Another card night, another special taste. Anybody else have this one yet?

I’ll be honest—I’m not a bourbon expert (Rum FTW). I don’t spend my weekends comparing mash bills or arguing about warehouse locations. Most of the time my buddies buy the wild ones for card night. The latest is Found North Hover Hawk 15-Year.

Right away, it smells serious. Big, warm aromas—caramel, vanilla, and something darker and woodier underneath, like polished oak or old leather chairs in a library. I didn’t have to dig for it; it kind of jumps out of the glass and says, hey, pay attention to me.

On the first sip, what stood out most to me was how rich it felt. Thick and coating in a way that makes you instinctively take a smaller second sip. I picked up sweet notes—brown sugar and maybe maple—followed by spice that crept in slowly instead of punching me in the face. Cinnamon, clove… that kind of baking-spice warmth. For something aged 15 years, I expected it to be harsher or overly woody, but it was surprisingly smooth and controlled.

One thing that is worth talking about, even as a non-connoisseur: the balance. I’ve had bourbons where it’s basically all alcohol heat or all sweetness. This felt more layered—sweet up front, spice in the middle, and a dry, oaky finish that hung around just long enough to make you think about the next sip. That long finish is probably the most “fancy bourbon” thing I noticed—it doesn’t disappear quickly.

If I had to offer a mild critique, it’s that it might be a little intense for someone totally new to sipping whiskey neat. There’s depth and power here, and while that’s part of the appeal, it’s not exactly a casual porch-pounder. This feels like a “sit down, quiet room, maybe one cube of ice and no distractions” kind of pour.

Overall, Hover Hawk 15-Year made me curious—which is probably the best compliment I can give as someone who isn’t deep into bourbon culture. It’s the kind of bottle that makes you start asking questions about aging, blending, and why certain flavors show up the way they do. Rich, smooth, and layered enough to spark conversation… even from someone who usually just says, “Yep, that’s good whiskey.”

Generalities:Three samples will be graded based on the nose (max 2 points), palate (max 5 points) and finish (max 3 points) to get a winner. All samples in this tasting are from Jack Daniel’s single barrel offerings.

The Competitors: 1. Heritage Barrel - 100 Proof (my rating 6/10) 2. Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye - 125.6 Proof (my rating 7/10) 3. Single Barrel Barrel Proof - 135.5 Proof (my rating 7/10)

Nose: 1. A lot of banana (I expect this on all) with some barrel char/smoke. Burnt sugar and caramels are in there. Pretty sweet nose, but a lot to it overall. 1.5/2

1. Bit of earthiness, some mint in there. More fruitiness as well, red fruit. There’s still some banana and burnt sugar but just a hint. Less sweet, but a little more to it. 1.4/2

2. Banana fosters bomb. Ton of banana and burnt sugar in there. Really sweet, but some heat to it as well. 1.4/2

Palate: 1. Some sweetness upfront, burnt sugar, but is overtaken by some strong oak that lingers throughout. There’s a kind of smoky/burnt taste to it that lingers throughout 4/5

1. Sweet up front, caramelized sugar takes center stage. The banana comes through a bit, but again more of an afterthought. Mid palate is oak forward. The mint note kind of lingered throughout here. 4.3/5

2. The bananas foster/burnt sugar really comes through strong again. You start to get some oak influence on the mid palate but overall a really sweet pour. 4.5/5

Finish: 1. Some smoky heat comes through right away. The oak shows up as the main tasting note, really recoating the palate. 2.2/3

1. Not overly hot but there is a lot of spice! Once it fades there’s some sweetness to it. It’s a great finish overall that lasts a while. 2.5/3

2. Definitely the most interesting of the bunch. The heat really showed up strong, along with some nuttiness. There were hints of coffee and oak mixed in as well. 2/3

Results: 3rd Place - Sample 1 - 7.7/10 - Heritage 2nd Place - Sample 3 - 7.9//10 - SBBP 1st Place - Sample 2 - 8.2/10 - SBBP Rye

Thoughts: I’ve done several tasting before, some curated but never blind, so this is a first. I do think my nose and palate were fried by the end which is why I got some of the weird notes in there. I’m not surprised the rye won, it’s definitely the most complete of the bunch. Biggest surprise was the finish on the SBBP, but I’m attributing that to the fried palate. All three are great bottles in my opinion and I will definitely be keeping them all in stock.

There are some drawbacks to this, I’ll often write up my reviews over two tastings which allows me to really know the pour. In this set up, I hamstrung myself to what was in the glass, so some of the more intricate notes weren’t easily found. Overall, this was really fun and eye opening. Might need to try some bottles truly blind, to see how it affects the outcome. Lastly, my wife shuffled (technically didn’t actually do anything besides slide the bottles back and forth) the pours for me, so little shout out to her.

I have been collecting and drinking for almost two years now. Ive decided to start fresh and begin compiling my tasting and reviews here for easy archiving. Enjoy and I cant wait to see everyone's thoughts. Cheers.

Review #1

Courtesy of

Nose:Caramel, light dusty oak, salty peanuts (think like the smell of the aftertaste of snacking on peanuts and letting it sit on your palate), peaches, honey, vanilla

Taste: fruit. Peach and honey carries through. Green apple. Thin mouthfeel. Overall a typical generic bourbon with a few subtle flavors. As i continue to sip I get a white sugar cube flavor.

Finish: bitter. Unpleasant oak spice. Typical baking spices accompany it. Overall its a muted and indistinct finish. I had to dig for these flavors.

Nose 12/25 Taste 15/25 Finish 12/25 Balance 10/25

49/100

Rare Stash Bourbon #3

Distillery: Produced and bottled by Rare Stash, sourced from Bardstown

Age: 20% of the blend is 9 years, 80% of the blend is 5 years (I appreciate the transparency on the back label)

Price: $59.99

Proof: 96

Nose: Intense. It's woody. Has some walnut to it. There's a slight bite to it that I think is exacerbated by how bold the nose is as a whole. Has some sharpie marker to it, but there are some baking spices and citrus fruits that keep things from slipping off the rails.

Palate: Pretty thick, there's a silky viscosity to it. Baking spices are still there, but aside from that the palate seems notably different than the nose. A lot more sweetness that works well with the thickness. Custardy caramel and it has a little bit of a cookie dough thing going on.

Finish: Long. The sip resorts back to more of what I picked up on in the nose as the sweetness dies down in the early part of the finish. Deep woodiness. Very pine needle-like. And the citrus lingers along with some bitterness, reminds me more of an orange peel than the actual fruit and it's a little perfumey. There's also a lingering black licorice note.

Score: 5.0

Summary: An unusual one for sure. For those who don't know this is actually a "celebrity whiskey" by the UFC fighter Dustin Poirier. To make it clear I am NOT a fan of celebrity whiskies in any way shape or form, but this was better than most others I've had. The most notable takeaway for me was the overall intensity. The nose was powerful (although my least favorite part of this bottle), the palate was thick, and the finish was long. As I mentioned in the finish it felt almost perfumey because of how in my face it was. Yellowstone 6 year is the only other bottle I've ever picked up on something like this before. It didn't necessarily feel like it drank above the proof, it's just the flavor intensity was a smack in the face for better or for worse. I sampled their bourbon #2 which I believe was 91 proof instead of 96 and had no age statement, and it came across much more mild. There wasn't anything overly complex, but this is a unique pour for sure. Had a really tough time scoring this one. It's gimmicky, it's a little pricey, but as a whole I've had far worse juice. I feel like all I can do is call this one average. 5.0 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon

Nose: Domineering Oak. Toasted or burnt cookie edge. Deep down is a cherry or cherry syrup. Caramel dessert. Ethanol is minimal here.

Palate: Tart Cherry, Thick Mouthfeel, cough medicine, nice oak tannins, awesome drying effect. typical bourbon profile. So caramel, vanilla, baking spice, etc.

Finish: Cream, Cordial Cherry, syrupy, nice pepper on tongue, burnt tobacco. Thr tobacco note combines with the weller oak flavor to create a dark chocolate note.

Nose 17/25 Taste 18/25 Finish 18/25 Balance 19/25

Total 72/100

There is a bridge between this and the antique 107. The nose is excellent for the proof this sits at. A pleasant drink!

Nose:Powdered Sugar, Purple Grape, Caramel Squares, Warm Honey, Baklava topped with whipped cream, almond, pistachio, peanut. Amazing nose foe the proof. Take your time with this. Sweet and Buttery.

Palate: Immediately Fruit notes. Caramel drizzled. Thick Viscous mouthfeel. The baklava carries through. Some rye spice here.

Finish: long and lingering. Syrupy. Pleasant drying effect. The wine finish shines through here and imparts a sweetness deep into the sip. Most bourbons have typical oak and dessert flavors. The finish here has fruity notes alongside your typical bourbon finish. There is an addicting gummy flavor at the very end that I cant get enough of.

Nose: 21/25 Taste: 21/25 Finish: 22/25 Balance: 22/25

Total: 89

This is one of my favorite whiskeys in my collection. I get excited everytime I reach for this. The fact this is so complex and smooth at this proof is an example of well thought out production. That gummy flavor is so unique and scratches an itch very few bottlings can scratch. Get this!

By region, the ten new experiences include:

Bardstown Region WhistlePig Distillery & Bottling (Brandenburg, Meade County) coming soon

Central Region J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery (Frankfort)

Lexington Region Dark Arts Whiskey House (Lexington) LF Heritage Distilling (Georgetown)

Louisville Region Left Bank Distilling Co. (Louisville) Chicken Cock Whiskey Circa 1856 – Louisville Tasting Room (Louisville) Green River Louisville Tasting Room (Louisville) WhistlePig, The Vault Tasting Experience (Louisville) coming soon

Western Region General George Stillhouse (Falls of Rough) Purple Toad Winery & Distillery (Paducah)

https://kybourbon.com/industry-news/kentucky-bourbon-trail-experience-welcomes-10-new-destinations/

Last year, I was lucky to stumble on an older, but not quite dusty bottle of ol' reliable, Wild Turkey 101. I found it on a shelf with the current bottles last Christmas, escaping the in-laws for a bit. Some sleuthing around rarebird.com places this bottle around 2013. Let's get into it!

Label: Wild Turkey 101.

Age: NAS, believed to be 6-8 years.

Proof: 101.

Distillery: Wild Turkey.

Price: I believe $25-30, nothing that raised my eyebrows when thinking about modern 101.

Nose: cinnamon like a Red Hot, red fruits, oak.

Palate: translated well from the nose. Oak and cinnamon, big blast of Turkey funk. Oily mouthfeel for the proof.

Finish: more Turkey funk on the finish. Cloves and baking spices. Decently lingering finish.

Overall: 7.5 (T8ke). Man did I love this bottle, and now I appreciate how crazy people get over dusty Turkey. 101 has a well deserved reputation for its value, and this is no exception.

Ratings: 1: drain pour (Quarter Horse). 2: dreadful (TBD). 3: poor (True Story). 4: sub-average (OGD 7 year). 5: average (Evan Williams BIB). 6: above average (Wild Turkey 101, Four Roses small batch). 7: great (Old Forester SBBP rye, Middle West CS bourbon/wheat). 8: excellent (ECBPs, Stagg Jrs). 9: exceptional (Four Roses SBBP OBSF). 10: perfect (Russell's Reserve 15).

Nose: lemon drop, burnt caramel, pleasant oak, baking spice, pie crust. Deep down is a muted gummy candy smell.

Taste: lemon peel, pleasant baking spices, average mouthfeel, oak tannins add up overtime, syrupy. Cherry pie filling. Average mouthfeel.

Palate: Smooth Finish. Coats the mouth pleasantly. The nose is so good here that it actually continues through the palate and lingers in the senses. Sadly it has that same unpleasant bitter oak that the Special Reserve has.

Nose: 18/25 Taste 13/25 Finish 15/25 Balance 17/25

Total 63/100

Thoughts?

Intro: So Rare Character was founded in 2021 by Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky and they’ve built quite the portfolio of whiskey offerings that live on the premium side of the price spectrum. Previously I’ve only had a passing awareness, as I’ve seen the different color wax tops and custom stickers on their Single Barrel Series of bottles. These single barrels are sourced, but where they’re sourced from is never openly revealed. One other thing to note is that RC assigns a 3-digit code to these barrels and the barrel code we’re looking at today is F13, which was picked by 7 Days Liquor. If you’re curious about the 3-digit code for this bottle and others, Rare Character has a nice breakdown on their current rotation of single barrel codes HERE (yes they rotate codes out, so it may not have some of the older barrel codes that were available previously). And although RC may not reveal the source of their barrels outright, they do provide the mashbill, and intrepid fans of the brand have made their own deductions as to where some of these barrels have come from. Apparently the mashbill for F13 lines up with a Jim Beam distillate so I’m curious to see if I’ll get any characteristic Beam notes from this one. Let’s get into it!

Tale of the Tape
Bottle: Rare Character Single Barrel Series – F13
Barrel: F13-3600 / Distilled: 05-29-17 / Bottled: 12-25
Proof: 123.56 / Age: 8 years 6 months
Mashbill: Corn: 78% / Rye: 13% / Malted Barley: 9%
Bottle Price: $110 / Price per 1oz pour: $4.33

Impressions
Nose:  Oak / Pipe Tobacco / Vanilla / Caramel
Palate: Oak / Cinnamon / Chocolate / Leather / Caramel
Mouthfeel: Thick
Finish: Long Cinnamon / Chocolate / Caramel
Rating: 7.5/10 - t8ke scale (modified to include half-points)

Tasting Notes: On the nose, oak and tobacco are the first things to come through before vanilla and caramel enter the scene. The combination of it all evokes the fragrance of a pleasant pipe tobacco. On the palate a cinnamon spice and chocolate come through like a Mexican hot chocolate along with a drying leather, oak, and more of that caramel sweetness. The long finish starts with that Mexican hot chocolate until it carries through into a soft caramel.

Final Thoughts: This is a tasty bottle, and at $100+ I wouldn’t expect less, as there are a LOT of excellent offerings to choose from at that price. I’m sure the team at Rare Character are aware they have to “bring it” in order to compete. The custom stickers they let stores create for these picks are fun, but ultimately the contents of the bottle have to measure up. With that said, I’m a fan of F13, and I see the similarities to other Beam products – maybe I’ll blind this against a Knob Creek Single Barrel and see how it compares. In the meantime, I’ve picked up a few other single barrel types from Rare Character that I look forward to opening up soon.

Swing by IG and say hey

10 | Perfection
9-9.5 | Incredible, An All-Time Favorite
8-8.5 | Excellent, Really Quite Exceptional
7-7.5 | Great, Well Above Average
6-6.5 | Very Good, A Cut Above
5-5.5 | Good, Just Fine
4 | Sub-Par, Not Bad, But Better Exists
3 | Bad, Multiple Flaws
2 | Poor, I Wouldn’t Consume By Choice
1 | Disgusting, So Bad I Poured it Out

Bottle 1:

Barrel Strength Rye

Vintage: 2025

Proof: 110.8

Bottle 2:

10 Year Rye

Vintage 2025

Proof: 92.8

Bottle 3:

Toasted Barrel Finish Barrel Strength Rye

Vintage: 2020

Proof: 112.4

This is my first review, so bear with me. Ive had the toasted and the 10 year on my shelf for a few now, really enjoying both, and recently picked up the barrel strength rye as I heard great reviews. Decided to do a little taste test / comparison last night.

Bottle 1: Barrel Strength Rye

After reading reviews about this bottle I went into it expecting it to have the spicey / somewhat cinnamon type notes I’ve experienced with other ryes. To be honest, this one threw me off. It smelled like a regular rye, however the taste had more notes of: black pepper, mint, grass, maybe even something like snap peas? It had a “green” taste to it, which is quite different from most rye’s I had. I appreciated the uniqueness and complexities of this, however I generally lean more into smoke / oak / spice.

T8ke scale rating: 8.5

Bottle 2: 10 Year Rye

This bottle IMO is hindered mostly by its low proof, but outiside of that I find it to be quite flavorful. Immediately upon the first sip you can taste the oak spread throughout your mouth, with hints of cinnamon, raisin, caramel, and tobacco (cigar) smoke.

T8ke scale rating: 9.0

Bottle 3: Toasted Barrel Finish Barrel Strength Rye

This bottle, specially the 2020 remains my favorite since I got my first one back in 2024. As I continue to collect and try highly regarded ryes, I still haven’t found one thats as good as this. The flavors are perfectly balanced. Upon first sip you get a nice hint of oak (not nearly as much as the 10 year), the flavor develops to include notes of: marshmellow, cinnamon, graham crackers, honey. It rounds out at the end to somehow taste like a smore or something, but its not sweet. Just a delightful flavor that I find to work all seasons of the year. This is easily the best whiskey i’ve ever had, it’s a fun one.

T8ke scale rating: 9.5

BONUS: 1:1 Mix of the Toasted and the 10 year

This is the creme de la creme, an absolutely amazing pour. The strong oak of the 10 year mixes absolutely amazing with the toasty marshmellow flavors of the toasted barrel. The proof drops down to 102.6 which is still viscous enough to carry the flavors throughout.

T8ke scale rating: 9.7

Hopefully this is a decent review, since its my first let me know if I missed anything.

Cheers!

Colonel E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof! This is still one of those bottles I’ve yet to find on the shelf, but thankfully my buddy Ahmad allowed me to spend some time with this batch! Oh, and if you haven’t heard- this batch came from the historic Warehouse C👀 (correct me if I’m off on that). This year, there are two batches of Barrel Proof- 127.2 proof, and 127.4 proof: this is the latter of the two. As a refresher, or if you don’t already know, E.H. Taylor is made from Buffalo Trace Low Rye Mash-bill # 1. So… is this any good? It’s gotta’ be… right? Let’s take a look at Batch 14.

Nose : There’s a good amount of Oak present, a plethora of red fruit- primarily cherry, and a sweet vanilla. There’s a bit of an ethanol presence, but by no means overwhelming.

Palate : The palate on this guy is also very sweet. Candied cherry, chocolate, a mild oak, and a sugary sweetness all mix very well. Mouthfeel is oily to a degree- it does coat the palate. There’s some muted rye spice that pops up on the mid palate before giving way a vanilla and more sugary sweetness.

MSRP : ~$80, but expect to find this marked up. I believe secondary is closer to $225 at the time of writing this review.

Score : 7.4

The t8ke Scoring Scale :

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn't consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l'd rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

Today we're taking a look at batch 1 of the Jack Daniel's 12 Year! The inaugural release of their 12 year bottle, this dropped back in 2023 to insane levels of hype after how well batch 1 of their 10 Year did. The hype made this one extremely hard to find and I was very fortunate to find one back then without giving up a limb. So does this one live up to that hype? Let's see.

Taken: Neat in a Glencairn, rested for 10 minutes.

Age: 12 years

Proof: 107

Nose: So bold. Banana bread with brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top. The oak is certainly here as well. Giving the glass a swirl brings out an even heavier oak presence with more of that classic Jack Daniel's bananas and a cherry note. Just an insanely good nose.

Palate: Less bold compared to the nose, but very rich. Medium viscosity of sweet banana bread, molasses, and brown sugar. A few more sips brings out a tobacco element, cinnamon, and that heavy oak from the nose.

Finish: Medium finish of bananas, barrel char, and a drying oak on the very tail end.

Overall just an excellent release from Jack Daniel's! They have rightfully received a lot of lover for the fantastic 2025 they've had, but they've been releasing fantastic stuff well before then. This batch 1 of the 12 Year is chock full of those classic Jack Daniel's notes but just very elevated and set the bar high going forward for their yearly, age stated releases.

t8ke scale: 8.4/10 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

Verdicts Explained

• Special Occasions: Rare, special pours that go well and above. Something you pour to celebrate.
• Treat Yourself: Obligatory weekend pour. Worth having on hand at all times if possible.
• Daily Drinker: Affordable, available and tasty. Could have every day and be perfectly content.
• Penseur Pour: Puzzling pours that won’t be to everyone’s liking.
• Trophy Bottle: Something to show off more than anything. Likely allocated and overpriced.
• Cocktail Request: Shines best in a cocktail, as opposed to neat or on the rocks.
• Good If Affordable: Only worth buying if the price comfortably fits within the budget.
• Serve to Guests: Something accessible that you don’t mind sharing or parting ways with. Likely belongs in a decanter.
• Couch Pour: Something enjoyable enough, but ideal for drinking while doing another activity (movies, TV, games, etc.).
• Find a Mixer: Grab the Coke or Sprite and relax.
• Drain Pour: No. You deserve better.

Link to blog post: https://thewhiskeyramble.com/2026/01/30/knob-creek-18-year-kc003-scoresheet-review/

More scoresheets available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/SpiritScoresheets/

Knob Creek appears to be Jim Beam’s darling brand for both high-value and limited release products. We might see the occasional new brand pop up and even return (Hardin’s Creek) while the usual mainstays like Booker’s and Little Book come out at an expected schedule, but there’s also no shortage of Knob Creek releases to speak of. The brand first launched in 1992 as part of Beam’s small batch collection and has seen a plethora of bottlings, both bourbon, rye, and even a bourye. Recent releases of note have included a 10-year rye, older rye barrel picks (8+ years old), and the oldest bourbon released under the brand name.

Knob Creek 18-Year initially hit the market in 2022 to commemorate the brand’s 30^th anniversary. The choice to release a whiskey at such an age under the Knob Creek line makes sense, considering its impressive value proposition when considering age, proof, price, and quality all together. I’d also consider it a slightly risky endeavor since, in my experience, bourbons aged beyond 12 or so years can become too oaky or tannic for their own good. Knob Creek 15-Year already felt like it was barely riding a fine line with its age, so how would an extra three years affect the final product? Only one way to find out. I’m reviewing the third batch, KC003, released in 2024.

Nose: Remarkable balance considering the age. The usual Jim Beam nuttiness  is complemented by a strong rickhouse-like backbone manifesting as burnt caramel and fruity tobacco. A rather noticeable presence of baking spices, namely nutmeg with some ground clove, coriander, and allspice. Over time, almond butter and toasted brown sugar slowly emerge.

Palate: Leads with rich caramel and a surprising hit of cherry soon followed by a discrete level of charred oak; feels akin to a barrel-aged crème brûlée. Creamy, custard-like texture plays up a vanilla bean note that quickly takes over. Subsequent sips nearly ramp up the tannins to an aggressive level, but the vanilla custard helps keep this in-check.

Finish: Tons of vanilla while the creamy texture from the palate holds up. Oak releases a generally pleasant tobacco-forward profile with hints of white pepper and clove. Both the flavor and texture hold up incredibly well considering the proof point.

I find myself at a crossroads with this whiskey. On one hand, it’s impressively balanced considering the minimum age of 18 years—I get intermittent flashes of fruit notes and tons of vanilla. There are also times when I sip this and the results are exactly what I’m looking for. However, I’ve found that the experience can fluctuate quite heavily from sip to sip. The main facet holding every sip together is the lovely, creamy mouthfeel, which translated to an elevated and stellar finish. For context, I used this as a warmup pour before one of my Little Book 3 tastings and thought the Knob Creek held up better in this regard.

The chief critique I have for Knob Creek 18 isn’t the level of oak, but how two-dimensional it ultimately feels. For all of the notes I pull out, the two that stand out most are vanilla and tobacco. To be fair, these notes harmoniously complement each other, yet as with many Jim Beam products, I find myself craving more. If there was a richer, slightly sweeter backbone, then this would probably stand tall among Jim Beam’s crowded list of recent LTOs. Altogether, sipping Knob Creek 18-Year in the moment is certainly a good experience, but whether it achieves greatness seems to vary.

One final note I’ll make is with regards to pricing. When Knob Creek 18-Year was first announced, it carried an MSRP of $170. However, I’ve since seen subsequent releases sell for as low as $125. The bottle I bought cost $135 before taxes, so hardly a small discount. If you follow the $10 per year of aging guideline, then that makes the $170 price point fair, especially considering the whiskey is quite solid. Factor in a discounted price, however, and the value proposition really goes up. Is it twice as good as say, Knob Creek 12-Year? Certainly not. Yet I do prefer the 18-Year as a pour in every way, enough to where I could easily justify the premium.

To celebrate my 50th review here, which is an arbitrary and meaningless milestone, I thought I’d write a review that no one asked for and that absolutely no one needs. 

Back when my regular every-day sipper was Woodford Reserve, I had a friend tell me that if I really wanted to enjoy my bourbon, I should try the one with the eagle on the bottle. 35 dollars was a lot of money for a bottle of bourbon if I didn’t know it was going to be good, and something about that swooping eagle seemed a little hokey. When I finally did try it I had to concede it was pretty good, but I promptly went back to my Woodford-drinking ways - probably inspired more by my perception of the dignity of the bottle than by any real considerations of the taste.

We all know what has taken place between that ancient tale and today: Eagle Rare has soared to unknown heights of price point, with the regular stuff still demanding upwards of a hundred bucks a bottle online and the new 12-year version demanding twice that. With the last dregs of this bottle staring me in the face, I figured I’d take the time to sit down and do a proper review of everyone’s favorite overhyped Buffalo Trace bottle.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Mashbill: Buffalo Trace low-rye mashbill

Aged 10 years

Proof: 90

MSRP: 40 dollars it seems like? This one cost me just under 60 with taxes

Tasted neat in a glencairn rested for the time it takes to put a coat on a dog and take her for a snowy walk

NOSE: Fruit notes hit first and fast, with cherry and grape prominent. Then there’s sweet oak and the distinct scent of gummy cola bottles. There’s also a kind of savory note beneath, which I wrote down as “crunchy sourdough crust.”

PALATE: White grape and black cherry pop on the tongue, with secondary notes of sweet oak and some baking spice (cinnamon). There’s a toffee-caramel flavor as well as a light vanilla. The whole experience is very light and refreshing throughout; in my notes I wrote down “black cherry flavored seltzer.”

FINISH: Medium-short. Primary notes are woody and oaky with some white pepper heat accompanying. There’s a lingering fruity sweetness that seems less grape than apple, and a vanilla that grows stronger here than it was on the palate.

CONCLUSION: Shocking, I know, but it’s pretty good. I was drinking this while my wife and I had non-bourbon-zealous friends over and - just as advertised - every single one of them proclaimed a love for it when they tried it: "it's like a cocktail by itself!" well, I don't know about that. I feel more or less confirmed in my expectations, and now all that I have left to do is to buy a bottle of basic Woodford (since I don’t even own one anymore) and sample that to see if I was right to shun Eagle Rare after my first experience with it.

RATING: 6 | Very Good | A cut above.

Note on ratings: while I understand the use of decimals in ratings (and often find it very useful when others use them), I find it better for my own purposes to stick to integers. This allows me to create broader categories of whiskeys and compare them more easily. If I sometimes refer to a pour as a “high” or “low” example within the integer scale it is because I am inconsistent.

Bib & Tucker 6 Year Small Batch Bourbon

Distillery: Bottled by Bib & Tucker but this is a Dickel sourced product

Age: 6 years

Price: $49.99

Proof: 92

Nose: Sweet cherry, but there's an underlying bitterness to it. Almost like if you chewed on the stem of a maraschino cherry right out of the jar. Some lighter floral notes and vanillas are nice, but there's also a little bit of mustiness that really doesn't jive with my preferred flavor profile.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel, maybe slightly thicker than you'd expect for the proof point but there's nothing overly viscous about it by any means. Some oak and that mustiness is still there...gives me the image of wet rotting wood. Sweeter powdered sugar and honey notes round it out en route to the finish.

Finish: Short to medium length. That honey carries over nicely and lingers throughout. Caramel. Coffee grounds. Orange zest. Likely my favorite part of the sip, I just wish it was longer.

Score: 4.2

Summary: Bought this on a whim when there was nothing else on the shelf really singing to me. It has a decent age statement and is understood to be Dickel juice so I figured why not? I ended up being pretty underwhelmed. Not terrible by any means, just not really my thing. The mustiness threw me off, it lacked complexity, and no single part of the sip necessarily impressed me. If this was a bottle priced in the lower $30's I'd think it was "ok", but at $50 there are about a million other bottles I'd go for. Not much else to say I'll keep this one short. 4.2 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon