Nose: Shellac, hints of sweet vanilla, some rye spice (mint and caraway), a touch of caramel. Straightforward and not particularly complex but with a fresh, clean presentation.
Palate: Sweet dusty corn syrup with fruity notes (mildly bittersweet black cherry and orange peel). A very light spicy development but the palate is semi-sweet, relaxed and very easy to drink. The texture is good, slightly oily, and there is a tiny hint of oak. The mild mint and aromatic-seed rye spices noted in the nose show up in the palate as well.
Finish: Medium/short. Caramel and corn syrup sweetness.
A pleasant and entirely acceptable everyday bourbon. This is, of course, the 40%abv version that is exported to Europe and most of the world. It’s well-balanced, perfectly drinkable and works fine as a mixer.
At higher proof it would have a little more presence but for once I’m not complaining about the almost universal tendency for US mass-market spirits to be watered down for export. In this case it means we get a reasonable everyday quaffing bourbon at a good price, so that’s fine.
In comparison to the world of blended scotch I’d equate this with something like Ballantines 12, Grants 12 or Loch Lomond Reserve so I’m giving it the same rating.
“Average” : 76/100 (2.5 stars)
50.0
AUD
per
Bottle
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Yea the lowest proof OF here is 86, appropriatly in a light blue label, I think their standard 100 proof is about the low bar for my tastes. Good luck getting your hands on some good OF.
I guess you wont be seeing Garrison Cowboy Bourbon anytime soon.....OF is a great value brand in any proof. That said the 1920(115 proof is top dog imo)
@cascode great breakdown! Thanks for that.
@PBMichiganWolverine Correct. Australian excise rates include 4 components, the largest of which is the charge per "litre of alcohol landed". So if you import a case of 6 x 750ml bottles at 43%abv that's 4.5 litres of booze containing 1.935 litres of alcohol. The excise is charged per litre *or part thereof* so for those 6 bottles, regardless of the actual cost of the whiskey in the US, you would pay 2 x $85.16 = $170.32 excise tax. It doesn't matter if you are importing Pappy or Jim Beam, the rate is the same. Then you also have to pay smaller taxes for GST (our VAT), a tax on the shipping (!!!) and a total GST on those 3 amounts added together. Yes, they tax us on the tax already paid. Commercial importers get a small rebate at the end of the financial year but even so, if you are importing in large quantities the difference of 6% or even just 3% in abv could mean an extra quarter of a million in profit annually. Some European countries have excise that is almost as bad, particularly Scandinavia so for mass market whisky the distilleries do special bottlings just for export. The fact that for a very long time the standard strength for all blended scotch was 40% meant that overseas markets expected that the same was true for bourbon etc. so we just accepted it. It's only in more recent times that we have woken up to the fact that we routinely get diluted products. It doesn't happen past a certain price point as non-mass market spirits sell in such small quantities that a special bottling run is not cost effective, and the distributors know that enthusiasts will pay the absurd prices we have to just to have a try of the more upmarket products.
@WhiskeyLonghorn I’m guessing they’re taxed on %abv
It’s a shame you don’t get the higher proof offerings overseas. That’s where this brand and others really shine.