Virgin Bourbon 7 Year 101

Nose: sweet wood caramel peanut Taste: fruit Finish: dry soft pepper Tried neat and given by a fellow whiskey enthusiast. Water opens up, but does nothing to change.

Incredible. This and Evan Williams Bonded are very similar, and are my 2 go-to whiskies. The taste here has plenty of cask-oak along with lots of sugary fruitiness. This is a near-perfect bourbon, and the price makes it that much sweeter.

Good to make old fashioneds with

Found the NAS at the state ABC store. Liked it a lot, especially for the price. Enjoyed nest and with a ice cube. Vanilla, some sweet spice. Hope Virginia keeps it or brings in the 7yo.

Picked up a couple of $17 fifths of no age statement on a recent trip to Alabama. I much prefer the previously available 7 year old to the current NAS. Like, muchly. The NAS finishes with a pronounced iron-rust note that is unpleasant. The 7 was decent neat plus a few drops of water, but the NAS begs for a couple of drips of orange bitters at a minimum, better with a spoon or two of Curaçao or Amaro Montenegro instead, and it’s even happier in a Revolver cocktail. A Boulevardier’s sweet vermouth & Campari are a yet more effective cover-up. I detect a continuum. Still, all this seems more like “Porky, meet lipstick” rather than making the most delicious drink that one can; I prefer a Revolver made with the traditional Bulleit orange label to the NAS. Bourbon, to me, is most enjoyable neat w/ 3 or 4 drops of distilled water. The NAS is not that one; it is handy - and cheap - for some cocktails (bourbon & Coca-Cola?) I suppose. Too bad the 7 is done. I keep the last half-bottle I have of that specifically for “A or B?” tastings against the NAS for friends, like I do with a few previously delicious but now not so much mass-market handmade cigars. Entropy, I guess.

Solid pour for the price. Weird taste at first but finishes smooth. It’s a good daily drinker

I get a taste of peanut butter