Ancient Age (80 Proof)

Cheap, sweet, vanilla. Tastes better with ginger ale than water

Rating: 11/23 N: Sweet with some cotton candy and a bit of that sour mash. There's a bit of alcohol, but also some complexity to dig into. P: There's a sort of dusty corn sweetness that brings in a light cotton candy flavor. I get a bit of wood, but really just enough to add a light flavoring. There's a little bit of caramel, like the cotton candy was overcooked a bit (though not more than slightly burned). The spices are there just enough to add some flavor in with the light sour mash tartness. This isn't really harsh, but there is a bit of a burn. F: It's a pretty light finish. The sour mash lingers with that bit of caramel sweetness created from the sweet corn's combination with the light wood. - Conclusion - Early Times is smoother, but a bit stranger in its profile. This kind of just tastes like a very youthful bourbon (nearly white dog). While that isn't usually what I'd look for, it's kind of a fun thing to have around and consider from time to time. It's a close call between this and Early Times, but I feel like there's some aspect of the fundamentals in which this wins because Early Times doesn't quite manage to tell a compelling narrative of why it has its strange flavor profile. I think this still earns an 11.

Harsh alcohol nose, less harsh on the palate but still alcohol-forward. Nothing on the finish.

Another super smooth easy drinker with not much ride.