Lonehand Whiskey

The nose has toffee and nuts (almonds and pecans) mixed with a hint of rye and floral mineral. The palate has a ton of mineral with floral elements, tasting young and like stale bread. There are some vegetal notes that give it a bit of a tequila taste, reminding me somewhat of Herradura. There's fortunately some sweetness from the caramel and it doesn't taste too sickly and fruity, so there's some merit. It kind of tastes like it picked a bad flavor to pull off but it pulled it off respectably. It's very grassy but does have some age to it - it just isn't much age. It tastes markedly inferior to Evan Williams Black, which at least tastes undisputably like aged corn-based whiskey. In comparison, this tastes far younger, but also kind of like tequila, so it could pass as an overly bourbony mixer in a tequila-based cocktail if required. There are hints of banana that suggest strong toasting, but they are not out of control. This is actually not a disaster, but it is most expensive than Evan Williams and not as good. A sip on an untainted palate does expose that this tastes quite young (certainly under 2 years) though and for a whiskey that is a pretty damning taste. The flavor is comparable in quality and aging to that of Jim Beam Original, but it tastes less like bourbon than tequila, so this gets a slightly lower score. The caramel tastes too light and is just kind of masked by the burnt grass flavor.

For the price but not a top value. Cardboard on the nose which is weird right? Heat initially with spices and a short thin cinnamon finish. Not terrible and a reasonable value for price. Fine mixed but not a wow.

Didn’t last to the end. Felt like it left a film on my tongue.