Robert_McKay
Reviewed
December 2, 2021 (edited December 7, 2021)
I couldn't find any information on the mash bill, but I would wager it has a fair amount of rye in it. It aged for nine years and is 100 proof. I spent $18.99 for a 375ml bottle at Total Wine.
The color is a deep amber. The legs are long and close together, forming at different times around the "swirl edge."
RIGHT OUT OF THE BOTTLE
Nose: Caramel, vanilla, a faint something - oak? - that was very difficult to identify, and a slight alcohol burn. As I put my nose further into the glass I got oak, vanilla, and a little bit of honey.
Taste: The mouthfeel is a nice creaminess, not sloppy or sticky but definitely creamy. First there's a refreshing taste of spring water, followed by oak, spice, and a faint generic sweetness.
Finish: Long, spice and oak equally, then the spice fading out leaving a definite oakiness.
WITH A SPLASH OF WATER
Nose: Faint even with my nose all the way into the glass - the notes were vanilla with a little bit of honey.
Taste: The mouthfeel remains creamy, but not as emphatically so as right out of the bottle. There's much less spice on the tongue, and the taste is just tepid spring water.
Finish: It's long again, predominantly oak with spice coming in, and then the oak fading.
AFTER SITTING 10 MINUTES
Nose: Notes of vanilla, oak, and alcohol.
Taste: Creamy, though not so definitely so. The first note is creamed corn, with spice and oak coming in.
Finish: Oak and spice, with the spice peaking and leaving a dry oak.
This isn't bad bourbon, but it doesn't quite measure up to Bulleit, and it's a fair way behind Maker's Mark. It doesn't take well to modification; it's best right out of the bottle, and falls off noticeably when you put in some water or let it "rest."
18.99
USD
per
Bottle