Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon

First sniffs Has Nots of toasted oak, fruit in a sweet vanilla. First Sips have lite caramel and vanilla notes with a spicy finish from the malted barley.

Nose of vanilla, cinnamon, and woody smoked meats. Palate brings fruit and rye with sweet undertones and a silky mouthfeel. Pretty straightforward bourbon.

Smooth sweet caramel, vanilla oak. Not overly complex, harsh... Which is good sometimes.

This is a no trills straight bourbon whiskey. It has all the things you would expect from a decent bourbon, but nothing charges out at me to make this stand out from the others in this price range. I'm interested in the mash bill on this, seems like there is enough rye, but its also quite sweet and smooth. I must have read a good review on this bottle, because it was on my wish list, it came in my advent calendar, so it saved me the purchase of an entire bottle. The nose is basic bourbon, oak and vanilla heavy, with a strong rye. The rye was so heavy on the nose, I was expecting a spicier little lady when I had a sip, but you get a sweet Tootsie Roll with major oak and vanilla. The rye is still there but you don't get the spice until about halfway through the finish. Overall, I would say this is a fine bottle, especially if you aren't in to the very rye forward bourbons, this would be a nice step in that direction if you are looking to take your whiskey adventures in that direction, but I can name a dozen bourbons I would rather drink.

Smooth and mild. Sweet vanilla, without much depth. Inoffensive, but pretty simple.