Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey

Average, low cost good mixer

Typical toffee, caramel, honey bourbon notes. Cheaper than most bottom shelf bourbons and I prefer the flavors on this compared to the other bottom shelf bourbons so this is often my go to when I want a bargain priced bourbon. Very good for $16, but not going to win any taste tests compared to most anything $30+.

Rating: 11/23 I read about a great Trader Joe's bourbon, so I went on over to grab a bottle. Disappointingly, they had this, which is not the lauded cask strength Barton's, but it was cheap and I needed a new mixer, so I figured I'd give this a shot. N: Kind of sweet and spicy. I'm getting some Barton's and Buffalo Trace, with cinnamon, light caramel, tangerine, orange, green banana, a touch of vanilla. A bit of wood with mild tannins that give a bit of maturity. Some minerality as well, though it doesn't really make this seem lighter. Nicely, there's no alcohol smell or challenging youthfulness. Continuing on, I am getting a little bit of licorice from this now. Overall, this is a bit on the light side, but it has decent complexity with no bad smells and it smells older than it probably is (I'd probably guess around 8 years). P: This is spicier than the nose suggested. It's a bit challenging, but it isn't excessive. Fortunately, the spiciness isn't harsh and it has some clear cinnamon and ginger flavor to it, so it doesn't just burn. As the palate moves on, the spiciness gives way to green banana, tangerine, and creme brulee. Really nice, actually. There's a bit of wood going on throughout, but it's quite restrained. I wish that the wood were more noticeable, but I'm glad that it's not obtrusive. Overall, the palate is on the sweet side, but it's restrained. F: Lingering spice and burn with faint wood and hints of tangerine, but creme brulee and green banana take the center stage. This is more decadent than most of the palate and it's quite enjoyable. I might like this part of the dram the best. - Conclusion - This Trader Joe's bourbon is really good and I get a lot of the nice flavors that were mentioned in the review of the other Trader Joe's bourbon, which I'd assumed was completely different, but I think might have just been bottled at cask strength. As much as I enjoy the flavors here, I do need to admit that it doesn't fully cohere. The balance is a bit off and there's a flat area in the middle of the profile crying out for more nuance. I'd also like that spiciness dialed back a little bit. And it really is a bit too on the light side overall. For $17 though, this is not a bad buy at all. And I think it's going to be a good mixer. Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23) is fuller and bolder with significantly more interesting (and challenging) flavors and nuance. I'd say that that Russell's is at least a couple of steps up from this. I don't think that this could be better than a 13, though I wouldn't put it below an 11 either. Coming back to this, I don't think that it's a 13 anymore. I'm thinking 11 or 12. I'm getting a bit more youthfulness now, though no bad flavors. This is fairly close in quality to Rabbit Hole Cavehill (10/23, but now with a lot more air), they're light youthful, but in different ways. The Rabbit Hole has a nicer, richer flavor, with kind of a honeyed vibe, but it burns so much. I'm getting some kind of Ancient Age vibes off of this now, though I'm inclined to think that this is better. I think I'm going with an 11 here. This isn't something I'd really enjoy sipping all that much, but I could mix it and it's certainly not bad.