u/singlemaltbourbonrye

Specs:

ABV: 71.4%

Age: 15 years and 4 months

Distillery: Buffalo Trace (BTAC)

MSRP: $149.99

Price Paid: $299.99

Release/Batch: 2025

Nose: Brown Sugar upfront. Dense caramel drizzled in chocolate. Charred oak and powdered sugar on second pass with some nice cherry.

Palate: Theres a fantastic viscosity and the cherry shines on the palate. Make it chocolate covered cherry. If you let it sit on your tongue the fresh juicy cherries turn to sort of candy cherry. There’s a nice heat but it absolutely doesn’t seem like it’s 71.4%.

Finish: Here’s where it earns its keep. The heat turns up and you get a fabulous long finish with more of that cherry in the candied stage. Red hots sort of. Wonderful oak and leather notes. It fades to black pepper and gives you a beautiful hug.

9.0/10

This is just a phenomenal bottle of whiskey and it earns its reputation. I believe it’s 1A or 1B in the BTAC lineup probably just a little behind WLW most years, although 2025 specifically I’d give it to GTS by an inch.

This is a special review for me because I’m about to embark on a long run and lift weights early tomorrow morning after a period of getting a little out of shape. I’m doing one of those 30 day dry spells along with better eating etc to jump start my 40 something year old metabolism. So this pour is meant to stick with me for 30 days. Haha

Also, the beautiful bottle hidden in the box in the background will likely be my next review in 30 days or so. So I’ve got that to look forward to.

This single barrell was bottled in late 2025 or early 2026. It’s bottle 46/81.

This would be Willett distillate that was distilled in 2014 or 2015.

I’m pretty sure this is Willett’s high rye mash bill.

ABV: 61.4%

Nose: Sweet oak up front. There’s a hint of orange peel and just the faintest of mint scent. I get something like sticky toffee pudding too. In fact, that sticky toffee pudding starts to dominate eventually as it sits.

Palate: there’s nearly zero mint (which I consider a good thing). It’s a very buttery mouthfeel. Almost syrupy. Pleasant cinnamon and cracked black pepper. The syrupy bit transitions to like almost a hot chocolate flavor. There’s the faintest herbal note and a bit of fig Newton.

Finish: I should’ve noted that the nose and taste are both sort of a feel that I’d guess was closer to 52-55% ABV than 61.4%. The mint that wasn’t there on the palate does present on the finish but more as menthol. I haven’t smoked a cigarettes in years, but this flavor takes me back to a Camel Crush for any of my degenerate millennial friends out there, this takes me back to like 2002. It’s nice and oaky and there’s a wonderful rye spice that’s sort of omnipresent. It’s a nice long finish that I’d describe as warm but not hot.

8.8/10

This is a wonderful bottle and I’m sad that I don’t have a cabinet full of them. But I look forward to sharing it with friends this Fall.

Age: 13 Years in Brooklyn at

Sourced whiskey (blend) from Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee

ABV: 46.5%

Bottled: 2024

Proofed down with limestone rich New York water.

Hyper Small Batch (just a few barrels)

Bottle No 1176

Price paid: $115 ~

Nose: Deep vanilla and the cherry really jumps out big time. This bottle has probably been open for 18 months or more and I hadn’t had a pour in awhile. The cherry has increased significantly. Also some sweet tobacco and oak.

Palate: strong oak. Maybe a little stronger than I’d prefer. The texture is very nice and creamy. It’s a little nutty and brown sugary. A light hint of citrus.

Finish: it’s a short finish. Very sweet and dessert like on the finish. Lots of brown sugar.

Rating: 6.0/10

This is a decent bottle of whiskey. I actually think it got better with time. However, for nearly $120, I’ve had much better. I would say it’s not my cup of tea but it’s certainly not bad.

I read the tasting notes for this batch after writing this and it talked about pecan pie on the palate. In a million years I wouldn’t have come up with that, but I absolutely can see it as I’m finishing this glass off and reading the notes.

Austin Nichols Archives Gold Foil Edition

Age: 16 Years

ABV: 60%. This is not cask strength. It came out of the barrel at like 74% sonit was proofed down a wee bit.

Mash bill: Classic Turkey 75/13/12

Limited Series: The Austin Nichols Archives replaces the Master’s Keep Series. This bottle is supposed to be the last one composed entirely of distillate from the Austin Nichols distillery, according to Bruce.

Rickhouses: Camp Nelson D, E, and F.

Non chill filtered

Price Paid: I got two bottles, one at MSRP ($400) via lottery and a second for $650 at a liquor store, so let’s call it $550. Bottle number 1 is going to be shared next month at a Wild Turkey tasting that I am hosting. That’ll knock out a lot of the bottle. I plan to save the second bottle for a few years so we can revisit this greatness.

There’s not much else to say about this one. Obviously it’s a throwback to the cheesy gold foil, which, if you’ve been fortunate enough to sip - holy fuck balls.

Nose: Definitely doesn’t burn you up like 120 proof sometimes does. If we want to compare it to RR13? Certainly less heat on the nose. I get fantastic sweet oak and cinnamon up front. On second pass there’s some of that wet oak Turkey funkiness for sure. Everyone gets some type of cola here. For me it’s like cherry Dr Pepper on the nose.

Palate: The Cherry Dr Pepper turns into Coca Cola for me. Maybe cherry coke. Very dark black cherry. It’s got nice viscosity too. More cinnamon. There’s a little tangy clove flavor that is kind of hiding in the background. This will sound negative but it’s not - I get some faint hint of something like furniture polish. I just don’t have the right word for it. This really emerges as you let it sit in your tongue. There more fruit as well. Maybe blackberry?

Finish: Immaculate. It’s smooth and warming and lingering at once. There’s a new note here that is kind of an orange peel. I get a fantastic buttery brown sugar that you might get on a breakfast pastry. Pleasant classic turkey leather and oak - nice age but not too much and not overdone. I wonder if 15-16 years is the ultimate sweet spot for Wild Turkey because this and RR15 are two of the top 5-10 bottles of the decade as far as I’m concerned.

9.4/10

I’m sort of an “anti-secondary” guy but if you can find one of these for $600 ~ or less I really think it’s worth it because once they’re gone they’re gone and the 100% Austin Nichols distillate angle is something that will never exist again. If you decide you want one of these in a couple of years, I suspect they’ll be $1500 minimum and that’ll just be that. I absolutely can’t wait to share this one with some friends - I cracked it on my own tonight to do the review.

Four roses: OESK v OESF

OESF Single barrel store pick from Colonial Wine and Spirits in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Mash bill E: 75% Corn 20% Rye 5% Malted Barley

Yeast Strain: K

Age: 9 years and 10 months

ABV: 63.2%

OESF Single Barrel store pick from the Austin Shaker in Austin, Texas.

Mash bill E: 75% Corn 20% Rye 5% Malted Barley.

Yeast Strain: F.

Age: 10 Years.

ABV: 62.5%

Colonial OESK

Nose: Rich baking spices and toasted oak. A bit earthy. Bits of cinnamon on the end. Slight undertones of white chocolate and brown sugar. Dark fruits. The ethanol is present toward the end of the sniff, too.

Palate: The taste is more muted than I’d have expected. it tastes way lower than 120 proof. Bits of very dark cherry. There’s a milky mouthfeel. Almost plastic-like. There’s some definite spice notes though. This one seems like it would be more than 20% rye.

Finish: Excellent long finish with cocoa and and more of than cinnamon and oak from the palate.

7.1/10

Austin Shaker OESF

Nose: much lighter. The ethanol just isn’t there. There are light floral notes. Cherry. Maybe the lightest smell of mint chocolate chip. The mint gets stronger with every pass. There’s definite aromas of honey, too.

Palate: The honey continues from the palate. Like the OESK the taste is way below the proof. The mint comes later and overtakes the honey. There’s a bit of a grassy type taste that is followed by a note of vanilla bean.

Finish: Here’s where you’re reminded that it’s cask strength. This is a long warming wonderful punchy finish. Mint is the strongest flavor. Again, if I were blinding this I’d think it was more than 20% rye.

6.0/10

I’ve really enjoyed exploring a little bit of Cedar Ridge Whiskey this year. I got my first bottle of cask strength bourbon somewhere when I was traveling earlier this year. It was absolutely phenomenal. So when I came across this store pick when visiting New England with my family last month, I had to grab it. Cedar Ridge isn’t available in my state so I’m willing to take a flyer on a fairly cheap bottle that sounds interesting, from a distillery that I trust.

ABV: 57.85%

Mash Bill: 85% rye (largely malted rye); 12% Iowa Corn; and 3% Malted Barley.

Age Statement: NAS but it’s straight rye, so it’s at least 4 years old, I believe.

Price paid: $48.95.

Barrel No: PR.2023.08.

Finish: Port barrel (for how long, I don’t know).

Nose: I’m immediately reminded of the nose of a fantastic Speyside single malt which is also finished in port casks: Balvenie 21 with raisins and plums. There’s cherry. A bit of rye spice. There’s a little oak. It’s definitely punchier than the initial reminders of Balvenie.

Palate: Thick molasses mouthfeel. More of the cherry and raisins from the palate. It’s complex though and the rye notes and the malt do come through - including rye spice and pepper but also a bit of malted chocolate. The flavors are full but it’s not as punchy as it might be at 58%~.

Finish: Once again with the ghost of the cousin of that Balvenie 21. This is uncanny! It is dry and warming - the finish is longer and warmer than the Balvenie but still reminiscent. There’s oak and cinnamon and the very faintest hint of mint, as well.

Cedar Ridge isn’t available really blowing me away. These young whiskies really hit home. I’m guessing these guys will thrive and grow and start to have some truly phenomenal 10 year whiskey at some point.

7.0/10

I have got to get to Iowa and visit this place one day.

For the uninitiated, Neeley is a pretty young Kentucky distillery. They opened in Sparta, KY in 2015. They claim to be in the 11th generation of distilling and they’re wholly family owned. As far as I can tell, most of the family distilling history was illicit, at least since prohibition (up until 2015). It’s a sweet mash, jug yeast, copper pot (triple) distilled bourbon.

In addition to the triple distillation in pot stills, the unique family yeast strain, and the sweet mash (all pretty unique as far as Kentucky bourbon in 2026 goes), they also use open Cypress fermenters (kind of like dusty turkey).

This is a single barrel Kentucky Straight (wheated) Bourbon.

Mash Bill: 68% Corn / 19% Wheat / 13% Malted Barley.

ABV: 53.9%

Nose: Sweet corn. There’s something that I can’t quite describe that reminds me of a lot of Lowlands single malt scotch on the nose, too. I can’t put my finger on it. Chocolate.

Palate: Honey and chocolate are the dominant flavors. It’s a nice oily mouthfeel. Maybe graham crackers. A bit of raspberry.

Finish: It’s a solid medium-warm finish. It kind of comes back after fading off a bit and gives you a slight burn. More honey. Black pepper fades with the burn.

This is my first experience with Neeley. I am not going to write a novel here but suffice it to say that the history is interesting - check it out! I’ll definitely be trying another pour or two of other offerings at some point. If I can make it work on a future trip to Kentucky, I’ll consider visiting.

6.3/10

95/5 MGP.

ABV: 52.96%

Nose: Cinnamon and baking spice. Mint in the background. A bit of oak and earthiness.

Palate: Caramel and rye sieve with some pleasant charred oak.

Finish: Long and pleasant but more mint than I like. Almost like a stick of spearmint gum. The barrel proof spice is nice and there’s some caramel and oak but the mint overwhelms more than I prefer.

6.8/10

Bottle: Castle & Key 6 Year Small Batch Bourbon

Mash Bill: 73% white corn, 10% rye, and 17% malted barley.

ABV: 50.5%

I grabbed this one in the airport the other day because it was really cheap. I wish I could remember the actual price but it was sub MSRP. I wonder if it was mis-priced honestly.

Anyway - for those of you who have been following Castle & Key, this isn’t their oldest age statement yet but it’s still a milestone as it’s the oldest for this mashbill and of their core products. I believe that by 2030 Castle & Key will widely be recognized as one of Kentucky’s best distilleries. As that happens and market consolidation continues, it’ll be interesting to see whether the family ultimately ends up selling to one of the big boys. Until then - I highly recommend visiting their distillery in Frankfort.

Nose: Heavy Caramel upfront. Some floral notes in the background.

Palate: apples and orange peel. Light alcohol. Cinnamon. Maybe a bit more caramel or thick molasses.

Finish: the cinnamon turns to lighter baking spices and maybe shortbread. The orange peel becomes more orange candy adjacent. Pepper. It’s a medium finish that leaves a bit to be desired.

6.7/10

This is a good bottle and I’m going to be excited to continue following Castle and Key.

Distiller: JT Meleck (Louisiana)

Mash bill: 100% Louisiana Rice

ABV: 59%

Price paid: $58

For those who haven’t gotten to try any JT Meleck, it’s interesting, unique, and quite tasty. The higher proof bottles are even better. I’m not sure whether this is cask strength or not. It just says “high proof.”

Nose: Caramel and butterscotch are the overwhelming scents. There’s also a slight hint of fruit and oak.

Palate: very rich with a creamy mouthfeel. The caramel continues to shine with a bit of hard candy type taste. Slight baking spices. Maybe a hint of citrus or orange peel

Finish: medium length. Nice and warm. There’s a hint of cinnamon and almost mildly like a red hot. Light floral notes. The finish is the first time you notice that it’s 58%.

6.9/10.

Really good bottle at the price point and it’s an interesting addition to anyone’s home bar due to the Louisiana rice angle.

Bottle: Hirsch “The Lost Horizon” from the “Selected Whiskies” Series

Barrels: 6 and 8 (micro batch)

Age: 8 years and 5 months

ABV: 59.6%

Mashbill: 75% Corn 21% Rye 4% Malted Barley

This is a group pick bottle done in conjunction with Julio’s in Westborough, MA

I stopped into Julio’s, as I do when driving through New England sometimes and kind of bought this one on a whim. I got to sip a sample and I really liked it. I’ve generally liked Hirsch stuff in the past, too so I figure this one had potential.

Price paid: $99

Tasted in a random hotel water glass because I picked this up while traveling for work and I don’t have to fly home, so I decided to crack it.

Nose: Chocolate and Toffee. Light hints of corn syrup or something similar? Walnuts. Light ethanol. Tobacco. Very light baking spices.

Palate: more chocolate and toffee with rich caramel. Very creamy. A bit of cinnamon and pepper. Light oak. And some definite cherry.

Finish: Fabulous warm and lingering. Oak and tobacco. I get a hint of something like slightly burnt popcorn. There’s some lingering sweetness. The finish is the first time you realize that this is a fairly high proof dram.

8.0/10

This is a fantastic and memorable bottle. I look forward to sharing it with friends.

What is this release? This morning Four Roses released the first of the annual Anthology Release. It’s the oldest Four Roses Release ever. There were about 1,100 bottles released and it sold out this morning. Some folks got in line at midnight. There was considerable shuffling of policy - at first they weren’t going to allow anyone in until 6:00 am. Ultimately they opened the gates at midnight. I arrived around 4:00 am and was about number 500 ~ in line.

Recipe: OBSF.

Proof: 105 proof. Note that there were different barrels as part of the release ranging from 103 proof, I believe to 122 proof. My tasting was at the bar. I tasted the 52.5% ABV bottle because that’s what they had at the bar. The bottle I took home was 106 proof. Some might say I got the bad end of the stick not getting a higher proof bottle. But I’m not as much of a proof hound as I once was - and the lower proof let the oak and distillate shine. It was NOT overpacked like some 18+ year bourbons can be. I’m assuming my 106 proof bottle will be pretty similar to the 105 proof pour I got this morning, but I’ll review my bottle when I open it in a few weeks.

Price paid: $550 MSRP. Before I cleared the front of the line I saw them online for $1500. Fucking flippers.

Nose: Brown sugar overwhelmingly on the nose. Maybe like burnt brown sugar bordering on crème brûlée adjacent notes. Light ethanol notes in the background. Earthy baking spice. Definite notes of apricot on second pass. Official notes call for mint. I didn’t get that.

Palate: Nice glassy mouthfeel. There was a pleasant swirl of vanilla and spicy cinnamon. A hint of honey. The creamy oak was amazing.

Finish: Just amazing. Especially for a somewhat lower proof. It really warms you and makes you smile. It’d be a great pour on a crisp Fall day (which it ironically felt like this morning in Lawrenceburg). There’s classic oak and leather with lingering dark fruits. I can’t emphasize how warming and pleasant this was for the proof.

9.2/10

Absolutely lives up to the hype for me. I’ll be really interested to see what I think once I crack mine and let it settle.