Here's another write-up from a whiskey tasting I participated in last night. You can find the backstory and links to the previous tastings at the end of this post but the TLDR; version is a local group of us from /r/bourbon banded together to help each other sourcing booze and also to get together once in a while for blind tastings.
Our last tasting category was budget bourbons $20 or under. While that's a fun category it's not necessarily that challenging as there is no danger of picking Jim Beam over Old Rip Van Winkle. To bring some excitement back into our tastings we decided on an anything goes category with a restriction on previous winners. Our hope was that we would get a mix of bourbons across the board. Each of us submitted a bunch of options to /u/Hispes who then picked out our lineup. Here's how things went on my end:
- Sample E: The nose wasn't great. I got the most alcohol here which I think is due to it being the highest proof. The taste was worlds better though and this was by far the clear number one. There was a lot of complexity but most importantly I could easily pinpoint the classic Four Roses mint. I was guessing this was either private selection OE recipe or small batch.
- Sample D: My second through fourth spots were pretty blurry and hard to pick. I also had a real problem with D because there was some slight soap remnants in my glass and I kept smelling them when nosing. On the nose I was finally able to get some light fruit and on the palate I got some darker sweets. I had no clue what this one was but somehow kept feeling the soap was clouding my perception of it and it was better than my current pour.
- Sample A: This one had the best nose of the bunch. At first I thought it was very OFBB '13 reminiscent but a touch sweeter and more oak. There was also lots of butterscotch once it cooled off. On the taste there was lots of oak and syrupy cola. My guess was this was a Brown Forman product, possibly Michter's.
- Sample C: The nose here was sweet and fruity. The taste had lots of minty rye and cinnamon. When I came back to it though I got some notes I didn't really care for like bananas and possibly even some peanut which made me think it might be in the Jim Beam family. This was originally my 3rd but fell after I got the banana nut notes.
- Sample B: One whiff of the nose and I knew this was my submission. It smelled young with hot ripe bananas and green oak. The taste was thin cola, oaky, and charcoal.
So the reveal, based on my rankings:- Sample E: Four Roses 2012 Small Batch Limited Edition
- Sample D: Russell's Reserve Small Batch
- Sample A: Barterhouse
- Sample C: Smooth Ambler Old Scout 10 year
- Sample B: Jack Daniels Old No. 7
I nailed the Four Roses but was very surprised to find out it was the 2012 LE. In hindsight from my notes Barterhouse really should have been my number two. It had a lot more favorable qualities and I even put down a higher score for it. I'm not surprised by the Smooth Ambler 10 year ranking - having had many variants of the private selections I've always preferred the higher rye 8 and 9 year to the older lower rye 10 year. The Russell's Reserve was a wildcard for me since I've never had it and don't have much experience with the Wild Turkey family in general.
As for the group:
- Four Roses 2012 Small Batch Limited Edition submitted by /u/helio7 with 33 points
- Barterhouse submitted by /u/werdx with 30 points
- Smooth Ambler Old Scout 10 year submitted by /u/dannyg483 with 26 points
- Russell's Reserve Small Batch submitted by /u/docjones12 with 20 points
- Jack Daniels Old No. 7 submitted by /u/signde with 11 points
Once again, no surprises here. I'm pretty impressed our group's ability to nail these submissions blind. This was a really fun category and one I think we will revisit a few times. Hat's off to /u/Hispes for another fantastic lineup.
As usual once the blind tasting was over we broke out some other things to share.
- Willett XCF: Very, very good. I am still unhappy about the price but I don't regret buying it now. It's unlike any other whiskey I've ever had and the craveability there is very high.
- Belle Meade 9yr Sherry Finished: Wasn't that impressed with it. It's not nearly as interesting as other sherry finished scotch I've had and overpriced at $80. It's okay, not great. I think I will tire of it as the bottle does down.
- George T. Stagg 2014: Initial opinion is that it is not as good as 2012 but better than 2013. I will say my opinion of the 2013 has grown by leaps and bounds as the bottle winds down.
- William Larue Weller 2014: Mind-blowingly good. The perfect bourbon. Everyone felt the same way. My 100/100.
- Laphroaig 25: Delightful. Tasted side by side with the 18 and the 25 was creamier with more intricate, subtle smokiness.
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