u/lejonbrames12345

Me and 7 friends took part in a blind whiskey tasting last weekend. I wasn’t able to do a full breakdown and review of each bottle but I did rank them from favorite to least favorite:

1. Star Hill
2. Penelope 17 year
3. Knob Creek 12 year Cask Strength
4. Weller Full Proof
5. Found North Goldfinch
6. Dragons Milk Origin

Star Hill was amazing. I am glad I was able to grab 2 of these. Surprised with Penelope at 2, especially beating out the KC and Weller FP. Dragons Milk was an immediate no for me; very weird and unpleasant mixed with too much of an ethanol taste.

“The best $40 bourbon $200 can buy."

My first time going the secondary market route, picked it up through UA. Time to find out which side of the Overrated vs. Amazing debate I land on.

Cheers.
_____________________________________________________________

Elmer T. Lee — Single Barrel Bourbon
Distillery: Buffalo Trace 
Age: NAS (Non-Age Statement)
Mashbill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (low rye)
Proof: 90
Cost: ~$80 MSRP / Bought mine secondary for $125

Nose: Light across the board. Allspice, vanilla, butterscotch, and a faint lemon note. Approachable and a little forgettable right from the start.

Palate: Thin. That's the word that kept coming back. There are hints of allspice that linger, and a soft vanilla honey quality underneath, but the body just isn't there to carry any of it.

Finish: Short and forgettable. A brief kick of all spice shows up late, hints at something interesting, then fades.

Verdict: Do Not Recommend
At MSRP, maybe the conversation is different. But at secondary prices? Hard pass. So much more out there at a better price.

My scores are meaningless, so essentially a Buy or Don’t Buy Scale.
_____________________________________________________________

The Verdict Scale:

Class of Its Own
Exceptional quality at almost any price. Instant buy, no hesitation.

Recommended Buy
Great taste, great value. Easy yes.

On the Fence
Enjoyable but the price gives you pause. Worth a pour, hesitant to commit to a bottle.

Do Not Recommend
Expensive and/or underwhelming. I would still drink it, but not something I'd buy again.

Drain Pour
Bad regardless of price. Pass entirely. No

At MSRP. Excited to crack open.

This bottle has been out for a while now, and it's probably been reviewed a hundred times by people with far more refined palates and a much better ability to articulate what they're tasting. But I'm excited to share my own take on it anyway!

As a Little Book fan, this one was instantly on my radar. (Hot take, but Chapter 8 might be in my Whiskey Top 10) I got lucky finding it at MSRP, and then kept it shelved for a year waiting for a celebration or milestone worthy of opening it. Nothing ever quite felt big enough.

I eventually ended up opening it with a group of friends, and honestly, that is as good enough reason as any.

Cheers!
_________________________________________________

Little Book — The Infinite: Edition 1 (2024)
Distillery: Jim Beam
Age: Blend of bourbons aged 7–20 years
Mashbill: Undisclosed blend
-Booker Noe’s Component: Aged 20 years
-Fred Noe’s Component: Aged 14 years
-Freddie Noe’s Component: Aged 7 years
-Shared Family Component: Aged 8 Years
Proof: 119.3
Cost: $200 MSRP
Taken neat and rested 10 minutes (bottle is half empty)

Nose: Very rich right off the bat. Oak leads, followed by honey and caramel settling in underneath. To me, there are hints of peanut too, subtle, but once you notice it, it sticks around.

Palate: Similar to that of Bookers and most Beam products, but elevated. Instantly met with the familiar nuttiness. Caramel and vanilla lingers throughout. I've seen other reviews mention orange zest, but I'm not getting any fruit. No complaints about what is there though. Rich and full without being overwhelming.

Finish: Long, but in the best way. Honey roasted peanut stays with you, and there's a baking spice quality that rounds it out at the end. There is a kind of finish that makes you want to keep coming back.

Verdict: Recommended Buy
$200 is always hard to justify, and I won't pretend Beam and the broader whiskey market don't know exactly what they're doing with the "limited annual release" or "Premiums" playbook. But strip all that away and what's in the bottle genuinely earns it. Hands down, the whiskey delivers. If you can find it at MSRP, don't overthink it.

My scores would be meaningless, so keeping the same rating scale from my last review: essentially a Buy or Don't Buy scale.
_________________________________________________

The Verdict Scale:

Class of Its Own
Exceptional quality at almost any price. Instant buy, no hesitation.

Recommended Buy
Great taste, great value. Easy yes.

On the Fence
Enjoyable but the price gives you pause. Worth a pour, hesitant to commit to a bottle.

Do Not Recommend
Expensive and/or underwhelming. I would still drink it, but not something I'd buy again.

Drain Pour
Bad regardless of price. Pass entirely

I got into whiskey during COVID, like a lot of people who suddenly had too much time and too little to do. My journey started with humble beginnings, trying whatever was recommended at my local liquor store. That turned into regular bourbon hunts for things like Blanton's, Colonel Taylor, Eagle Rare, etc. Recently, my journey has taken me into a phase of comfortability. I stopped caring so much about what was hard to get and started paying more attention to what was actually good. But don’t get me wrong, I still love hunting and want to try as much whiskey as I can.

This is my first attempt at an official review, so please be kind.

And what better bottle to start with than one from practically my backyard. Ironically, I grew up 20 minutes from the Ben Holladay Distillery, but didn’t visit until after I’d moved four hours away.

Cheers!

_________________________________________________

Ben Holladay — Ancient Cave Collection | Soft Red Wheat
Aged 7 years, 6 months (final 6 months finished in French Oak, Sweet 2 Toast, Char 1 barrels)
Mashbill: Soft Red Wheat
Proof: 100
Cost: $50
Taken neat and rested 5-10 minutes (I didn’t put a timer on it, sorry)

Nose: Approachable and on the sweeter side, maple syrup upfront, settling into something closer to caramel toffee. There's some fruit sweetness underneath that I couldn't quite pin down, but it's there. (Nose is a work in progress for me, happy to hear how others really develop that sense)

Palate: Viscous/velvety mouthfeel. Leads with a soft red fruit note, cherry being the most prominent. Nothing or overpowering. Easy to sip.

Finish: Shorter than I like and light on the "Kentucky Hug," but not empty. The French oak finishing barrels do show up here, nutmeg, allspice, and a touch of cinnamon linger right at the end.

Verdict: On the Fence, but leaning Buy
This won't knock your socks off, but it's a genuinely pleasant sipper that's easy to enjoy without overthinking it. At $50 and a rotating distillery exclusive I lean towards buy.
If you're doing the Ben Holladay tour, pick one up.

My scores would be meaningless, so switching the ratings up a bit: essentially a Buy or Don’t Buy scale.
_________________________________________________

The Verdict Scale:

Class of Its Own
Exceptional quality at almost any price. Instant buy, no hesitation.

Recommended Buy
Great taste, great value. Easy yes.

On the Fence
Enjoyable but the price gives you pause. Worth a pour, hesitant to commit to a bottle.

Do Not Recommend
Expensive and/or underwhelming. I would still drink it, but not something I’d buy again.

Drain Pour
Bad regardless of price. Pass entirely.

Snagged this for $179 at Total Wine. Cannot wait to try.