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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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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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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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William Larue Weller Bourbon (Fall 2013)
Distiller Score 96
A nose full of caramel, molasses and maple sugar candy gives way to the palate of seeded fruit on toast with butter and cinnamon sugar. The finish is long and complex, with light tobacco, leather and more cinnamon sugar.
Reviewed by Rob Morton
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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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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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Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon (2017)
Distiller Score 92
This takes the Four Roses fruit & floral character to the extreme with a nose of plum, fig and apricot jam plus tart cherry and dry grains. The palate is fruity and sweet with a balance from coconut, leather and hints of lavender and green apple. Finish begins with sweet fruit followed by leather and pepper, plus cinnamon and clove.
Reviewed by Tim Knittel
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Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon (2019)
Distiller Score 93
There is room here for each mash bill and yeast strain to express itself with equal stage time. The nose is brooding with tanned leather, rye bread and accents of mint. The palate is coating but not heavy with creamy flavors of maple and caramel apple down the middle and cinnamon and nutmeg along the sides. A late appearance of dry tannins reveals the influence of the oldest casks in the lot.
Reviewed by Colin Howard
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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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High West Yippee Ki-Yay (2019 Release)
Distiller Score 89
Cinnamon and cocoa powder arrive first on the nose, with red wine, lingonberries, and a medicinal kick. The palate is a bit thin up front, before opening up with baked apple and cherry pies, the sugary dried fruits of trail mix, and brandied cocktail cherries. The finish showcases leather, tannic oak, black pepper, and cloves, with more tart berries and red fruits.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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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