Tastes

7/9/22 - Nice rye, smooth with just a slight spice finish. Probably would make a good cocktail.

Bourbon World pick. Gift from my daughter and her fiancé. Definitely feel the heat from this, but the flavor has an almost creamy feel to it. Quite viscous in fact. I love ryes, and this one is very good. Long substantial hug!

Very nice rye. First experience with this neat. Had a couple Old Fashioneds at the distillery during our visit, and they were fantastic. And the venue is quite beautiful. The neat experience does not disappoint either. Excellent viscous mouth feel and full of flavor. Finish is fairly short, but satisfying.

Gentle rye. Smooth easy sipper with minimal peppery finish. Good place to start for those who want to experiment with a rye whiskey. 9/24/22 - Included this bottle in a Rye Whiskey Tasting I hosted, for two reasons really. First, to see if the flavor profile had changed since the initial pour from the bottle, and to see how it held up against some more popular rye whiskeys. So, as to the first question, it hadn’t changed much. Still very mild and approachable, with just a hint of the peppery (or is it cinnamon red-hot?) rye spice I enjoy. I get more of the sherry finish and fruity notes, than anything. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just different from the other ryes on the bar top this evening. Long story short, it stands on it’s own, and tastes like I feel it was intended to taste, a different, less spicy expression of a rye whiskey.

Had a pour of this at dinner with my son. Nothing stands out, but a decent sipper. I’ve had this before, Yosemite trip I believe, and remember it being somewhat better. Could have been the view though!

Had this on my must try list. I’m very familiar with Founder’s brews, especially CBS and the KBS expressions. I love them all, so I was very excited to finally find this for under $200. After getting a cocoa note on the nose, I couldn’t wait to taste it. But other than that nose, and a slight chocolaty flavor during the finish, I don’t taste the KBS at all. Hoping maybe this will change over time, and the flavor I’d expected to find will show up. It’s not a bad bourbon at all, maybe a little thinner than I’d hoped, just not what I expected. 2/22/23 - Revisited this bottle this evening to see if the KBS finish was more apparent. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. I get some classic bourbon sweetness on the nose, but it doesn’t carry over to the palate. Still thin also, and finished this time around with a fair amount of ethanol burn. Still disappointing.

Cherry ethanol nose. That note carries through to the palate, but in a medicinal, cough syrupy way. Not my favorite from these guys. Not terrible, just not for me. Might make an interesting cocktail, but not something I’d drink neat.

Hard to beat this workhorse bourbon. Sweetness on the nose and palate, followed by a nice warming, spicy hug. Deserves a space on the shelf at all times. I like this one neat, and in cocktails. Perfect for Breakfast Old Fashioned use on our recent camping trip!!

Love this distillery. Was a last minute add to our KBT trip. We were treated to a fantastic tasting and a personal tour of the distillery. Even got to try an experimental version of the OCD #5 with Dave the owner, who also very graciously signed our bottles. Anyway, SWHEAT is just one of the expressions we brought home with us from Glenn’s Creek, and I’m very glad we did. It didn’t turn out to be my favorite sipper, but it made an excellent Old Fashioned while it lasted!

One of the bottles we picked up at Flagpole Liquors in Versailles. Went camping at the state park over Labor Day Weekend, and the rain forced us to find something to do! Wasn’t in a hurry to try this one, but it was highly recommended by the store, so what the hell. Not much to report really. It’s an easy drinking sipper without a lot of aroma, flavor notes or much of a finish. But honestly, it’s still somehow satisfying! Will revisit this bottle and see if things progress.