Giant Texas Black Label Bourbon

I did not expect this to be a straight drinker. Purchased as a mixer. I bought it because it is local and I’m trying to support local. But, this doesn’t cut it. No flavor development. Tastes like a green stick.

It’s not a straight bourbon and perhaps that explains why the taste seems “off” and less refined. It has an earthy taste to me, and on the nose it has oak, vanilla, and old leather shoe. I wanted to like a Texas bourbon, but this one is difficult to like.

First, this not a typical bourbon profile. This may be one of those times where I like this more as a rum or brandy drinker than I do as a bourbon drinker. It's often hard for me to separate those approaches to tasting. Also, I have to admit, there is something slightly off about it, like there is a bad bourbon hiding somewhere in there, but they did a good job of masking it. The nose is corn and fruit, but not standard corn. The corn profile reminds me of a super sweet summer corn, like the kind you eat on the cob fresh off the grill, slightly charred, rubbed with a little salt sugar and butter. There's also a ton of vanilla in the nose, in an almost rum-like way Drinks slightly young and very corn forward, but there is a nice subtle bite immediately. Some bitter char, a lot of brandy-esque raisin and prunes, vanilla, Belgian sugar, and a touch of chardonnay all blend together in a low-burn, lower proof package. This doesn't blow my mind, but I'm surprised I don't hate it. This isn't a rave, btw. More like 3/5 compared to 1.5/5 from everyone else. A few things to be suspicious of though. It's not straight bourbon whiskey, so it could be blended. Alternatively, it says aged and minimum of 6 months, so it could just have a lot of really young stock. Who knows

Sweet vanilla, nutty, and oak on the nose. Nutty, oak, and kinda bitter at first. Spicy and Smokey overall and long warm finish. Decent and I don’t regret trying it but not going out of my way to buy again.