourbons I've ever had. It was so good I bought another on my grad school stipend. And that's that. Those bottles sat at that store for months. I could've bought cases. In the year or so after that pick, I turned up my nose at Knob Creek SiB picks that were 12-13 years old. I thought, I'll just wait for another 14-15 year old. Then the price started creeping up, first to $50, then to $60. Not a huge deal, for a 9+ year nearly barrel proof bourbon, that's still great value. But then the older store picks dried up at the same time. Good luck finding anything over 10 years. Then Jim Beam revealed the reason this was all happening. Knob Creek 12, Knob Creek 15, and Knob Creek 18. Now to get the older stuff, you have to pay more, and it's only 100 proof. Were they losing money on these old store picks? I doubt it. Did they see the bourbon market exploding and rejigger their Knob Creek line to make more money. Very likely. Knob Creek 12 is good, but please release a cask strength version? And I have little desire to pay the money for the 15 or 18 year. I know they would both be disappointing. Oh back to this pick. It's fine. It's better than a lot of bourbons around this price, but there's nothing great about it. It lacks sweetness and is too dry and oaky for its age. I probably won't be buying any more of these picks until I get to try them first.

Have y'all heard of this? Sits on the shelf always around $50. Everyone walks by it looking for Blanton's. It's like that cheap bottle Wild Turkey 101 but with a different name, way higher alcohol, will get you fucked up, but classy on its own. It's always there when you need it in case you've had a string of disappointments buying bourbon almost double the price. Highly recommend!

Liquor City Uncorked pick, "Gallenstein Selection #17" Barrel No. 90-1H; Warehouse No. VW Age - 8 years, 6 months 56.8% abv; 113.6 proof Open 3 months Nose - Spicy caramel, cinnamon, allspice, clove, black pepper, toasted vanilla bean, eucalyptus, mint, medicinal cherry, orange peel, medium oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Toffee, burnt vanilla, heavy rye spice, black pepper, tobacco, mint, burnt orange peel, and cherry cough syrup. Finish is medium-long with spicy oak, brown sugar, black pepper, clove, herbs, and strong ethanol. This is the third Four Roses barrel strength recipe I've had in the last 2 years after years of coming up short. Each time, I'm less impressed, and the price keeps going up. At $75-80, which these were a few years ago, I would have no problem buying any pick. But now they're roughly $100. I don't think the price matches what you're getting. This OBSK pick has some great notes, but I think it is too young. It finishes really hot given the proof. I actually passed up the opportunity to buy two other picks locally this week because of my disappointment with this bottle.

Liquor City Uncorked pick, "Gallenstein Selection #1" Mashbill 78% corn / 10% rye / 12% malted barley Age - 6 years 60% abv; 120 proof Open 8 weeks Nose - Caramel, vanilla, maple, cinnamon bun, gingerbread, white pepper, honeycrisp apple, cherry, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Soft and syrupy, caramel, brown sugar, fresh cinnamon bun, young grain, clove, peppercorns, herbal mix, and rye bread. Finish is medium with mostly syrup and light oak tannins, cinnamon, black pepper, and light ethanol. Purportedly one of the first single barrel picks of Bardstown's own juice, this is a sugary bomb of a bourbon. They used the exact same mashbill as Elijah Craig. It actually tastes like one of the lighter ECBP batches or single barrels I've had in the last few years, minus any significant oak presence. I think this is also a good substitute for Buffalo Trace products if you're looking for something better than overhyped watery sugar.

Open 9 months Nose - Lemon peel, brine, ginger, white pepper, fresh grass, very light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Lemon custard, salted caramel, iodine, white pepper, gingerbread, light butterscotch, and light herbal mix. Finish is medium with bitter lemon oil, dried ginger, peppercorn medley, salt, musty malt, old grass, and light ethanol. This is a fine, coastal malt, but I've had better. The old version of Old Pulteney 12 easily tops this, and for a little more money Oban 14 is a better buy. Other cheaper Highland malts with a touch of brine would be good comparisons. I actually think light peat would improve this. I know the point of this expression is showcasing unpeated Islay malt, but if you can stand a little peat, Talisker 10 is a better version of this in every facet.

Nose - Jolly Rancher medley, fruity bubble gum, fresh apricot, artificial grape, white pepper, orange peel, clove, very light oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Runts, Jolly Ranchers, etc. The front palate is full of artificial fruit candies. Apricot and grape jam, white pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, brown sugar, butterscotch, and spicy rye notes. Finish is medium-long with lingering apricot syrup, grape candy, rye spice, Red Hots, black pepper, and strong ethanol bite. Finally got to try this via my brother, it's a good pour but also not sure the initial chase was justified. Luckily, it's readily available years after its release, and you can find it in some places for $80. If you like this kind of profile, definitely worth a pick up.

Liquor City Uncorked pick, "Gallenstein Selection #12" Barrel picked in 2022 Open 5 weeks Nose - Caramel, cinnamon bun, charred oak, vanilla bean, wildflower honey, red apple, and medium ethanol. Palate - Creamy caramel, sweet oak, cinnamon, black pepper, plum, red apple, herbs, and bread pudding. Finish is medium-long with sweet and spicy oak, vanilla frosting, black pepper, anise, cinnamon, clove, and hot ethanol. What a fucking delight it is to find this at a local store for under $50. I tend to shit on Barton products, whether it's the chase for the core lineup or the generally crappy sourced Barton, but at least Barton hasn't jacked up the prices of the 1792 lineup. Even if this was marked up to $60 or $70, which I've seen recently in other Kentucky stores, I still think it's an excellent buy. It's a great substitute for fans of ECBP or Old Forester SBBS with less oak influence and more sweet notes. Is this one of the best whiskeys I've drank in the last year? No. Is it the best whiskey I've had under $50 in a while? Definitely yes.

Received a 2 oz sample from a friend. Lost the info on the barrel, age, proof, price, etc. Nose - Rose petal, brown sugar, Corn Pops, orange blossom honey, light cinnamon, rye bread, cardamon, light oak, and light ethanol. Palate - Oily, brown sugar simple syrup, coffee cake, cinnamon, black tea, and fresh rye bread. Finish is medium with sharp rye spice, over steeped black tea, honey, dry cinnamon, clove, oak bitters, and medium ethanol. This is light, creamy, and delicate, with a big kick at the end. It is unexpected given the sweet, floral notes and the initial sugary palate. Honestly I think it detracts from the overall experience, I'd rather experience those harsher, bold notes throughout the nosing and tasting. Still a really good bourbon, but the finish and the reason below lower the overall score. The other reason I've knocked the score down is because of the price and scarcity of these bottles. I'm not sure the hype is justified given they now retail between $90-100 and still difficult to find without a significant markup.

Liquor City Uncorked pick, "Gallenstein Selection" MGP sourced 95% rye / 5% malted barley Barrel No. 29 Age - 6 years 61.3% abv; 122.6 proof Open 2 months Nose - Clove, star anise, light black peppercorn, toasted rye bread, toffee, leather, and medium ethanol. Palate - Peppercorn medley, clove, allspice, toast, maple syrup, light dill, and juniper berry. Finish is long and oil with dry oak, tobacco smoke, black pepper, clove, and harsher ethanol burn. 6 year MGP ryes are typically good buys, and this is no exception. If some random NDP has sourced bourbon and rye at roughly the same age, I'd buy the rye every time. There are definitely cheaper options out there, but this compares favorably to a recent buy, The Senator. You can't go wrong with either, but I'm beginning to see more O.K.I. Rye picks in my area while The Senator is more difficult to find.

Bull City Bourbon Club pick, "Marmalade Toast" Barrel No. 22-0597 Warehouse M; Floor 4 Barrel filled 10-23-2013; Bottling date 11-30-2022 Age - 9 years, 1 month, 7 days Open 3 months Nose - Orange caramels, browned butter, toast, cinnamon, mint, pine needle, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Orange peel, pine sap, cinnamon bun without the frosting, black pepper, and mint. Finish is medium-long with black pepper, dry oak, citrus cleaner, anise, and medium ethanol. These picks are an auto-buy for me, unless they're unreasonably priced. This isn't the best pick I've had, but certainly not the worst. A lot of herbal and conifer notes atypical of a Russell's, more savory than sweet. I dig it, but it's lacking the big cinnamon and caramel oomph.