Imaginary Internet Friends Blind Tasting #9: Barrel Proof Bourbons

As some of you know, we have a local whiskey group here in Nashville called the “Imaginary Internet Friends”. In addition to helping each other source booze locally, we get together about once a month for blind tastings. Last night marks our ninth tasting together and is also our one year anniversary so we decide to make this one a little special. We’ve talked about doing this since the very beginning but finally worked up the courage for a barrel proof theme. Our only rule for the night was bourbon with a proof greater than 107. Special thanks to /u/harry_fjord for being our blind impartial and selecting the lineup. I think you will see he picked a good one.

Here are my notes, in order of how I ranked them:

• Sample C The nose was fruity and sweet with spicy mint and slight furniture polish. I thought it was the best nose. The taste was spicy and sweet and not very woody. Guess: Four Roses Private Selection, perhaps OESK.
• Sample A The nose was woody and hot. It was definitely the highest proof whiskey here. I also go some dark fruit notes. The taste was deeply rich, slightly woody, and cinnamon spicy. Again very hot but very tasty. Guess: Stagg, Buffalo Trace for sure.
• Sample B Nose smelled awesome. It was sweet and smooth with not a lot of heat. The taste was very woody and dry with some heat spice. I got some banana and nut notes through which threw me off. The nut notes tricked me into thinking this was in the Beam family so along with the heat I guessed this was my submission, Booker’s.
• Sample E The nose was dull compared to the others with some woody and rye pine notes. The taste was sweet but seemed young with more of the piney cinnamon rye notes. My first guess was Makers but then I backed off that. Second taste I thought maybe Rare Breed but then backed off that too. I had no idea what this was.
• Sample D The nose was very young / raw with fruity banana notes and lots of heat. The taste was more of the same - hot, fruity, and young. On a second round I got typical Beam nutty yeast notes so along with the youngness I guessed this was Old Grand Dad 114.

So the reveal, in the order I ranked them:

• Sample C Four Roses OESQ (Liquor Barn Selected), submitted by /u/werdx
• Sample A William Larue Weller, submitted by /u/docjones12
• Sample B Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (Batch 5), submitted by /u/imcoolerthanu50
• Sample E Smooth Ambler Old Scout (Red Dog Selected), submitted by /u/tvraisedme
• Sample D Booker’s (Big Man, Small Batch), submitted by /u/signde

Number one and two were very close for me. I knew that number one was likely a big boy Buffalo Trace bottle and while it probably tasted the best I went with my heart which always sides with Four Roses. In hindsight I should have known with the heat and cinnamon that A was Weller and not Stagg but tasting this many high proof whiskeys in one night is rough on the palate. I’m kind let down I pegged ECBP for my Booker’s submission but that goes to show how preconceived notions can mess with your head (it was the only bottle I knew was present). Other than the bad guess on ECBP I’m pretty happy with my rankings - I feel it’s pretty spot on with how I would ranking them non-blind with the exception of Weller being #1.

As for the group rankings:

• Sample A William Larue Weller with 25 points
• Sample A Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (Batch 5) with 24 points
• Sample D Booker’s (Big Man, Small Batch) with 15 points
• Sample E Smooth Ambler Old Scout (Red Dog Selected) with 14 points
• Sample C Four Roses OESQ (Liquor Barn Selected) with 12 points

As a group, the William Larue was easily the crowd favorite. Most guessed Stagg but I think one person guessed Weller. I’m both surprised and not surprised by the Four Roses finishing last but the Q is by far the most polarizing yeast strain in their lineup. I’m personally a big fan as it’s one of my favorites but it’s been obvious to me for a while now that I am in the minority on it. This tasting was by far the most challenging but also the most fun - truly an all star lineup here.

As usual after the tasting, we broke into some killer bottles. Notable items from the night: Heaven Hill Select Stock, George T. Stagg 2011, Willett Family Estate 12 yr #837, Willett Family Estate 13 yr #392, Colonel Taylor Cured Oak. I wanted to get my first impressions of the cured oak up but that will have to wait until tomorrow. The real highlight for me were two beers - Bourbon County Backyard Rye and Bourbon County Vanilla Rye. I’m not as heavy into beers as bourbon but those were easily the two best beers I’ve ever had.