BlimpsGo90
Reviewed
July 15, 2020 (edited February 6, 2021)
Neat. Neck pour. I’m excited but cautious on this one. My favorite store had this in today and I cashed in the loyalty points I have been hoarding since March. They had a lot of good options today but this is the one I don’t own, so I grabbed it. I love Antique, but was disappointed by the Full Proof I have. It will be interesting to see where this falls.
On the nose, I get rich toffee and butterscotch. Very nice cherry. Plenty of oak presence but not dominant. Hint of pepper. Honestly, it is a bit spikier in the ethanol than I was expecting. It’s so buttery. Almost like a fresh butter soaked roll from Bob Evan’s. It’s also very delicate. Slight hint of cotton candy in the back. It’s a very inviting and pleasant nose, but doesn’t get me excited either.
Texture is nice and creamy and it comes in surprisingly dark. Milk chocolate sweetness all over the tongue and the edges of my mouth can feel the oak. That is interesting. On the taste, it brightens up with a blast of vanilla and butterscotch. Gosh, then there is a candied grape there - like grape cotton candy. That’s a new note for me... Finish is right back to that milk chocolate. Initially I thought the finish was lacking but the chocolate notes hangs around longer and longer on subsequent sips.
Pulled out a NCF Antique pick to compare since they are the same proof. This OWA pick is so light and bright compared to the Rip 10, all cherry and apple. Lots of similar notes too like the cotton candy. They are two completely different animals though. Those extra years on the Rip 10 make them less comparable than I was expecting. It also makes these dark chocolate notes on the Rip really stand out and more delicious. (I honestly thought the Rip 10 was going to lose against this pick, but I think it is better in many ways.)
No regrets grabbing something I didn’t own but I passed on a few other great bottles to get this and I can’t feel confident I made the right choice. The Rip 10 in many ways is what I want Weller 12 to be if they would up the proof to 107. Its dark and filled with this velvety chocolate. Lacks nuance and it’s not an interesting ride. It’s simply good. Hard to believe people pay $450ish for this on secondary...