Narrative

I’ve mostly been writing reviews of whiskey that I love so far so I thought I’d try my hand at some reviews with a lower score. I tend to have a bottle of Basil Hayden’s Straight Bourbon on hand and my wife bought me a bottle of their Dark Rye because I like ryes and she recognized the bottle. The straigh bourbon is of course a straight bourbon but the Dark Rye is some sort of Dr Moreau combination of rye, canadian and port.

Straight Bourbon

Abv: 80 proof (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Review

Color: A lighter golden color

Neat

Nose: Weak nose, slightly sweet with a hint of acetone

Taste: The taste actually starts off nicely with a little sweet and a touch of spice but nothing ever comes of it

Finish: Almost none, it sort of caught me by surprise when it ended

On a rock

Nose: I mostly smelled the ice and the glass

Taste: Opens up a lot smooth with a little more of the sweet and spice blend from the neat

Finish: Equally short but I was ready for it this time

Dark Rye

Mashbill: Unknown but some blend of Rye, Canadian and Port?

Abv: 80 proof (40% ABV)

Age: NAS

Review

Color: A dark red and brown, lives up to the “Dark” part of the name

Neat

Nose: Smells strongly of something sweet, almost like maple syrup. Definitely the port coming through,

Taste: Not good. All the worst parts of rye whiskey, Canadian whiskey and port come together to taste like sadness. Notes of syrup and nail polish remover.

Finish: Blessedly short

On a rock

Nose: The sickly sweetness is more muted and some fruit starts to creep into the nose

Taste: More palpable but not by much. I can’t even.

Finish: Again blessedly short

Conclusion

Basil Hayden’s straight bourbon is solid but completely unremarkable; nothing wrong with it but nothing exciting either. I used to really enjoy it but as I’ve learned to appreciate more complex and stronger flavors it’s fallen by the wayside. I still usually have a bottle on my shelf since it’s a good entry point for newer folks and because my dad likes it. THe Dark Rye on the other hand is awful. Easily the worst whiskey over $20 for a bottle I’ve ever had. I poured out the rest of my glass after writing this. I think it’s discontinued in favor of their Darker Rye and Two by Two but if you do see it don’t buy it just to be safe.

Straight Bourbon

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

Dark Rye

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

Scale

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Data

Tasted this at the Roosevelt Room in downtown Austin at some after dinner drinks this weekend with some family. This seemed like a recent bottling but I am still learning how to discern these things as I continue my BTAC adventure. If anyone knows a great bar to try Saz 18, ER 17 or George T Stagg in Austin let me know on Instagram or Reddit!

Mashbill: Unknown but it’s a wheater

Abv: 128.2 proof (64.1% ABV)

Price: $32 USD for a ~2oz pour

Review

Color: A deep, reddish color, very appealing the in the low light

Neat

Nose: Mostly sticky toffee with a hint of something stronger

Taste: Toffee, caramel and a vibrant fruity taste, dark cherries perhaps?

Finish: Smooth and sweet leaving me wanting more

On a rock

Nose: The sweetness is more muted and some of the fruit starts to creep into the nose

Taste: Lighter than it was neat but still full of sweet fruitiness and a bit of something like marshmellow added in

Finish: Unfortunately muted by the ice. Short and sweet.

Conclusion

My second taste of the BTAC was excellent but I preferred the Handy, especially on ice. Strong but a lot smoother than the proof would lead you to believe. A little too focused on the sweetness for me, I like sweet whiskey but prefer it to have something to spice it up a bit. If you’re all or mostly sweettooth you’ll love this though. I also let me dad taste it since he was visiting but he said it was too strong for him so we got him a Weller 12 instead.

9 - a favorite I’d like to keep on my shelf

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Thomas H. Handy Sazerac is a Rye Whiskey from the Buffalo Trace Antique collection and I found it tonight at my favorite North Austin Bar. I believe this is the 2017 bottling but I am not 100% sure.

Mashbill: Unknown but >51% Rye

Abv: 126 proof (63.1% ABV)

Age: No Age Statement

Price: ~$29 USD for a ~1.5 oz pour

Review

Color: A reddish amber

Neat

Nose: Brown sugar with hints of floral honey

Taste: The honey turns into a rich butterscotch with a layer of baking spice spice with the brown sugar remaining prevalent throughout

Finish: Sweet but a little short with mostly brown sugar and hints of spice

On a rock

Nose: The honey from the neat nose surges to the front with the brown sugar taking a more subtle note

Taste: The ice unlocks the sweetness leading to pure butterscotchy bliss

Finish: Still sweet and a touch spicy, it didn’t particularly change from neat

Conclusion

I loved this rye, this is a near 10 for me. If it was on the shelves at my local shop I’d buy it in a heartbeat. My wife tasted a bit and said it was like the moment when you pour brown sugar into your cookie batter(maybe she should be writing these reviews) and she usually thinks whiskey tastes like sweet mouthwash haha.

9 - a favorite I’d like to keep on my shelf

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Data

Picked this up from Oak Liquor Cabinet a few weeks ago and just got around to having my second glass. The case it came in was cool but I just threw it out so nothing to write home about. They include these little cards with tasting notes and a break down of which floors of which warehouse the whiskey came from. I’m not sure that is information I care about but whatever.

Abv: 127 proof (63.7% ABV)

Age: 6 years 3 months 14 days

Review

Color: A deep, rich amber

Neat

Nose: Honey and hints of spice

Taste: The honey from the nose transitions into a richer, sweet caramel. Surisingly little heat despite the proof

Finish: Long sweet caramel finish with just a touch of spice at the end

On a rock

Nose: On ice the sweet nose is preserved and almost reminds me of a dessert wine

Taste: A delicious explosion of caramel and butterscotch. Very tasty indeed.

Finish: Unfortunately shortened by the ice and mostly just a touch of spice

Conclusion

An excellent bourbon though I wish the spice was a little more prevalent and that the finish stood up to ice a bit better(it’s hot here). I was also a bit disappointed not to catch the cherry notes the card that came with it mentioned. I probably won’t pick up another bottle of Kathleen’s batch but I will be keeping my eye out for another bottle from another batch. I do like high abv sweet bourbons :)

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

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Data

This is the store selection from Oak Liquor Cabinet in Austin, TX. It’s a single barrel OBSQ.

O - Distilled at Four Roses in Lawrenceburg, KY

B - 65-30-5 mash bill

S - Straight Whiskey

Q - Floral Essence

Mashbill: 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley

Abv: 110 proof (55% ABV)

Age: 9 years 10 month

Review

Neat

Nose: Floral and sweet with a bit of cherry and a hint of oak

Taste: A little harsh for me but still sweet with cherries, oak, baking spice and vanilla. A little floral but not as much as the nose.

Finish: Long finish with lingering cherry and spice. Probably my favorite part of this whiskey

On a rock

Nose: The ice definitely cuts the nose though the floral aroma survives it

Taste: Rich, smooth and sweet. Removes any harshness present when it was neat but otherwise tastes very similar if not a little sweeter.

Finish: Just as good as neat

Conclusion

A sweet bourbon for sure but I have a bit of sweet tooth when it comes to drinking. It’s super hot here in Texas so definitely preferred it on the rocks. This was the whiskey that inspired me to start reviewing on Reddit

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

Scale

You can also follow me on Instagram(@atxbourbon) or reddit to keep up with these reviews and my other whiskey-centric adventures.