Ezra Brooks 90 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon

With whiskey, it seems rare to get more than that for which you've paid, which is why this dram is a bit of a rarity. It's not great, but for $15 USD, it is more than serviceable. On the nose, at first it presents vanilla and a bit of ethanol, but after 10 minutes or so, it brings grain, creamed corn, and wood to the party. On the palate, it starts sweet with vanilla and marshmallow cream, and tends toward oaky mid palate with some baking spice. The finish is short with a smidgen of tannin bitterness. All in all, it is an okay dram. It's just not as complex or challenging as some more premium bourbons. It's easy drinking (crushable) neat, and also works well in cocktails. Weighing price into the evaluation, I give this 85 points for a scant four stars, since 3.5 isn't available. This is certainly worth picking up if you need a cheap but solid bourbon on hand to make Old Fashionds or Whiskey Sours for guests.

What a nice surprise this one turned out to be! For an everyday price of $13 (and often on sale for less) this is one of the best bargains I've found of late. Finally decided to give it a try after the "rebranding" with upgraded packaging and cork closure. Pleasant nose with sweet vanilla and oak, balanced with a nice leathery note. Sweet upfront on the palate, followed by baking spices before transitioning to oak on the back end. Slightly clingy leaving honey, vanilla and mint with a little char on the palate after a smooth warming finish. This bests EW Black and JB White for a few dollars less. It is even approaching EW BIB territory for me (which is really saying something). This is definitely going to become a staple in my cabinet. A solid 3.5, but I'll round up.

This is the 80 proof version. Cherries, lemon, vanilla, grain on the nose. Cherries, cool fruitiness on the tongue. Super smooth and cool. Surprisingly good and tasty. This is a regular on my bar and high on my favorite list. The more I drink it, the better it gets. It won't over take my favorite, but it's a great bourbon at the price point. A great all day sipper. This is not the same as Tennessee Whiskey, even though it's sour mash and charcoal filtered. It lacking the sugar maple mint flavor that Tennessee whiskey has. It's still very good and much cheaper than Tennessee whiskey.