Uncle Nearest 1856 Tennessee Whiskey (Sourced Whiskey)

Nose - toasted banana, toffee, vanilla, chocolate, apple, clove, tobacco, cinnamon, brown sugar, peanut, mint, anise, black pepper, grass, herbal notes, dry oak, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, vanilla, bananas foster, lemon, molasses, apple, bubble gum, leather, tobacco, dark chocolate, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, spicy oak, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium short with caramel, baking spice, chocolate, and herbal flavors. My experience with Tennessee whiskey doesn’t run much deeper than Jack Daniel’s and Dickel. This is sourced, but it isn’t much like either of those usual suspects. The nose is sweet and spicy with toffee, chocolate, and a good amount of rye spice. The palate carries more of the rye spice, chocolate, and a dark molasses note, rather similar to Foursquare rum. This is pretty good. It’s a bit youthful on the palate, heading toward sour territory, but stops just short of it. The nose is sweet, spicy, and fairly rich, and the palate has some nice heft to it. Actually, I was going to rate this one notch lower, but it grew on me as I worked my way through the dram. At $60 a bottle, I’d say this isn’t a great value, but you could do much worse. Thank you to @ContemplativeFox for the sample!

Had at Fish Marker in Baxter, SC.

This one has a great back story—look it up if you’ve got the time. As for Tennessee Whiskey, I’m generally not sold on the category. Every one I’ve tried qualifies for the bourbon category as well, and the majority of the Tennessee products aren’t up to snuff in that realm. Regardless, I’ll give this one a fair shot. Nose: Vanilla and caramel. Cocoa and ginger. Dried apricot and orange peel. Tobacco smoke and sun-dried tomato. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Vanilla, dark chocolate, caramel, fudge, and cocoa. Leather, gala apple, and dried apricot. Brown sugar. Pistachio, and walnut. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Finish: Vanilla, cocoa, dried apricot. Cola, gala apple. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Long finish. The nose is decent but comes across a little bitter. This is corrected on the palate, which carries some more rich, dark, and sweet notes to balance the bitter. The finish hits similarly and comes in waves. Very respectable at 100 proof. $49 is the cheapest I’ve seen this—it’s generally $55. Either way, it’s a solid value. 4/5. Solid representative of Tennessee whiskey.

Honey, woody, vanilla, cinnamon I like this. Need to pick up a bottle.

Smooth and sweet with a slight bite to round out this charcoal filtered whiskey. The best way to describe this whiskey is to think of it as a cousin to Jack Daniel’s. The story fits the bill as this whiskey has that mellow, soft front end on the palate and moves to a smoky sweetness that is typical of Jack Daniel’s. We’ll made and a great transition for Jack drinkers to explore another level of whiskey.

Strong caramel followed by fruit