I am not the guy to grade cheap whiskey on a curve. I’ll talk about value and I’ll ***** about a bad value, but these concepts won’t affect the score. That’s the goal anyway. But then there’s this black hole of a whiskey. 1792 juice for $20 a liter. The natural laws of the universe begin to break down when you approach it. Nose carries a faint hint of the fruit punch note I always get on 1792 small batch. There’s also grain. It smells young. Bit of brine. Faint, dissipates quickly. Body is fruit punch, oats, vanilla. Finish is chocolate, more oat. Fruit punch lingers. I freaking love this whiskey. It’s less dynamic than my beloved 1792 small batch, and it tastes young. But it’s so good. It’s the Ancient Age of the 1792 world. I hate how much I love it, because it’s genuinely challenging to be certain that my favor isn’t tainted by the novelty of this being the BEST VALUE BOURBON ON THE MARKET. Big claim. I stand by it. Next I get to try their green bottle: 1792 bonded juice, still Kirkland. 😎