Age: 12 years
Proof: 116.2
Cask Type: Second fill bourbon barrel
Cask No: 800-230
Notes: Sweet and floral with honeysuckle and pair notes. Balanced by a bit of oak and vanilla extract. Medium length spicy finish with baking spice and dried fruit notes.
Stars: 1 - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies
TL;DR: Quite good but I was hoping for more
Age: 7 years
Proof: 119.4
Barrel No: 114
Notes: Sweet and herbal nose with vanilla cream and Italian herb notes. Rye spice, herbal liqueur, caramel and a bit of tropical fruit on the palate. The finish is long and spicy.
Stars: 3 - Excellent whiskey: I would be willing to hunt down a bottle
TL;DR:Exactly what I expected and wanted from a WFE Rye
The folks at Bold Move Beverages were generous and gave me a 4 pack of their new Cold Brooze Original Black. Cold Brooze is made here in Austin from American whiskey, cold brew coffee and natural vanilla. Given that whiskey and cold brew are my favorite beverages I was very excited.
The coffee is the star of the show here with deep flavors. The whiskey comes through nicely though clearly in a supporting role and the vanilla is relatively subtle. I tried this both right out of the can and poured over ice and definitely preferred it extra cold. It was a great way to stay cool while griddling up breakfast on the Blackstone. The 0 sugar is also a big plus for me. Overall I really enjoyed this and look forward to picking up some more.
Old Hickory Whiskey Bar in Florida picked this Willett barrel a while back. I got to try it via OJ from Taste Select Repeat on a New York trip and he let me keep the rest of the bottle.
Age: 8 Years
Proof: 137.2
Barrel #: 4793
Notes: Sweet fruit notes, spearmint, warm spice. Very classic Willett rye bourbon profile just turned up a notch from most of the bottles I’ve had. Drinks wonderfully even with the very high proof. Great mouthful. Very long finish with spice, oak and vanilla
Stars: 4 - Extraordinary whiskey: An all time favorite
This was an outstanding Willett pick. Powerful and delicious without being overwhelming. Overall in my top tier of Willett bottles I’ve had.
The folks at Doc Swinson’s were kind enough to send me five samples and a bottle of their new releases. They sent me samples of their Garryana, Pineau, Bossa Nova, El Cuerpo and French Toasted plus a bottle of their new Session Blend!
Overall the star of the show for me was the Bossa Nova. I’m a big fan of Amburana finishes and Docs did an excellent job marrying the MGP bourbon with the finish. El Cuerpo and Pineau were very good. They’ve released both of these before and these were similar to the previous ones which is a good thing. The Garryana and the French Toasted both had a lot of classic double barrel style notes and were also enjoyable. I’m just waiting for a local shop to get the Bossa Nova in and I’ll definitely be grabbing one.
The Session Blend was light and an easy sipper. They said it’s primarily for cocktails so I mixed up an old fashioned with maple sugar, Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters, a Luxardo Cherry and a dried orange garnish. It was light and tasty which was perfect for the heat wave we’re having here in Central Texas. Thanks again to Doc Swinson’s and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Age: 6 years
Proof: 124.8
Notes: The nose is rich with sweet corn and caramel notes. The palate brings the classic Garrison house flavor of sweet corn and charred oak plus plenty of caramel. The finish is long and sweet with lingering oak and caramel.
Obviously I liked this one :) It takes the classic barrel proof Garrison profile and adds a bunch of caramel to it.
Age: 10.5 years
Proof: 90
Notes: Sweet and earthy. The nose reminds me of being in a forest in the PNW. The palate brings big oak and cherry notes with subtler spice, caramel and vanilla. The finish is long and slightly dry with more oak and vanilla. Great mouthfeel for the proof.
One of my favorite ER picks of all time but obviously I’m biased. We picked this pack in 2022 and I wish I had grabbed a couple more. On the other hand my dad still has his so maybe it’s time for a trip.
TL;DR: Like normal Eagle Rare but more flavor especially the cherry and a very long finish
Age: NAS
Proof: 114.2
Barrel No: 21B410
Notes: The nose is big and spicy with plenty of holiday spice balanced by a sweet vanilla frosting. The palate is warm and sweet with more spice and vanilla plus some subtler herbal notes. The finish is medium length and a little hot with classic rye notes.
Stars: 1 - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies
TL;DR: Overall I really enjoyed this one and it’s definitely worth the retail price. I wouldn’t hunt one down or overpay though.
Age: Blend of 7 and 17 year
Proof: 107
Notes: The nose is sweet, fruity and funky with lots of rye and rum notes. The palate starts sweet and gets spicy with more rye spice and tropical fruit notes plus a bit of vanilla. The long warm finish is slightly bitter but not in a bad way.
Overall I really liked this one and the rye and rum were the stars of the show. I didn’t pickup much if any of the classic TN bourbon mineral note which was a pleasant surprise. Thanks again to the folks at Bardstown for the sample!
Age: 14 years
Proof: 90 proof
Notes: The nose is sweet and inviting with vanilla cream and mint. The palate brings more sweet, herbal notes plus plenty of rich oak. The mouthfeel is good for the proof but doesn’t impress. The proof is well integrated with no burn and plenty of flavor. The long finish lingers with herbal and rye spice notes.
Stars: 2 - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle
Overall I liked this and I am glad I have a bottle. It’s got a ton of flavor especially for the proof and is very easy to drink It’s no Michter’s 10 Rye but it was a lot easier to find and about the same retail price while serving a similar purpose.
TL;DR: If you like older, low proof rye this is a solid buy