Tastes

Open 3 months Nose - Honey crisp apples, caramel, stewed peaches, light raspberry, lemon bars, and light ethanol. Palate - Oily sweet malt, lemon custard, apple pie, wildflower honey, and dried berries. Finish is medium-long with drier, sharp malt and white pepper notes, Honey Nut Cheerios, red wine tannins, and a little ethanol kick. This is freaking delightful, especially the nose. Because it is only 92 proof, it's light and sweet on the palate. At least it has some heft compared to other Irish whiskeys, but I'd love to try this at cask strength. If you've ever watched a YouTube video or read a blog about trying nicer Irish whiskey, two that are almost always mentioned are Redbreast 12 and Green Spot. For some reason, this 12Y single malt from the same distiller in the same price range is rarely mentioned. Try this first, it's superior in every way.

Barrel No. 22-04095 Rick 2-12 Bottling Date 04/22/2022 65.3% abv; 130.6 proof Open 3 months Nose - Fried banana, cinnamon bun, maple syrup, cheap maraschino cherry, mixture of baking spices, and medium ethanol. Palate - Pureed banana, maple taffy, cinnamon bun with too much vanilla frosting, pumpernickel bread, and chocolate covered cherry. Finish is medium with sticky maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon bun, and a hot kick of ethanol at the end. This is my least favorite JDSBBP so far, but it's still good. It has all of the classic notes of the previous bottles I've bought. The difference is this smells and tastes a little more artificial, especially the banana and cinnamon notes. It was worse on first crack, but has gotten richer over time. Still a good buy under $70, I just hope the next one is better.

Open 2 months Nose - Pralines, candied apple, dried tropical fruits, light dill, vanilla wafer, herbal tea, clove, and light ethanol. Palate - Delicate and creamy caramel, peanut butter, green apple, dill, fresh mint, clove, cinnamon powder, ginger snaps, and dry oak. Finish is medium-long, creamy oak, peanut brittle, baking spices, strong herbal blend, and medium ethanol. Soft, creamy, and refined are the three adjectives I'd use to describe this rye. To me, this drinks like an older, lower proof rye. It's not a standout, but at $60 it's an excellent value. A lot of MGP ryes in this price range will likely be younger, hotter peppery, and herbal, e.g., Stellum or James E. Pepper. This is more elegant and smooth and competes with Smooth Ambler. I'd still buy a Smooth Ambler pick if I could only choose one MGP rye under $60, but this is probably my second choice.

The Party Source pick Barrel No. 6362258 Age - 9 years 65.05% abv; 130.1 proof Open 7 weeks Nose - Spicy oak, brown sugar, burnt toast, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, cigar smoke, burnt marshmallow, and strong ethanol. Palate - Brown sugar, molasses, gingerbread, red hot cinnamon, cocoa powder, and tannic oak. Finish is long with bold spicy oak, peanut shells, dry cinnamon, light brown sugar, and hot ethanol. This is my least favorite ECBP pick so far, which is saying something because it is still quite tasty. The oak and ethanol is a little hot, reminds me of a typical A batch. If this is the baseline for future ECBP picks, I'll keep buying.

Total Wine, Waco, TX pick Barrel No. 30869 Aged 50 months total, first in a used Oloroso sherry cask then transferred to a used KY bourbon barrel 64% abv: 128 proof Open 3 weeks Got a sample from my friend who always visits his in-laws in Houston over the holidays Nose - Stewed stone fruits and berries, molasses, fresh steakhouse bread, cocoa, funky malt, allspice, medium oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Berry and fig jam, chocolate covered caramel, toffee, sickly sweet malt, cinnamon, allspice, and sweet oak. Finish is long with rich dark fruit jam, molasses, allspice, cardamon, oily oak, and medium ethanol. This is fantastic. Typically I really like Balcones products on first crack, and over time they get less enjoyable as the oak dominates the flavor profile. The extra long aging in a used Oloroso sherry cask balances out the oak perfectly. You may think aging malt in Texas heat this long would bring out the boldest and worst of the sherry and bourbon barrels, but they marry so well together. It's still a big, heavy pour, 2 glasses max in one sitting. But unlike the cask strength rye and malt single barrels I've had, I don't feel like this was aged too long in the Texas climate. The closest comparison I've had is the Rua Sherry Cask from NC, but this is bolder and heavier.

Open 9 days Nose - Butterscotch and caramel infused with Christmas spices, Honey Smacks, malted chocolate, golden raisins, and medium ethanol. Palate - Vanilla infused honey, candied cinnamon apples, peach and cherry pie, figs, sweet hay, and cocoa nibs. Finish is medium-long with chocolate oak tannins, clove, cinnamon, toast, white peppercorn, apple cider, and medium ethanol. This is the single most enjoyable whiskey I've had in 2022. Everything about it is fantastic, and it is perfect for this time of year. I originally thought I'd knock it down to 4.25 to avoid grade inflation accusations, but I don't care. It's great, I love Maker's wood stave finishes. They're so good at this. Plus they haven't raised their prices in the last year like most bourbon distilleries. The taters can chase Weller, Pappy, and Old Fitz to their heart's desire, I'll stick with Maker's.

Bull City Bourbon Club pick OBSQ recipe Barrel No. RS23-5J Age - 11 years and 4 months 62.2% abv; 124.4 proof Open 3 months Nose - Brown butter, plum, custard, honeysuckle, almond, toasted marshmallow, herbal tea, and medium ethanol. Palate - Cherry pie, fig, fresh black peppercorn, molasses, allspice, clove, grilled corn, and sweet oak. Finish is long with toasted rye grain, sweet oak tannins, raisins, herbs, clove, and medium ethanol bite. The admins of BCBC are Four Roses enthusiasts (fanatics), and this was the first pick they've procured for the group. It was hyped for months. What else should we expect from admins who own dozens of 4RSBBS picks? This is also my first time ever trying the barrel strength, it is extremely difficult to come by in NC. I was fully prepared to be underwhelmed. Fortunately, this is a great barrel pick. It sits right at home with many of my other barrel proof bourbons in constant rotation. What distinguishes this from my usual heavy hitters like Elijah Craig, Barrell, and Jack Daniel's are creamy and floral notes that set it apart from the typical bourbon profile. Although it shares a very similar mashbill with MGP, it does not share the same flavor profile. It is definitely a great buy at $80, but I don't think it warrants the fervor and secondary market that make it impossible to obtain at most stores. I blame part of this on Four Roses, why not have a regular barrel proof offering in tandem with the single barrels and limited editions?

Bull City Bourbon Club pick Barrel No. RS23-5J Age - 11 years and 4 months 62.2% abv; 124.4 proof Open 3 months Nose - Brown butter, plum, custard, honeysuckle, almond, toasted marshmallow, herbal tea, and medium ethanol. Palate - Cherry pie, fig, fresh black peppercorn, molasses, allspice, clove, grilled corn, and sweet oak. Finish is long with toasted rye grain, sweet oak tannins, raisins, herbs, clove, and medium ethanol bite. The admins of BCBC are Four Roses enthusiasts (fanatics), and this was the first pick they've procured for the group. It was hyped for months. What else should we expect from admins who own dozens of 4RSBBS picks? This is also my first time ever trying the barrel strength, it is extremely difficult to come by in NC. I was fully prepared to be underwhelmed. Fortunately, this is a great barrel pick. It sits right at home with many of my other barrel proof bourbons in constant rotation. What distinguishes this from my usual heavy hitters like Elijah Craig, Barrell, and Jack Daniel's are creamy and floral notes that set it apart from the typical bourbon profile. Although it shares a very similar mashbill with MGP, it does not share the same flavor profile. It is definitely a great buy at $80, but I don't think it warrants the fervor and secondary market that make it impossible to obtain at most stores. I blame part of this on Four Roses, why not have a regular barrel proof offering in tandem with the single barrels and limited editions?

Bull City Bourbon Club pick, "Two Barrel Bullpen" A blend of two barrels instead of a single barrel Open 8 months Nose - Lemon peel, brown sugar, light cinnamon, sweet corn, oolong tea, maraschino cherries, and light ethanol. Palate - Artificial cherry, flat cream soda, caramel, powdered sugar, and light tea. Finish is short with lemon bars, over steeped herbal tea, white sugar, bitter watery oak, and little to no ethanol. I have little interest in Woodford these days, but bought this club pick anyways. Woodford is fine, but there are so many bottles you can buy that offer more proof and flavor. Is a barrel pick better than standard Woodford? Who knows. It's so light and thin that I struggle to pick out any notable flavors. I've barely touch it in 8 months, and it'll probably sit on my shelf for a while.

The Party Source pick Barrel No. ISC 779761 Rickhouse B-E12N4 Yeast Strain FP1 Age - 4 years and 4 months 53.46% abv; 106.93 proof Open 1 month Nose - Butterscotch, caramel, honey, herbal tea, anise, soft citrus, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Soft caramel, white pepper, pine needles, dill, honeysuckle, white sugar, and dry oak. Finish is medium with herbal and floral rye notes, white pepper, mineral water, dried honey, and light ethanol. I've had Wilderness Trail Rye Cask Strength before, but apparently they're switching their cask strength single barrels to a white label and renaming the single barrel to Family Reserve. Thoroughly enjoyable and affordable rye whiskey, and unique in its flavor profile that makes it stand out amongst the barely legal ryes and MGP ryes. Not as good as the previous single barrel I've had, but still a really good bottle.