Imaginary Internet Friends Blind Tasting #13: Anything Goes

Here’s another rundown from a blind tasting with our local whiskey group the “Imaginary Internet Friends”. You can read more of the backstory on our group and our previous tastings here if you are curious. The theme for this tasting was a group favorite “anything goes” with no constraints on whiskey type, price, proof, or age. Special thanks to /u/tvraisedme for being our blind impartial who selected a great lineup.

 

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

1. Sample E: The nose was a fairly average but classic with medium woodiness and also a nice fruitiness. The taste was spicy with lots of mint and was a bit warm. I guessed it was a Four Roses around 105-110 proof with my alternate guess being Smooth Ambler Old Scout. Reveal: Four Roses /r/bourbon OBSF
2. Sample A: The nose was very woody and gave off an impression of being fairly old. The taste was rich, sweet, and a tad spicy. Very good and only a slight notch below my first pick. My guess was this was a higher rye bourbon around 100 proof, possibly Smooth Ambler. Reveal: Weller 12
3. Sample B: Overall, this one smelled and tasted the youngest of the group. The nose was spicy but also had a lot of youthful banana notes. The taste continued the young trend with green apple notes as well as more spice. Because of the young age and spice I suspected this was my submission (WTRB). Reveal: Henry McKenna 10 year Bottled in Bond
4. Sample C: Again pretty young, the second youngest in the group. The nose was very spicy with slight off-putting chemical notes. The taste was slightly more mature but very spicy. I guessed it was a barely legal rye or high rye bourbon around 100-110 proof. Reveal: Wild Turkey Rare Breed WT-03RB
5. Sample D: The nose was awesome on the first pass. It smelled old with a deep woodiness. On a second pass things took a horrible turn towards the bitter side along with very pronounced old musty wood notes. The taste was more of the same - way too bitter and funky in a bad way. I guessed this was an Orphan Barrel other than Barterhouse. Reveal: 2013 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

Well, no real surprises here for me as this is exactly how I would have ranked these non-blind. As always, the Four Roses was easy to peg. I’m most disappointed I missed the Weller 12 but I didn’t get the classic cinnamon zip I typically get in BT wheated products though it goes to show that wheated bourbons have a spiciness all of their own that can be hard to differentiate from rye spice. The biggest surprise here for me is just how young the McKenna tasted - I would have guessed this was a 6-ish year old bourbon. Definitely the worst McKenna 10 year I’ve had and reinforces variability of single barrel products. Last but not least, I’m well on record as saying I really dislike the OFBB line and I believe this is the second blind tasting where I’ve placed it last.

As for the group rankings:

1. Four Roses /r/bourbon OBSF with 22 points via /u/dannyg483
2. Weller 12 with 17 points via /u/Imcoolerthanu50
3. Henry McKenna 10 year Bottled in Bond with 15 points via /u/pennbarts
4. 2013 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon with 11 points via /u/helios7
5. Wild Turkey Rare Breed WT-03RB with 10 points via /u/signde

No surprises here as it seems to line-up pretty well with the consensus of the community. The most interesting thing to note is this the 5th tasting where Four Roses has been entered and the 4th time It has taken first place. The fifth time was one of the controversial Q recipes that finished last (though I rated it first, haha). Above all else, this tasting only further solidifies the fact that Four Roses really is the best modern day bourbon you can buy off the shelf.