After doing a few lower score reviews I needed to drink something I enjoy and have had a few conversations about 1792 lately so 1792 Full Proof it is. 1792 is a range from Bartons and this is their strongest normal bottling(unclear if any of the Full Proof single barrel selects are bottled at a higher proof). This was another great find from Oak Liquor Cabinet.

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 125 proof (62.5% ABV)

Color: A deeper gold

Neat

Nose: Rich a sweet with notes of honey and oak and just a tingle of spice.

Taste: A medium consistency with deeper expressions of the notes from the nose. Rich oak, vanilla caramel and hints of spice

Finish: The vanilla and oak fade to a lingering spice with just a hint of a burn. Delicious.

On a rock

Nose: All vanilla and caramel, nice but I miss the spice and oak from the neat nose

Taste: The oak is back complimenting the caramel and spice. The ice improves the mouth feel for me as well.

Finish: Cut a bit short but the same fading sweetness into spice and just the smallest burn.

1 Star - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies

Conclusion

I’m a fan of this bourbon but I feel like it needs a little something extra to push it up into the upper star ratings. That said this is shockingly smooth for such a high proof but still has a great mouth feel and strong flavors. So far all 3 1792s I’ve tried (Small Batch and Single Barrel reviews incoming) have been great and I will be trying to track down more of their line to round out the series.

Heaven’s Door is a whiskey line that is somehow associated with Bob Dylan and while I generally stay away from celebrity endorsed whiskey(or at least try it a bar) I somehow ended up buying this bottle shortly after release through a combination of good reviews at the top of a Google search and the recommendation of a staff member from Twin Liquors. It’s been collecting dust on my shelf for a while now so it seemed like a good time to do a review. The rye is sourced, most likely from MGP, and is finished in some sort of fancy barrel that is supposed to make it more accessible than most rye whiskies.

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 92 proof (46% ABV)

Color: A medium amber

Neat

Nose: Fresh herbs with strong dill notes and a more subtle note of floral honey

Taste: More herbs, especially dill, with a hint of baking spice and some sweetness but not too much

Finish: Thankfully the dill gives way to mostly baking spice with a bit of lingering sweetness

On a rock

Nose: The dill is mercifully gone leaving the floral honey to rise to the top

Taste: Starts a little sweet then gets dilly and finally transitions to dill and baking spice

Finish: Somehow more dill than the neat?

Conclusion

Overall I wasn’t a fan. I don’t generally like heavy herbal notes in whiskey especially dill or coriander though the sweet and spicy finish on the neat pour was a highlight. This is actually the only bottle in my collection that I currently regret buying, my wife bought the Dark Rye :). It tastes like under aged MGP to me with heavy emphasis on the dill notes. Especially for the price I was expecting a lot more. If I’m looking for pricey sourced rye I’ll probably stick with High West’s A Mid Winter Night’s Dram or Yipee Kay Yay.

0 Stars - Poor to Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this

Scale

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This month the bourbon subreddit is doing a community review of Evan Williams Black Label so here we are. This is the primary mass market product from Heaven Hill Distillery and is one of the most popular bourbons in the US. Writing this review made me realize that I don’t have much experience with their products though I plan on working on that in the near future.

Review

Age: NAS

Abv: 86 proof (43% ABV)

Color: A medium amber

Neat

Nose: The alcohol smell comes through strongly and first followed by notes of oak and something sweet.

Taste: Thin and smooth with more oak and sweet notes almost like caramel. Thankfully the harshness from the nose is gone here. The oak was stronger than I expected.

Finish: Short with more wood and sweet. This was a very one note drink.

On a rock

Nose: The alcohol harshness was gone and the oak rose to the top with some caramel notes.

Taste: Changed less than I thought with the ice, oak and caramel again.

Finish: Barely there just the barest hints of oak.

As a mixer with Coke Zero

Mixed roughly 1:1:1 bourbon:cola:ice

Nose: The oak note from the whiskey cuts through the cola sweetness.

Taste: Easily the best of the 3 tastes. The oak is very present and complements the cola well.

Finish: Mostly just the Coke Zero after taste.

Conclusion

Not really a fan of this one neat or on ice as I couldn’t really find any interesting notes and the finish just wasn’t there for me. That said there’s nothing wrong with it, everything I did taste was good and that alcoholic burn on the neat nose faded over time. All of that said it makes an excellent mixer with the low price, strong oak and little bit of extra proof.

0 Stars - Poor to Fine: I would not specifically choose to drink this

Scale

Another mystery review courtesy of u/bananavanman and this one was even better. I wrongly suspected that this was a Barrell Rye but it was High West’s Midwinter Night Dram Act 5 Scene 3. High West is distillery out of Utah that mainly blends MGP and Barton whiskies but they are ramping up there own production and starting to integrate their own distillate. Anyways their Mid Winter Night’s Dram is a holiday release that is MGP rye blended and finished in port staves.

Review

Abv: 98.6 proof (49.3% ABV)

Age: NAS

Color: A medium to slightly dark amber

Neat

Nose: Just from the nose I can see why he called it fruit cake it starts with notes of spice and as you breathe deeper strong bright cherry notes with just a hint of something else, vanilla or marshmallow perhaps?(Now that I know what it is I can’t help but taste it as dill but that seems like MGP bias)

Taste: Smooth with even more cherry than the nose. Bright and sweet with just hints of baking spice
and the same note I couldn’t place from the nose.

Finish: Medium length that starts with sweet cherry and baking spice that finishes with a bit of a bite. The heat came out of nowhere for me.

On a rock

Nose: The spice is muted but still present and the bright cherry shines through. Very nice.

Taste: A blend of holiday spice and cherry. Very fruit cake, very good.

Finish: Lingering bright cherries with no more spice of heat. Medium length which is especially nice given the ice.

Conclusion

Overall this was a great whiskey and a pleasure to taste. I thought that it was the Barrell Rye but was pleasantly surprised to find out it was High West MWND Act 5 Scene 3. I’m a big fan of High West and it’s probably the best MGP rye that I can regularly get my hands on. The port finish for the MWND is very nice especially since I like something with a nice combo of sweet and spice. I usually end up getting a bottle for Christmas so I think that pretty much qualifies as being happy to buy one. I have about a quarter of a bottle of Act 5 Scene 8 left.

8 - an excellent bottle I’ll buy from time to time

You can read u/bananavanman’s review for a very similar take.

Scale

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After reading several Stagg Jr reviews and recommendations on r/bourbon as well as hearing how it was better than EHT SiB I’ve been very much wanting to try Stagg Jr. I headed up to Oak Liquor Cabinet yesterday to see if they had any; thankfully they did along with some 1792 Full Proof that I’ll be reviewing here soon. I had a few folks over to watch some college football and we all gave it a try but I was in no condition to write by the end of the games so I decided to sit down today and give it proper review though I did manage to take the photo of the back of the bottle so there is that.

Review

Abv: 126.4 proof (63.2 ABV)

Color: A deep but clear gold

Neat

Nose: Oak and baking spice dominate the nose with hints of something sweeter to come, maybe brown sugar?

Taste: Rye spice and brown sugary sweetness blend wonderfully with only a small touch of heat. I was expecting more heat from the high proof. I love the spice and sweet balance

Finish: The heat comes through just a bit more on the finish as does the sweet with just a touch of something like chocolate.

On a rock

Nose: A pleasant aroma of baking spice and rye

Taste: The ice tames the spice but doesn’t completely chase it away and some fruit notes start to come out. Still rich and sweet like a ripe cherry.

Finish: The cherry gives way to a lingering chocolatey finish with just a tingle of spice

Conclusion

The neat nose was outstanding and the taste was brilliant either neat or on the rocks though the smoother finish and the cherry notes push on the rocks into first for me. A great whiskey so thanks to all on r/bourbon recommending it. This is right up there with the Four Roses SiB store picks and THH for me. I loved the balance of the sweet and spice and the surprising lack of heat despite the high proof. I’m still on the hunt for the GTS and can’t wait to compare this with its big brother

8 - an excellent bottle I’ll buy from time to time

Scale

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Data

This was my first mystery sample review, courtesy of u/bananavanman and it was a lot of fun. I had a sneaking suspicion that this was going to be a Barrell or a Dickel. On the other hand my wife thought the sample bottle looked like poison but I took the risk and drank it anyway.

On a side note switching to a Glencairn for my neat tasting was an excellent choice and I’m going to start looking for a similar rocks glass.

Abv: 129 proof (64.5% ABV)

Age: 10 years

Review

Color: A dark, appealing amber

Neat

Nose: Very sweet with vanilla, almost like a cake, with just a hint of something spicy

Taste: Smooth and sweet to start with vanilla notes, bordering on cloying but never quite getting there, a little sticky like a vanilla toffee

Finish: The sweetness gives way to warm baking spice and just a touch of a burn. Very nice

On a rock

Nose: The sweetness is still present but is more like sugar or honey than vanilla cake

Taste: The ice tames the sweetness and stickiness and the vanilla notes are back, very nice if a bit simple

Finish: Smoother with a balance of sweet and spice. The spice lingers nicely

Conclusion

I was very excited to get to try another Barrell after my middling experience with the first bottle. I enjoyed this one much more. While the flavor notes were somewhat similar they way they felt in my mouth and especially the way they lingered along the addition of a small baking spice note brought this much closer to the flavor profiles I enjoy.

I nearly gave this an 8 but I’m still not sure I would buy a bottle of it now that I’ve already tried it.

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

You can see u/bananavanman’s review for another take.

Scale

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Info

My favorite bar added some new bourbon’s to their list tonight so it’s time for another review. To avoid getting a divorce, I only typed up notes at the bar for one dram. Anyways this bourbon is from Willet/KBD though I am unclear on whether it is distilled there or sourced.

Mashbill: Unknown

Abv: 114.3 proof (57.15% ABV)

Age: NAS, this brand used to carry a 15 year statement but not anymore

Review

Color: A deep gold

Neat

Nose: Very pleasant full of fruity notes with dark cherry and something else I couldn’t place

Taste: a little hot but sweet with more dark cherries and caramel notes with hints of oak

Finish: warm and delicious with a brown sugar that borders on molasses

On a rock

Nose: lightens and opens it up a lot but unfortunately brings out a touch of acetone on the first sniff that quickly gives way to something almost like red velvet cake

Taste: Much smoother but still with predominantly sweet notes, still good but I missed the cherries

Finish: Cut short by the ice but the sweetness lingered just long enough to make me want the next sip

Conclusion

This bottle was very good and I’d be happy to buy a bottle. I’m torn on whether I preferred this neat or on nice and can definitely drink it either way. Definitely glad I got to try this and its little brother Rowan’s Creek(no review but not nearly as good).

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Scale

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Info

I was finally able to get bottle of WL Weller 12 year to complete my set so it’s time to do the Weller Triple Review Shootout! I first had the Weller Antique 107 at drink.well and over the last couple months have been able to get all 3 bottles from various local liquor stores. For this review I’ve upgraded to a set of Glencairns from my old High West neat glass.

Special Reserve

Mashbill: Wheater

Abv: 90 proof (45% ABV)

Age: NAS

Review

Color: A medium gold like liquid honey

Neat

Nose: Primarily caramel with a bit of something I can’t place. I think it’s a bit earthy?

Taste: A little more watery than I thought it was going to be especially given the slightly higher proof. The caramel is still there but less present than it was in the nose. The something earthy from the nose starts to come through as wood notes

Finish: The wood notes crescendo here and there is just a touch of spice on the finish

On a rock

Nose: Just a touch sweet and touch woody

Taste: Very watery but still sweet with caramel notes.

Finish: Short and spicy. A nice surprise.

Antique 107

Mashbill: Wheater

Abv: 107 proof (53.5% ABV)

Age: NAS

Review

Color: A darker gold, very appealing

Neat

Nose: Vanilla and floral honey

Taste: Smooth and sweet especially up front; more vanilla and honey. Spicy notes build as you go especially on subsequent sips

Finish: Decently lingering Baking spice and something festive. Nutmeg or cinnamon perhaps?

On a rock

Nose: Smooth vanilla notes, any traces of something floral are gone

Taste: All vanilla, all over your mouth

Finish: Less lingering but still nice a spicy

12 Year

Mashbill: Wheater

Abv: 90 proof (45% ABV)

Age: 12 years

Review

Color: Surprisingly about the same as the Special Reserve

Neat

Nose: Rich and sweet predominantly vanilla with strong caramel supporting notes

Taste: Sweet and smooth with a bit of oak but I don’t get a particular type of sweet

Finish: A very nice combination of smooth and sweet with clear oak notes, surprisingly long for such a subtly flavored finish

On a rock

Nose: A more subtle caramel note

Taste: Delicious a brilliantly balanced combination of caramel and oak

Finish: Unfortunately dampened and shortened by the ice but still sweet and oaky

Conclusion

This was a ton of fun especially after my last review :P

One thing that really stood out to me here is that I preferred the SR and 12 Year neat over on ice and the Antique 107 I could go either way; that’s pretty rare for me. It was really hard for me to pick a winner between the 107 and the 12 but the higher proof lets the 107 perform well with ice and it’s a hell of a lot easier for me to find so if I had to pick I’d go with it. The SR is super overhyped to me, it’s good and a nice intro to wheaters but it really doesn’t stand out of the crowd in that price and availability range for me.

Overall it’s a great collection and tasting all 3 at once was awesome, highly recommended.

To round out the Weller collection checkout my review of the William Larue Weller . Spoiler: It’s the best of the bunch but not by as much as you’d think! The 107 really holds its own even against higher end wheaters

Special Reserve

5 - a whiskey with notable strengths but also held back by some flaws

Antique 107

8 - an excellent bottle I’ll buy from time to time

12 Year

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Scale

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Info

My wife wanted to fly Southwest so I’m limited to their excellent whiskey selection this evening but it seemed like as good a time an any to review some Wild Turkey 101 and some Jack Daniel’s #7. Typing this up on mobile so forgive any typos. Also the photo is the Turkey; you guys can imagine what Jack looks like in a plastic cup.

Wild Turkey

Mashbill: Unknown but high rye

Abv: 101 proof (50.5% ABV)

Age: NAS

Price: ~$7 USD for a 50ml bottle

Review

Color: A darker amber

Neat

Nose: Somewhat alcohol forward with sweet and spicy notes

Taste: Hot and a little harsh though the baking spice comes through after the initial taste

Finish: Surprisingly nice medium finish that is spicy and just a little sweet

On a rock

Nose: More muted but still alcohol forward. The spice remains but any sweetness was muted.

Taste: Much less heat with baking spice and a touch of honey. Surprisingly nice.

Finish: The finish holds up well with the ice with a balance of sweet and spice

Jack Daniel’s

Mashbill: Unknown

Abv: 80 proof (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Price: ~$7 USD for a 50ml bottle

Review

Color: A medium golden color

Neat

Nose: Sweet smooth and a little fruity, easily the best part

Taste: Bananas with nuts, almost like a somewhat disappointing bananas foster. I’m disappointed there is alcohol heat in something 80 proof

Finish: Medium finish with banana notes and then something a little funky at the end

On a rock

Nose: Muted but light alcohol and fruit notes

Taste: The banana and nuttiness are still there but less so and any alcohol heat is gone. Somewhat dull and bland.

Finish: Just that little bit of funk

With Coke Zero

Nose: Sweet notes of cola

Taste: Tastes heavily of cola but with the banana note sneaking through

Finish: Blessedly gone, just a bit of that cola tatse

Conclusion

I’ll start by saying the Turkey was definitely better than flying without whiskey but it won’t be a regular choice for me. I’d definitely be happy to use it as a mixer or drink it on the rocks in a pinch.

As for the Jack it was not good though I did enjoy it with a Coke Zero. It still baffles me how this became one of the most popular whiskies in America. On a completely random note my brother has picked up a bit of taste in whiskey from me and is trying to convert his Air Force squadron away from Jack to something better in a similar price range. I’ve already suggested Evan Williams and Old Grandad but let me know if you have any better ideas.

Wild Turkey

5 - I would drink it if offered and I didn’t have to pay for it

Jack Daniel’s

4 - Maybe a mixer though I wouldn’t want to pay for it

Scale

My reviews are mostly about taste but occasionally take price into consideration generally dropping a point from whiskies in the 8-9 range that seem significantly more expensive than similar quality bottles.

10 - a unicorn, I haven’t found it yet

9 - a favorite that I almost always have a bottle of on my shelf

8 - an excellent bottle I’d be happy to buy

7 - a solid whiskey I’d happily order at bar if they don’t have something 8+

6 - a decent whiskey that I don’t prefer but wouldn’t avoid and would be fine having as a mixer or in a pinch somewhere with a poor selection

5 - I would drink it if offered and I didn’t have to pay for it

4 - Maybe a mixer though I wouldn’t want to pay for it

3 and below - no thanks

Info

Tonight’s bourbon is Barrell Bourbon Single Barrel Oak Liquor Cabinet Select. I don’t know much about the brand but I’m a sucker for single barrels and store selects and I was curious about the 14 year age statement. I couldn’t find much about them online either.

Mashbill: Unknown

Abv: 115.4 proof (57.7% ABV)

Age: 14 years (thanks u/bvndwidth)

Price: ~$80 USD for a 750ml bottle

Review

Color: A golden amber, very bourbony

Neat

Nose: Sweet, toasted marshmellow with a hint of something floral

Taste: More toastd marshmellow but surprisingly short and simple for something aged 14 years with just a touch of heat

Finish: Again sweet and disappointly short.

On a rock

Nose: Opens up with floral honey notes, this was the best part

Taste: Honey and toasted marshmellow. A slight improvement over neat.

Finish: Not much of one. Maybe a touch of sweetness?

Conclusion

This was perfectly good bourbon but nothing special at all. I was a bit hyped up on this so that probably contributed to my disappointment. I’d always sort of wondered why bourbon generally isn’t aged as long as scotch usually is but this bottle suggests that the shorter aging is the way to go. With how medicocre this was, especially given that this is a store select, single barrel and sort of pricy, I don’t think I’ll be following up on more of their catalog.

7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar

Scale

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