Black Button Four Grain Bourbon

Visited the distillery and tried their bourbon flight at the attractive little bar they've put in place (you can get cocktails etc. made with their products as well, yay!) Flight currently includes this Four Grain as the "baseline" offering, a Single Barrel version of the 4 Grain, and a Port Finished expression clocking in at 110.8 proof and $100 a bottle. Regular 4 Grain very admirable for a youngster, similar to some of Reservoir Distillery's selections in Richmond VA but gone maverick with the additional grains - a previous review mentioned "hot electronics" as a taste and I am in agreement. Very fun. Single Barrel is a step up, with only a hint of that back-throat tip-of-tongue moonshine fire and more woody smoothness (at least regarding the present batch, #200.) Port Finish I'm not sure I would shell out $100 for, but it's far from a failed attempt; adding a decent dose of water opens it up nicely, giving access to the chocolate cherry notes touted by the bartender, and in that it's my pick of the litter. Also the pours are generous and they give you pretzels to munch... not bad for $14 if you can get out here.

fucking fantastic, I love the wood 😉

This one is interesting. I can't tell if it's bourbon, Scotch, or something different altogether. What I like about maverick whiskies is that they push the boundaries and make something totally different. They have to, in a way---they don't have the benefit of being able to afford keeping their spirit for three years stored away, so they get creative. I'm not sure how to describe the aroma...sort of a mix of car oil, electronic spark, and linseed oil. In a really good way. Flavor: young, woody...with a hefty dose of mint, vanilla, caramel, and..there it is..now I'm getting that bourbon sweetness. This isn't for everyone...it's not your typical whiskey---either you'll like it, or you'll think "what the heck is this?!!?" Personally---I like it---so very different...sort of like having Mezcal for the first time...just a different beast. Geology Jack---thank you for this experience! Broadened my horizon to something totally different.

I didn't expect to find this Rochester NY product in Maryland but I lucked out at Pine Orchard in Ellicott City where I picked a bottle from Batch #5 for about $45. I was intrigued by the mash bill that suggested I might be able experience bourbon, rye and scotch in a single product. First the bottle - it is heavy and thick, and it made me want to pull the cork with my teeth and splash a pour into an unwashed glass ("Barkeep! I'll take the whole bottle. And you better have another one ready"). With my nose in the glass, I found the same bread-yeasty fragrance that I noted in other fast-aged maverick, American single malts, such as Defiant and Kopper Kettle. There was also a hint of flax seed, mint and vanilla as the glass set awhile. It tasted young and oaky with a hint of sweetness just before the rye spicey burn came through. A few drops of water allowed more of the bourbon vanilla and caramel notes to come through. The rye continued on through the finish. I'm not sure I picked up on the malted barley (I better have another pour), but this whiskey is every bit as good as I had hoped. Not-Quite-So-Dry glass: this smells exactly like what I remember as a kid of the scattered glasses and soaked table cloths after a house party that always made my mother so mad. Dry glass: vanilla and dark Karo syrup.

Amazing bourbon, hand crafted in Rochester.