Heaven Hill Green Label 6 Year

Blind N: very light, citrus, fruit roll up T: grain, blueberry, not much here

Nose: caramel bomb on the nose quickly transitioning to more herbal tones Palate: mainly herbal notes with slight clove and cinnamon at the end — thin mouthfeel Finish: long, long finish with sweeter tones coming through - heavier bite than any other 90 proof I’ve had Somewhat disappointed in this one as the limited availability has led to perhaps an outsized amount of hype. Not terrible but there are other budget bourbons which I would certainly rank above this one.

Rating: 14/23 I'm tasting this blind. If I'm understanding the labelling correctly, this isn't technically a bourbon, but it is from Kentucky. That's unusual, but there is precedent with things like Michter's American Whiskey and bouryes, so I expect it to be bourbon-styled, possibly with substantial rye to it. N: Rye notes up front. It's kind of peppery with some grassy herbs backed by peppermint, which then has a twist of citrus (grapefruit perhaps?). After a while, the corn sweetness starts to come out and so does a bit of mature oak. Maybe a touch of green apple. A little floral vanilla. Eventually I notice that there are actually spices - black pepper, mostly. A little bit of mineral throughout, but it never makes the nose seem overly thin. The overall nose is very moderated, which I'm hoping means that this pour will have a good balance of complexity and loudness. I'm enjoying nosing this. P: A little lighter than I might have hoped. The rye really comes forward with lots of minerals, then faint grapefruit, green apple, and some tannic oak. Actually, some regular apple too. Taking a second sip, I start getting corn sweetness. Moving on, there's a rich bitter herbaceousness that almost hits an anise character. A little cinnamon. The balance is good, though more toward the mineral side than I'd like. The complexity is solid as well and I don't get any off notes in here. F: Corn, minerals, spice, grassy herbs, a little green apple, and perhaps faint anise. Longer into the finish, I get cinnamon. Long in, it's corn, cinnamon, and minerals. - Conclusion - I thought that this seemed kind of like a lower proof Belle Meade Cask Strength (19/23) (i.e. regular Belle Meade), so I took a sip of Belle Meade Cask Strength to compare. The Belle Meade was much fuller and lusher without tasting younger or lacking in complexity. I think that the Belle Meade is the clear winner here. Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23) strikes me also as fuller (and I don't normally think of it as a particularly full whiskey). The Russell's Reserve is smokier with less rye character, but it also has some of the minerality that this does. This seems more aggressive in its profile. Wild Turkey 101 is the first one I put side by side with this and feel like it clicks. This iss drier and lighter than the Wild Tukey, but it's less aggressive and they both have substantial rye influence. I go back and forth on which one I think is better and I could believe anything in the 13 to 15 range for this. I really think that it's pretty evenly matched for sipping with Wild Turkey 101 though. I prefer a bit more oomph, but this is fairly elegantly constructed, so it gets that 14. This actually seems a little more in line with Wild Turkey 101 Rye's profile. The Wild Turkey Rye is fuller than this (and I don't consider that to be a very full whiskey), but it's also less complex and balanced. I haven't rated the Wild Turkey Rye yet, but if I had to pick now, I'd go with a 13. Between the two, I think I'd probably rather sip this because of its complexity, but they aren't far apart. I'm sticking with that 14. This has terrific potential, but the minerals are overbearing and it's too quiet. A louder version of this less minerality could compete with the Belle Meade. Thanks for the sample @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington ! I'm very impressed by the quality this offers at such a low price point. I wish there were more budget-friendly finds like this around (and that I could actually find this). I'd love to try a cask strength version of this too.

Nose - baked apple, caramel, vanilla, floral notes, grass, musty oak, mint, peach, lemon, cinnamon, peanut shell, milk chocolate, mild to moderate ethanol burn. Taste - sour apple, light caramel, cinnamon, vanilla, wet grass, peach, spearmint, cherry, lemon pith, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with sour apple, bitter citrus, and grass flavors. The sixth of nine blind tastings has some fairly standard bourbon aromas. Caramel, apple, baking spice, and some grassy floral notes. The palate arrives with a blast of sour apple. There’s caramel, bitter lemon pith, peach, and a bit of cherry as well, but the sourness dominates the other flavors. This is obviously a bourbon, and a rather young one at that. There are the beginnings of some nice aromas and flavors, but they need more time to mature and probably less dilution as well. So what’s in the nosing glass tonight? Heaven Hill 6 Year Old Style Bourbon. At $15 a bottle, this is a good value but not a great sipper. I’d like to do a side-by-side with my other value picks like Evan Williams BiB and Wild Turkey 101. I may like those slightly more than this, but it would be close. Thank you to @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for the generous sample!