u/ToadilyNot

Hello everyone and welcome to review #7. This review is on the Bardstown Distillery Cascadia release, which is a blend of bourbons finished in Garryana Oak.

Here are some stats for this release:

Age: Blend of bourbons aged 9-10 years then finished for an additional 10 months

Mashbill: Blend of 3 bourbons:

-80% | 10 Years | Kentucky | 70% Corn, 18% Rye, 12% Malted Barley

-12% | 10 Years | Indiana | 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley

-8% | 9 Years | Kentucky | 74% Corn, 18% Rye, 8% Malted Barley

Garryana oak is unique in the fact that the wood can only be harvested from trees that naturally fell, or from sanctioned cuts. Sanctioned cuts of Garryana oak refer to legally and environmentally controlled harvests of Pacific Northwest Oregon white oak. Because the tree cannot be commercially farmed or clear-cut at will, cooperages like Oregon Barrel Works only use wood gathered from naturally fallen trees or strictly regulated, authorized prunings. I believe this comes down to Oregon Barrel Works only creating roughly 1000 barrels a year from this wood. It is known to impart a flavor profile akin to French Oak. So let's dive in.

Served neat, rested about 15 minutes.

Nose: Rich oak leaps from the glass, I could smell this wafting through the room as I poured into my Glencairn. Leather and hints of powdered sugar follow closely behind. There is hints of Graham cracker sweetness, and light baking spices. A toffee caramel intermingles. Very rich, and complex. The first night I cracked this I felt like I was getting grapey smokey notes too.

20/25

Palate: The palate immediately hits with rich oak and brown sugar sweetness. Alot of vanilla sugar like notes hit. Vanilla buttercream, and toasted coffee. There is a bit of smokeyness here. It almost reminds me of toasted pecans, or pecan wood used for smoking. A light cinnamon oakyness hits mid palate. There are alot of layers of flavor, the tail end comes back with a dusty oak and light grape jam.

40/50

Finish/Mouthfeel: The finish on this lasts for what seems like forever. It's pretty impressive considering it is not a crazy high proof. There is lots of toasted oak and light cinnamon stick flavors that cling to the tongue. One of my favorite parts of the finish is this vanilla cinnamon sugar flavor that sticks around. There is a dryness to the back half of sips, and it has a mid oily mouthfeel.

25/25

Final score: 85/100

Final Thoughts: Everything I have tried from Bardstown has impressed me, especially their own fully distilled and aged bourbons. Cascadia particularly impressed me as I sampled it after going on their whiskey thieving tour, and it still cut through my semi blown out palate. I really look forward to Bardstown's future endeavors, both with their Distillery Reserve series, and with their own in house products.

Hello everyone and welcome to review #6. I've decided that for this review I'm not going to do as formal of a ranking and breakdown because this was a bar pour. I was pretty engaged in conversation so I wasn't able to be as nuanced and detailed as I typically like to be. However I still gathered some thoughts on this very sought after release that I felt like sharing.

E.H. Taylor Cured Oak has been a pretty hyped release here lately, along with the recent Four Grain drop. I've seen some very steep secondary sales and so when I got the opportunity to try it at a bar I readily took the chance to see if it would live up to expectations.

Buffalo Trace typically air dries their staves for 6 months. With the Cured Oak expression they went over double the time frame to 13 months.

"The extended seasoning of the white oak staves draws out more tannin and terpene development. Because the wood has "more to give," the resulting bourbon bypasses simple age-based complexity to offer a deeply layered profile shaped extensively by the barrel. The current iteration of Cured Oak is a 10-year-old whiskey." Via Wooden Cork.

Ok, I digress, I think that gives a basic rundown of what is going on.

Nose: Classic Taylor profile, Sweet toasted oak, light vanilla, and brown sugar/toffee vibes.

Palate: The palate up front has that classic Taylor profile, semi sweet, bit of spice. I will say the oak seems more pronounced and matured, with a vanilla, brown sugar sweetness that leads into a nice cherry cola sort of vibe. Toffee like sugar hints on the back end. Light baking spices. The mouthfeel is drier versus oily I'd say, and light which is to be expected at this proof point.

Finish: Nice finish, leans drier which I like, but not an unpleasant tannic or over oaked sort of dry.

Score 6.5 on the t8ke rankings.

Final thoughts: I found this to be a really approachable pour. The oak reminded me almost of how oak comes across in a toasted barrel, it certainly seemed to have more nuance and refinement to it. I will say personally I've found the Barrel Proof Offerings to be more impressive and nuanced, but my biases are towards more proofy offerings as well. I certainly think the secondary market on this is absurd and driven by scarcity versus the knock your socks off factor of the pour.

Hello everyone, review #5 coming to you all while I am vacationing. I've been wanting to try an old slant label Knob Creek single barrel for quite some time. The stock of these quickly vanished at the tail end of Covid as the bourbon boom really escalated. It is obvious in hindsight, that the axing of old single barrel picks like these were to make way for more 15, 18, and 21 year releases.

At any rate even though I've been in the bourbon scene for a bit over 12 years, I was chasing other things as these vanished and it has taken me this long to finally try one. I digress, let's dive in.

Nose: The nose is not like the typical nose that I'm use to with current Knob Creek picks. The peanut funk is not present, instead there is a deep rich oak akin to what many younger current double oaked noses have. However it also has that depth and richness that I feel like only age can bring. Caramel, toffee, and brown sugar hide underneath, and there are feignt notes of rich black cherry. Light cinnamon and spice notes. In ways this reminds me of like Booker's Bardstown batch that I have, but even more refined and oaky.

20/25

Palate and mouthfeel: The palate leads with deep rich oak, there is the familiar Knob Creek profile sweetness, but again the peanut funk is not to be found, interesting. Light hits of brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla, and that classic Knob Creek bit of baking spice. Mostly getting a cinnamon stick sort of spice. Mouthfeel is fairly oily, and again reminds me more of Booker's. Intermingling with the other notes there is a really nice black cherry ice cream flavor which I don't encounter often. You can definitely taste the age and maturity here. Shockingly not bitter or astringent either.

45/50

Finish: The finish is long and smooth, for 120 proof there isn't much bite, the oak lingers with the black cherry and cinnamon stick, very smooth and approachable. I could still taste this 25 minutes after leaving the bar.

25/25

Final thoughts: I was really stoked to try this and it really impressed me. This is the sort of profile I crave with mature and aged oak, since the bourbon boom it has certainly become much harder to access.

90/100

Hello everyone and welcome to review #4. Today we are trying out an 8 year Russell's Reserve Camp Nelson D Single Barrel Pick done by Kroger down in Lexington Kentucky.

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For anyone unaware Camp Nelson, located in Jessamine County, Kentucky, is a vital off-site barrel-aging campus for the Wild Turkey. Acquired from Seagrams/Canada Dry (originally built around 1946), these traditional wood-clad warehouses have become legendary in the bourbon world for their unique, high-proof, oak-dominant aging climates. (Information courtesy of Rare Bird 101)

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Rare Bird also spoke to Rickhouse D being less common in the program at one point, although I don't know enough to say if that is still the case.

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At any rate let's dive in.

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Nose: The first thing that leaps out at me is a hint of grape soda, immediately followed by that classic Wild Turkey Funk. Rich sweet oak, and brown sugar quickly enter. I also get hints of stone fruit and an almost nectarine like note.

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15/25

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Palate: Here is where things get kinda wild, the intial taste on the palate is a combo of earthy musty oak that almost reminds me slightly of peated Scotch that I've tried. There is also a leathery note that is kinda right on the tail end of that. Mid way through the palate it has a nice funky oak blast. There is feignt brown sugar and a toasted bread like hint. A really bizarre note is this almost mushroom taste. It isn't unpleasant, but this whole profile feels like they would have pulled it from some funky damp basement floor haha. There is light peppery and spicey hits intermingled. The mouthfeel is mildly oily and very smooth, easy to drink.

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I'm going with 38/50.

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Finish: The finish is nice and strong, it really maintains the palate profile and leaves sugary like notes along with that earthyness for a good long spell with mild baking cocao also.

20/25

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Conclusion: I can't really think of another bottle I have tried with such a wild profile. If you told me this barrel had been finished in an ex Scotch barrel I'd totally believe you. While this profile isn't exactly what I would try to hunt down per say, maybe I would now? I keep coming back to this just because it keeps evolving. Initially it was very smokey and peaty, but that seems to have eased off into a more earthy funky profile.

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Final score 73/100

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1 Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

???

2| Poor |I wouldn't consume by choice.

Basil Hayden

3| Bad | Multiple flaws.

Benchmark SiB

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4| Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.

Old Hamer 7 Year

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5 | Good I This is a good, solid daily.

Four Roses Small Batch, Starlight Cigar Blend

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6 | Very Good | A cut above.

Eagle Rare 10 Year, Blue Note Juke Joint, E.H. Taylor Small Batch

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7| Great| Well above average

Booker's, E.H. Taylor SiB and Barrel Proof

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8| Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

Four Roses Single Barrel Private Selections, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye

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9| Incredible An all time favorite

Bardstown Hokkaido, Maker's Mark Cellar Aged,

Jack Daniel's Coy Hill, Lucky 7 The Proprietor 14 Year, Parker's Heritage Twice Barreled

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10| Insurpassable | No better exists

Russell's Reserve 15 Year (2024)

George T. Stagg (2022)

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Hello everyone and welcome to my third review. I was fortunate enough to obtain a sample of the recently released Peerless Henry Kraver's Old Reserve 10-year-old Bourbon. I'm a big fan of what Peerless has been doing in recent years, so I've been excited to try this out.

Served neat in a Copita (Copita Clan)

Nose: Toasted Bread, Lemon Zest, Cocoa, Sweet Oak, Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar, Nutmeg, burnt cherry peel/dried cherry.

This has a really nice approachable nose, it isn't overpowering or full of ethanol. Of course this is kind of expected at the proof point. It has nice depth and good nuance.

20/25

Palate: Milk Chocolate, Lemon Hard Candy, Sweet Oak, Whiskey Mash, Some cigar tobacco/humidor notes. Chocolate covered raisins, older oaky notes come in, some earthy funk going on here too.

This has a great depth of flavor, I get intial chocolate hits, cocao and milk chocolate, and then nice aged oak and cherry notes. The lemon candy/citrus notes hit midway. As the pour opened up light cinnamon stick hits on the tail end. The tobacco funk is intermingled, and earthy notes do as well.

40/50

Finish: The finish impressed me, it hangs around for along time, nice oak and chocolate notes. Light baking spices.

20/25

Final thoughts: This is a fantastic pour, although I will say I've had several Peerless Products that I would put up against this as well, their DO Rye and Bourbon (Especially SiB if you can find them). At any rate I think Peerless did a great job, and if I run across this l would snag it for the shelf.

Final score 80/100

1 Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2| Poor |I wouldn't consume by choice.

3| Bad | Multiple flaws.

4| Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.

5 | Good I This is a good, solid daily.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7| Great| Well above average

8| Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9| Incredible An all time favorite

10| Insurpassable | No better exists

Hello everyone and welcome to my second review after a long hiatus/new account. Today we are reviewing a Russell's Reserve 9 year single barrel pick courtesy of Meijers.

Age: 9 Years

Proof: 110 ABV

Nose: This nose is very inviting. Up front it has that quintessential bourbon oaky sweetness with brown sugar. Right behind that it is surprisingly fruity, I get hints of candied orange peel, raspberry and grape. Another layer adds root beer cola notes.

15/25

Palate: This has a touch of spice bite initially but that melds into a very nice sweet oakyness. Hints of cigar wrapper, and an earthy funk. Caramel and light brown sugar are also present. Aged oak is on the back end, and a cinnamon stick note is present with that. Light oatmeal kind of intermingles. The cola notes are lightly there, although interestingly the fruit notes of the nose aren't as present. Light chocolate covered raisins on the very tail end.

35/50

Finish: Pretty good finish, it mostly fades into funky oak, and some light drying tannins. But it does hang around for awhile, that chocolate covered raisin stays around which is a nice lingering note.

15/25

Total score: 65/100

Final thoughts: I really do enjoy this bottle, it has a fair amount of complexity, and when I have guests over that are newer to bourbon/whiskey I've utilized this bottle as a pour multiple times. To me it is very approachable while having a good amount of complexity to show what more mature bourbon has to offer, without being a big cask strength brute. I do feel like the climbing price of Private Selections/SiB makes it less of an auto buy for me, but I've also seen some put on clearance or sale for around $60 bucks. When I see it at that price I will normally snag one to try. At the $90 price point I'm more driven to hold out for say a Jack Daniel's pick or a Four Roses.

Thank you for reading if you made it this far!

So this is not really my first review. Through a series of unfortunate events my old profile "thesteelsword" was locked out (I didn't have an up to date phone number on a throwaway email for two factor authentication). Oh well time to start fresh. I doubt many would remember me anyway as I've had about a two year hiatus from reviews. At any rate I hope you enjoy this read, and I am excited to start some reviews up again.

Todav we have a Four Roses Sinale Barrel Private Pick. Four Roses has quickly become one of, if not my favorite distilleries. While many folks chase the high tier barrels (and for good reason), I've found that many of the low tier barrels I've tried are just as delicious and incredible in their own right. Typically, I am not a huge fan of herbal or minty notes in my bourbons. But this barrel is unique in that it is pretty tame with those flavors, ever though they tend to be more dominant in this Four Roses recipe.

Recipe: OESF 20% Rye mashbil

Age: 11 Years 3 Months

Proof: 106.6

Served neat in a Copita

Nose: Sweet Oak and Caramel are very upfront. Light hints of vanilla followed by baking spices. Almost a snickerdoodle sort of note. Light mint, and a touch of Graham cracker crust. I could just smell this for days

20/25

Palate: The initial palate follows the nose. Lots of oak and caramel sweetness up front. Honestly, this has enough oak that it is reminiscent of some double oak pours I've had recently. The oak has an aged body to it though, versus younger, which makes sense considering the age. However, even with a lot of oak present, it isn't bitter or astringent whatsoever. The caramel comes in and adds a nice sweet balance. Vanilla and baking spices follow, and on the tail end, I get a cinnamon French toast sort of vibe. It reminds me of Maker's BRT-02. This Rye recipe is known to have some mintyness to it, but on the palate, it is extremely subtle. I tried an 11 Year OBSF pick, and while delicious the mint was so dominant that it distracted me from the other flavors going on. With some chewing, I also get orange zest, dark chocolate, and coffee.

45/50

Mouthfeel and Finish: With a lower proof point (relatively), the mouthfeel is velvety, and not really oily. It isn't thin either. That would be where I would knock this a touch? I gravitate towards a more oily, thick mouthfeel on pours. Still, it holds up well and is very, very approachable. I feel like this is the perfect pour for someone who is newer to bourbon but wants to try a barrel strength aged offering. This finish just keeps or trucking. Five minutes after a sip oak, goodness keeps lingering, and other subtle flavors will reappear.

20/25

Thoughts: As l've been doing a fair amount of traveling and trying bar pours whenever I can (As much Four Roses as I can haha), for me personally Four Roses has risen to among my top few distilleries. Even if the flavor profile isn't per say my favorite, the bourbon is still amazing, and I can appreciate what is going on.

Final score 85 out of 100

I was farming Rainbow Chest runs to try and unlock Rubinstein's Monster. When I dropped in and went to open the chest, my screen went black and then I teleported to Floor 2...