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Four Roses Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Small Batch Bourbon (2017)
Distiller Score 94
The nose offers baking spices, oak, a range of vanillins, and overripe apples. The palate then starts lighter and sweeter than expected, with a ton more vanilla but also a tart side; think vanilla taffy. There's also butterscotch, orchard fruits, and berries. It gets a bit hot on the finish, but that's soon smoothed over by the underlying vanilla sweetness, with vanilla pudding, biscuit and oak, as well as cinnamon and cloves.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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High West Rocky Mountain Rye 21 Year
Distiller Score 93
Imagine if you will, Little Red Riding Hood taking a wrong turn into a biker bar with her basket full of goodies. Cinnamon sugar cookies mingled with leather and tobacco might be strange to envision, but it is an accurate description of the whiskey. Vanilla and wood spices emerge, and as you sip, there's a momentary sweetness on your tongue. Dark rye grain and red apple skins linger on your palate. My, what big flavors you have! All the better to drink you up!
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Hirsch Selection 28 Year Bourbon
Distiller Score 97
The nose is soft at first and but as you dive deeper you become bathed in the peppered, rich toffee and dried apricot notes. Vanilla, walnut and nutmeg enrich the complex woody whiskey. There’s a lingering finish of soft caramel and toffee with well-defined clove and earth. All of these flavors work in concert making this dangerously easy to drink. Please DO NOT mix this with Cola.
Reviewed by Brock Schulte
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George T. Stagg Bourbon (Fall 2013)
Distiller Score 97
A nose full of heat, but once subsided, we find cherries, chocolate, tobacco and brown sugar. On the palate, notes combine into chocolate covered cherries, dipped in honey. The finish is long with even more chocolate, mixed with coffee and a cherry [syrup] on top.
Reviewed by Rob Morton
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Wild Turkey Master's Keep 17 Year
Distiller Score 95
A bouquet that is reminiscent of classic Wild Turkey, with big oak, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, along with salted caramels, fresh orange peel, and just a hint of barbecue smoke. On the palate, Master's Keep is satisfying and complex. Hints of orange peel hide behind the initial wave of vanilla and caramel, before a big oak note comes through, finishing with a flavor reminiscent of an extinguished campfire with a subtle graham cracker and chocolate note emerging. The finish brings baking spice, oak, and warm caramel right at the end. A truly satisfying and enjoyable bourbon whiskey.
Reviewed by Distiller Staff
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Angel's Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels (2020 Edition)
Distiller Score 94
There's a lot going on with the aroma including toasted peanuts, caramel, barrel spices, toasted grains, and fruit which all together is reminiscent of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. If you add just a splash of water the sweet corn comes through as does a fruit mélange. However, this is still a high proof bourbon so those fruit notes are just the accent. More spices and char smoke come through on the palate and the bourbon feels rich and slick. Overall a solid and fun dram. Enjoy as a nightcap; you deserve it.
Reviewed by Stephanie Moreno
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Wild Turkey Master's Keep Revival
Distiller Score 95
Strawberry jam on warm cornbread pulls you in on the nose, with red fruits, rye spice, cocoa powder and oak. The palate kicks off with vanilla, syrupy pancakes, baking spices, and black pepper, with milk chocolate and oak coming on late. A long-lasting finish showcases brown sugar, rich vanilla sweetness, and a dose of spearmint, along with leather, and more oak and spice. Very much an amplified, fruitier Wild Turkey.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Michter's 10 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye (2019 Release)
Distiller Score 94
Chocolate opens up the nose—the coveted, crispy and burnt corners of brownies, along with cinnamon, cloves, and sour cherries, as well as oak and cedar. The palate showcases vanilla taffy and salted caramel moving towards the back end, with tannic, slightly green oak. The finish is a smooth drive into a vanilla extract, chocolate syrup, and rye spice sunset. (Barrel #19F965).
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon (2015)
Distiller Score 96
Find a big, sweet nose, with brown sugar, coconut, honey and red fruits. The palate is smooth and nuanced, ranging from caramel and candied fruits, to light nuttiness, and baking spices. The finish begins with oaky and spicy notes, even cedar box, flashing and then fading into nougat, vanilla and maple syrup. Big and bold, but easy drinking and elegant all wrapped into one. Add in a few drops of water to showcase a bit more on the floral, spicy and aromatic side.
Reviewed by Jake Emen
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Elijah Craig 18 Year Single Barrel Bourbon
Distiller Score 92
The oak jumps out of the glass almost giving your nose splinters. Vanilla fudge, honey and orchard fruits, such as cherries, flood your senses. The nose on this bourbon is invigorating and swirls with complexity. The vanilla and caramel flavors are expected but charred oak plows through without overwhelming the whiskey’s delivery. It’s actually soft for an old bourbon. This slow sipper has a long finish that spikes midway with hard spices and a musty twang.
Reviewed by Blair Phillips
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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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Angel's Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels (2021 Edition)
Distiller Score 92
The whiskey is a beautiful red-hued dark brown in the glass. Juicy plums and red berries lead on the nose, along with peanuts, vanilla, cinnamon, and a spicy oak influence. The palate is rather approachable in spite of the high proof, and offers blackberries, red wine, spearmint, and toffee. A warming finish offers rich chocolate syrup, barrel char, sawdust, and peanut brittle.
Reviewed by Jake Emen