Tastes

My first opportunity to try this came during my recent KBT trip. But not at the distillery, Wild Turkey has been closed for renovations, so no tours and no tastings. But they do have a small 'gift shop' of sorts setup across the street, so we decided to check it out. Glad we did. Lots of gear and whiskey were available for purchase, but on the day we visited, Jimmy Russell was in the house signing bottles. He and his wife are very nice people, and were gracious enough to share a couple stories, before signing my bottle. Very cool. So, that bottle sat untouched for a few months, and was opened for the RWT event we held a few weeks back. Same classic rye nose of baking spices, followed by a creamy smooth mouthfeel and long lingering finish. Almost as good as I remember it tasting that day in the gift shop, but how do you beat sharing a taste with the Master Distiller himself?!

- Batch 14: Having previously recorded tastes of this whiskey, I debated whether or not to do so again. But it did so well against the other 11 ryes in our tasting event, I felt it deserved just one more thumbs up. Sweet citrusy nose, buttery smooth, viscous mouthfeel and a cinnamon finish. Just excellent. After this taste, I'm elevating it to a solid 5.0! - Batch 12, Bottle 176/230, 122.8 Proof: - Batch 17, Bottle 51/210, 121.8 Proof: - Batch 18, Bottle 37/224, 125.7 Proof: - Batch 21, Bottle 11/189, 121.7 Proof:

Fortunate enough to find this allocated rye on the shelf of our local grocery store. Actually, I see it there fairly regularly, which seems odd. Anyway, I wasn't able to get this during our distillery visit, (Eagle Rare on the shelf that day) so I was glad to ave the opportunity. Sweet, cherry nose, and a medium mouthfeel. Rye spice is present, but more subtle than some others I've tried. Finish is medium and very smooth. Probably great in a cocktail, but very enjoyable neat. This faired well during our RWT, in fact some rated it their favorite of the evening! I won't go that far, but I do enjoy it, and am glad to have it on the shelf.

Purchased at the distillery on our KBT trip this spring. The grounds are beautiful, a must see if you're in the area. Sampled this in a few Old Fashioned cocktails while we were there and was impressed. I get a cherry & brown sugar on the nose, along with a bit of musty grain. Something a bit different joins on the palate, sort of a floral note. Finish is lingering dry oak. Very nice rye. Entered this bottle in our rye tasting (RWT); most liked it, but it couldn't hang with the Willett, Rare Breed or the Last Feather Cask Strength bottles.

Meh...

Yep. Another entry in our rye tasting event. Strong vanilla nose on this one for me. Not sure that carries over to the palate, but I'm admittedly not the best at identifying individual flavors. What I did notice is the oily, viscous mouthfeel. This characteristic is high on my preference list. The finish is smooth and warming. This one's a keeper for me, looking forward to re-visiting it soon. 12/6/22 - Revisited this bottle this evening, with different results. Similar nose, but seemed thin compared to the oily viscosity I remembered. Still getting the rye flavor, but it 's accompanied by a sharp alcohol burn. Not smooth at all this time around. Hard to imagine it's changed that drastically; more inclined to think something was off with me! Still, I'm backing this off to a 3.5 for now, and will check in on it again to re-evaluate.

Another contestant in our recent rye whiskey tasting. Picked this up along with a few other expressions of theirs on our KBT trip this spring. The high rye and wheated bourbon were quite good. So, being a rye guy, I had high hopes for this one. And for the most part, it didn’t let me down. Nose is sweet, and the rye spice is present on the palate, followed by a nice cinnamon red hot, medium length finish. But honestly, I’m hoping that things improve now that we’ve cracked this one open. Pretty good as it is if it doesn’t, but like I said; high hopes…

Unfortunately, the appeal of this distillery’s offerings is lost on me. Having tried numerous expressions, I simply don’t get it. In fact, aside from the Double Oaked Bourbon, I can pass on them all. And even then, I find Old Forester’s 1910 far superior. I mean no disrespect; based on the following they have, it’s clear they’ve gotten it right for many folks, I’m just not one of them. Even so, we decided to include their rye, along with 11 others, in a rye whiskey tasting event last weekend. But as you’ve guessed from the above statements, it didn’t fair that well. It’s not a bad whiskey, it just isn’t that interesting either. I personally get very few of the tasting notes others mention in their reviews, although, that’s nothing uncommon. If I’m being honest, most of the time, I either like something, or I don’t. Sorta pass / fail. Anyway, this is just okay to me. Typical “whiskey” nose, very little rye spice on the palate, and a short dry finish. Possibly a good place to start, if you’re just getting into ryes. But if you’re already in the club, I think there are far better options.

Thanks to Colin, I’ve tasted numerous expressions from Hotel Tango, without purchasing a single one! Most have been decent, except for the Reserve Bourbon. Didn’t care for the medicinal cherry note in that one. Thankfully, no trace of that here. Proved to be an easy sipper, with decent viscosity and finish. This, and the Rum Cask Finished Rye, are the best I’ve tried from this Veteran Owned Indiana Distillery.

One of the four expressions from Wilderness Trail that followed us home from Kentucky! It was a favorite at a recent family cookout, with good reason. This is a very nice bourbon. Sweet on the nose and palate, and a smooth, medium length hug. Medium to heavy mouthfeel as well, which is very pleasing. This is better than the rye version in my opinion. Likely something I’ll re-purchase; fairly soon given it’s popularity at the cookout!