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Four Roses Limited Edition Single Barrel Bourbon (2014)
Distiller Score 98
Baking spices smacks the olfactory receptors as you waft this over-proof spirit. Next, ripe red and stone fruits follow with cacao and mild tobacco notes coming next. The palate is full of chocolate and caramel with a rich oily mouthfeel. The finish is less spicy than anticipated, with a medium-long length. The bottling tasted was from warehouse HW, the Barrel No. was 47-2J.
Reviewed by Dennis Gobis
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Belle Meade Bourbon Sherry Cask Finish
Distiller Score 92
Plenty of sherry and wine fruit on the nose, from that Oloroso cask, along with caramel, from the bourbon itself. Velvety, silky mouthfeel, and smooth on the palate, with a wonderful caramel and vanilla sweetness. Hints of spice, plum, cloves, molasses and brown sugar lurking in background. A light, quick burn fades to a pleasant warming on the finish.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Jim Beam Signature Craft Brown Rice Bourbon 11 Year
Distiller Score 89
An exceptionally pleasant nose full of brown sugar, toasted marshmallow, dark fruit, and honey. The taste boasts caramel and oak, candied walnuts, plums, and even an odd but not unwelcome tartness. It's rich and oily, and there's spicy wood and caramel on the finish, which is warm and medium-length.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Blanton's Single Barrel Silver Edition
Distiller Score 89
Classic nose for a Blanton’s, with maybe a softer approach than the Gold and Straight From The Barrel bottlings (both only available outside the US). Aromas of tropical fruits like pineapple come through a first layer of honey. The palate is very smooth with more fruit, this time including quince and mandarins. There are enough soft spices such as cinnamon and vanilla to give structure to the whiskey and the finish is perfectly sweet and smooth.
Reviewed by Julien Le Doaré
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High West Bourye (2015 Release)
Distiller Score 89
The spirit opens with spiced honey and caramel followed by whiffs of vanilla bean. Baked pear commands the glass on tasting; imagine the fruit drizzled with creamy toffee/butterscotch and dusted with white pepper for a lilting accent. The moderately long finish offers up oak and toasty spice that the incautious might be tempted to call curry-like, a quality, real or imagined, that helps make for a mean Perfect Manhattan.
Reviewed by Ron Bechtol
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High West A Midwinter Night's Dram
Distiller Score 92
The robust spicy rye notes are still present in the glass, but as it sits, red fruit tempers that just a bit. As you taste, the spicy rye comes again to the forefront along with vanilla and more red fruit. The finish is warm and spice filled with hints of chocolate and fresh whipped cream with a dash of white pepper.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Jim Beam Signature Craft Soft Red Wheat Bourbon 11 Year
Distiller Score 85
There's wood, alcohol, and spearmint on the nose, along with Beam bourbon's signature caramel and honey. Raisins and hay lurk in the background. The flavor is a bit flat, with peppermint, strawberries, chocolate, and oak. It's thick and silky, at times a bit flat. It gets drier on the finish. An interesting array of flavors that are never quite as pronounced or assertive as they should be.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Four Wood Bourbon
Distiller Score 96
The nose on this bourbon couldn't be more complex. Vanilla, caramel, red wine, freshly chopped firewood, candied citrus, the list goes on. The first sip is like taking a drag off a slightly harsh cigar, and then instantly mellows. The palate then explodes and coats the mouth with sweet citrus, well integrated wood, cool smoke, and a non-cloying sweet, lingering finish. Gorgeous, meticulously complex, yet still approachable.
Reviewed by Paul Belbusti
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Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection French Oak Barrel Head Aged
Distiller Score 88
The nose is like a tropical fruit bowl: coconut, banana, papaya, and apples with a bit of oak in the background. The taste still boasts fruit notes, mostly cherry and apple, but it's primarily spicy rye and pepper, salted caramel, and wood. There's more wood and spice on the finish, along with a lingering minty bitterness.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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William Heavenhill Bourbon (3rd Edition)
Distiller Score 88
Surprisingly smooth for a high-proof bourbon. The nose is like breakfast, with cereal malt, maple, and cinnamon spice. There's something like floor polish as well. The taste boasts dark fruits, tobacco, and licorice, with bourbon's signature vanilla under it all. Mocha and leather makes an appearance as well. The finish is warm, with bitter mint and a hint of orange peel.
Reviewed by Keith Allison
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Parker's Heritage Wheat Whiskey 13 Year
Distiller Score 94
Heaven Hill seems to have turned their Bernheim Wheat Whiskey up to 11 with this special release. Almost twice the age, this is the bigger and bolder older sibling with caramel, vanilla, and milk chocolate notes dominating without venturing into carnival candy land. The barrel spices are well integrated with just a slight cinnamon prickle towards the finish. Adding water expands these flavors, but isn't absolutely necessary.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year
Distiller Score 89
A nose of sun-dried cherries dipped in honey and a bowl of cinnamon-sprinkled cereal. The palate tastes of a melted Heath bar, vanilla saltwater taffy, and charred cinnamon. The finish shows charred wood, cinnamon sugar and wheat.
Reviewed by Rob Morton