Rating: 15/23
This one sure has been getting a lot of attention. I'm curious to find out if it could be a new staple.
N: After about 15 minutes in the glass, I get a reasonably full nose. It has a musty, somewhat tired, wet wood character. And mushrooms. I'm worried. There's some sour mash tartness here and there, but it doesn't have much character. Some spices - ginger, black pepper, clove, cinnamon. A light touch of floral vanilla and definitely some minerals. Not much in the fruit dimension and not a lot of sweetness either. Eventually I do get a bit of dusty corn though. I'm not hating this nose, but nothing about it seems that great and I detect a couple of warning signs.
P: Sweeter than I'd expected. Lots of minerals. There's some viscosity to the mouthfeel, but it's not as much as I expect at this proof. A bit of grade A maple syrup, but it's light. Dry wood comes out with a light smoke layer. It turns more woody and bitter as it progresses, before the wood turns greener and it gets a bit herbal. The minerals stay throughout. Mercifully, there isn't much of that mushroom that I feared. That said, there is a touch of meaty youthfulness. It isn't much, but it's certainly there. There are also spices - ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon, with a touch of clove. Perhaps a hint of banana in here as well. A tiny bit of sweet cherry with a touch of malty sweetness to it.
F: Musty, wet wood with a touch of slightly floral vanilla. It's a pretty mellow finish that's decently nice without being particularly hedonistic or enticing.
- Conclusion -
This is fine enough, but it's really just in the decent range and it tastes somewhat. lower proof than it actually is. It isn't on the same level as Uncle Nearest 1856 (a high 15/23) or Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23). This is closer to Elijah Craig Small Batch (a low 15/23). This is likewise close to I.W. Harper 15 (14/23) and is a bit better than Buffalo Trace (13/23). Early Times Bottled In Bond (15/23) isn't as complex as this is, but it's sweeter and more approachable with nicer fruit.
So this is clearly a 14 or 15. It's a tough call between the two. I'm going with a low 15. I'm pretty confident in this choice, but I can imagine dropping this to a 14 on a subsequent tasting. This, unfortunately, certainly isn't something that I'd consider as a staple.
Thanks for sharing,
@ctbeck11 !