Heaven Hill Quality House Kentucky Blended Whiskey

Pretty smooth

N: Corn - lots and lots of corn - with a swirl of caramel. Then a pervasive, gassy ethanol. Herbal black licorice. Then some cleaning supply type smells. P: Creamed corn, corn on the cob, corn boiling in lightly salted water(?). Again, the swirl of caramel. Booze and black licorice. No body whatsoever. Finish is sweet corn with a splash of cleaning supplies. A picture: I'm on vacation and perusing an unfamiliar liquor store, looking for better prices or different bottles than I see at home. In this particular store, I set three up on the counter: Weller 12, Col. E.H. Taylor, and then this $9 liter bottle. That's how I roll. Obviously, this was the first of the three I opened too. This bottle proclaims itself to be "20% Kentucky straight whiskey, thirty-six months old, 80% grain neutral spirits." I had not read that before plunking down my Hamilton for this - I may have reconsidered if I had. Alas, parted with my money, I made the most of it - this proved a solid evening opener while traveling. It's low proof with just enough flavor to warm up the palate without overwhelming anything and leaving plenty of room for the higher end stuff for pour #2 or 3. I finished about half the bottle before I got home. (Okay, I must have poured a few extra somewhere - it was vacation.) Vacation over, I haven't touched the stuff. With a full cabinet in front of me, it's just too wimpy to ever reach for. Put another way, I can't imagine seeking out a bottle that's 80% grain alcohol over proper, aged bourbon or scotch, even the cheapest versions of that. That's saying the obvious, I guess. What's less obvious in returning to this now after a couple months is that, for what this is, it's not terrible. In comparison to bourbon it is terrible - even something like a $10 EW Black blows this away - but for a $9 liter bottle, it gets the job done while avoiding drain pour territory. What more can you ask for? (Don't answer that.) _______ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord: https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired, post a comment and I will provide a new one.)

Very Light, floral nose with some nougat-y sweetness. Tastes light, sweet, and very smooth, especially for the price. Not complex but easily drinkable.

Heaven Hill (Blended) 80% grain neutral spirit, 20% whisky 3 years of age, 40% abv. Aroma: sweet, candy like, vanilla. Taste: minor oak notes, moderate candy/vanilla sweetness dominates the flavor. For a cheap blended whisky with grain neutral spirits it is okay/average. Cost: $9.95 for a 1 liter glass bottle. Grade: C range.