u/InClimb411

Holladay Soft Red Wheat BiB

Distillery: Holladay Distillery

Age: 6 years

Price: $50.99

Proof: 100

Nose: Lots of candied notes. Brown sugar. Candy apple. Cinnamon Red Hot. Picking up on a hint of licorice and even some Pay Day nuttiness. Might not be the most complex nose ever, but man this is excellent. Nothing to hate on.

Palate: About medium mouthfeel. Nothing crazy, but has some chewiness to it. Flavors start out more on the subtle side and there's absolutely zero harshness. Vanilla. Some maple and a slight barrel char note.

Finish: Medium length. Flavor intensity picks up here, but similar to earlier in the sip there's no bite. Staying with the theme of easy enjoyable sweeter notes. The grain is a little more noticeable here, but I'm getting lots of watermelon and a cherry Blow Pop note that lingers.

Score: 8.0

Summary: For starters I really like the Holladay Distillery. Never tried something I didn't like out of there and the whole operation being in house from grain to glass is a clear bonus. I like what they do and I like their juice. The 6 year wheated BiB is no different. My biggest takeaway here was just how crushable it was. There is seriously nothing to raise an eyebrow about from the nose throughout the entire sip. Sure it might not knock your socks off with the proof point and it may lack some depth, but this is an easy bourbon to enjoy. It's full of sweetness while not being too in your face, and as a whole it's lovely. It could very well be the number one option I'd recommend for someone just getting into whiskey that wants to make the jump into trying some bottled in bond and/or higher proof stuff. It's. So. Drinkable. It also could easily be in my top 10 non Kentucky bourbons I've had. Really good stuff here. 8.0 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Knob Creek Blender's Edition 01

Distillery: Jim Beam

Age: 10 years

Price: $48.99

Proof: 106

Nose: A deeper sweetness than I've come to know in Knob Creek offerings. Toffee. Caramel. A really nice molasses note. Some ethanol comes off a little stronger than you'd think for the proof, but at the same time there's a little softness to it that feels the slightest bit like a wheater. Hints of cherry and peanut. A ton going on and I'm not complaining.

Palate: Mouthfeel is surprisingly on the thinner side. Powdered sugar. It's simple syrupy. Some unexpected banana as well. The palate as a whole here feels a little flat, but things spice back up for the finish.

Finish: Medium to long and much more intense than the palate. A pretty dominant brown sugar note is ever present and lingers, it's a lip smacker. Cinnamon and raisin. As I'm writing this I'm realizing this all kind of lends to a cinnamon raisin bagel profile. Never had something quite like it before but the flavors here are coexisting in harmony.

Score: 7.9

Summary: This is a cool bottle and I am all for the Knob Creek line trying new things. This is the first release (edition 01), but the idea is that Knob Creek will put out ongoing limited releases of blends targeting specific flavor profiles. This edition is simply called the "sweet bourbon blend", and I think they kind of nailed it. Sweeter notes dominate throughout, but it's able to ride the line of not being too desserty. Plenty of complexity throughout and although the palate didn't wow me, I think it provided a much needed break from an incredibly overpowering nose and finish. Not gonna lie I'd probably never think this was a Knob Creek product in a blind taste test, but who cares? Some good stuff for a very fair price. Might be hard to come by, but give it a try if you come across it. Looking forward to seeing what they do for edition 02. 7.9 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Knob Creek 10 Year Rye

Distillery: Jim Beam

Age: 10 years

Price: $57.99

Proof: 100

Nose: Incredible flavor intensity for only being 100 proof. Much to the contrary of the 7 year where although I really liked the bottle, I found the nose pretty thin. Nutmeg. Rye spice. Rich butterscotch sweetness. It even has some barnyard funk to it that really works.

Palate: Shockingly thick mouthfeel. Some of the most noticeable legs on a pour I can remember in quite a while. Extraordinarily syrupy. More of that butterscotch and toffee. Black pepper.

Finish: Medium to long. Some of the rich sweetness carries over and I'm finding some slight peanut shell that lends to a little bit of a peanut brittle thing going on. The back end of the finish has a grassy hay note to it that provides some depth, but isn't really my thing.

Score: 7.5

Summary: A great bottle. I'll start by saying I'd be hard pressed to name a better sub $60 rye that is easily findable. The flavors are for the most part excellent and there is nothing from the nose and throughout the sip that I'd characterize as off putting. The thing that really set this bottle aside for me was the intensity and thickness. The overall boldness was similar to what I'd expect to find in something pushing 130 proof and like I mentioned earlier the thickness for lack of a better term was seriously shocking. My only minor knocks are that maybe due to the intensity the nose came off as a little perfumey at times and as I stated the later part of the finish didn't totally blend with me preferred flavor profile. But this one's nice. If you haven't gotten your hands on this yet then this is your sign to go for it. 7.5 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Bardstown Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company

Age: 6 years

Price: $44.99

Proof: 96

Nose: A lot to like here. Some of the spices you'd expect in a higher rye mash bill are present and really nice. Black pepper. Cinnamon. Some butterscotch as well. But what really blew me away here was an unmistakable strawberry kiwi note. I've never come across anything quite like it and it's great.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel. It has a nice velvetiness to it. Not as much going on as in the nose, but nothing to hate on. Caramel and some underlying rye spice. Slight barrel char as well.

Finish: About medium length, but slightly longer than you'd expect from something sub 100 proof. The grain is more noticeable here. A sweet creamed corn note that I really love. Spiced oak. That strawberry thing shows back up and lingers, just not so much kiwi here. Still unique and awesome.

Score: 8.0

Summary: This was really nice and far exceeded my expectations. I had reviewed the bottled in bond origin series maybe a year ago and gave it a 7.1, so I was fully expecting the 96 proof to fall short of that. I still thought this would be good, but man this is great stuff. For those who don't know the origin series consists of 3 whiskeys (a high rye bourbon, a bottled in bond, and a rye) that are all 6 years old and produced entirely in house by Bardstown. Been wanting to give this a review for months so I'm happy at just how good it was. It drinks above the proof point in flavor, yet is an easy sipper with absolutely zero astringency in any part of the sip. There's plenty enough complexity throughout and my big takeaway from this bottle is that strawberry note. I know I've touched on it a couple times already, but just want to throw some more emphasis on it. And it only helps that this is very findable and very very affordable for what you get. Honestly this is high praise, but I think it's seriously in the discussion for best sub $50 bourbon in my opinion. Debated going 7.9 here but gonna go ahead and put this in rarified air. 8.0 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Knob Creek 7 Year Rye

Distillery: Jim Beam

Age: 7 years

Price: $44.99

Proof: 100

Nose: My first impression was that it lacked oomph, just a little thin. Some ethanol is present along with some clove and rye spice., but I'm picking up more of a minty note than anything. Wintergreen.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel. A lot more going on here and throughout the sip in comparison to the nose. There's a surprising amount of sweetness here. Vanilla. Dark chocolate. Butterscotch. Spiced oak.

Finish: About medium length. Not as sweet as the palate, much more rye heavy notes. That spiced oak carries over and I'm getting a lot of cinnamon, rye spice, and clove. Even finding an underlying touch of Planter's peanut.

Score: 6.9

Summary: Overall this is a really nice bottle. I usually lean heavily to bourbons, but find myself reviewing a rye every once in awhile. The nose was fine, but definitely left me wanting more. However the sip really shines and more than makes up for it. There is decent flavor intensity and for something that can regularly be found under $50 there is tremendous depth. You get what you'd expect in a good rye while also getting tons of sweetness and even some notes that felt a little out there. But it all worked. Although it didn't absolutely blow me socks off there is nothing to dislike and it'd be near the top of my list for an easy approachable rye. 6.9 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Stagg Batch 25C

Distillery: Buffalo Trace

Age: NAS

Price: $119.99

Proof: 125.6

Nose: Intense as expected for the proof point. Lots of niceness going on. Rich sweetness carries the way, but is balanced out nicely with some barrel char, cinnamon, and clove. Brown sugar. Caramel. Maple.

Palate: Thicker mouthfeel with a lovely silkiness to it. Again it's sweet and rich here. There's a buttercream icing note that literally has a melt in your mouth thing going on. I've never come across a note quite like it and it dominates the early part of the sip.

Finish: Not out of this world in length, but still a finish I'd label as long. A fruity watermelon note shows up in the early finish and is present throughout. Toasted oak. Maple. Even finding a buttered popcorn note that is awesome.

Score: 8.6

Summary: Been wanting to review a Stagg (Jr) since I started doing reviews, but drew a hard line in the sand that I wouldn't pay over $120 for a bottle. Several months back I came across this one for $119.99. It's an all time favorite of mine and had read some pretty good things about the 25C batch, so I was happy to have my first bottle at home in several years. All things considered it just about lived up to expectations. The theme on the nose and throughout the entirety of the sip was just how much flavor intensity there was without really being even the slightest bit off putting. The mouthfeel was excellent, the finish was long, and there was plenty of depth. It lended on the sweeter side which is generally to my liking, but wasn't by any means overly sweet and I came across some great notes I wasn't necessarily expecting from a Buffalo Trace product. And again, I can't emphasize the richness enough. I hate paying over MSRP for anything (especially something out of Buffalo Trace), but I think at $120 this is great bourbon. The fact that I usually do a 1 to 1.5oz pour for my reviews and found myself 2.5oz deep here should say enough. Excellent bottle. 8.6 is the score to narrowly become my highest rating yet.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon