.buffalo trace - single oak project 10th release - cask #89

"The Single Oak Project is part of an intensive research project Buffalo Trace Distillery started conducting in 1999 by hand picking 96 trees with different wood grains and then dividing them into a top and bottom piece, yielding 192 unique sections."

.pappy van winkle 15yo - family reserve

The Pappy van Winkle whiskies are distilled at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky following a special recipe and maturation. Because of the fairly low production, long maturation times (for bourbon) and high demand, she is often difficult to find, and at most opportunities, even more difficult to fund.

.widow jane - 8yo - straight bourbon whiskey

45.5% abv, €60, bourbon

Nose: sweet, toffee, creamy, salted butter, pickles, spicy, cinnamon

Palate: sweet, cream, leather, tobacco, spicy, white pepper, citrus, oranges

Finish: medium long, sweet, citrus, marmalade, liquorice
Mark: ++++/+ 

Conclusion: Really good stuff. Not as 'rough' as an average bourbon can get. As much as I hate the word, she is really smooth. I would like a bottle, the price seems to be okay, now I only have to find a place that sells her.

.many thanks to Shai for sending us a sample

.elijah craig - 12 - small batch bourbon

December 4, 2015, day 4 in the Master of Malt - Drinks by the Dram whisky advent calendar. We got to taste a bourbon this time - a 12 year old bourbon no less.

.balcones - texas blue corn bourbon

Balcones Blue Corn Bourbon is made using the same blue corn house style spirit as the Balcones Baby Blue, True Blue 100 & Brimstone and is matured in charred, new American oak barrels.

.black maple hill - small batch straight bourbon

Some time ago Ansgar joined a "guess what label this image is part of" on twitter, posted by Shai. She miraculously found the correct bottle within a couple of minutes and Shai decided to send her a sample of the contents of the bottle, along with some other bourbons I still have to try.

.jim beam - white label

40% abv, €25, bourbon

no note

Mark: +/++++

.jim beam - signature craft - 12yo

43% abv, €45, bourbon

no note

Mark: +++/++

.jim beam - black - triple aged

43% abv, €30, bourbon

no note

Mark: +++++

.jim beam - the devil's cut

45% abv, €35, bourbon

no note

Mark: +++/++

.maker's mark

45% abv, €35, bourbon

no notes

Mark: +++++

.balcones - 5th anniversary - single barrel bourbon - 2nd release - barrel #1499

65,7% abv, €150+, bourbon, non-chill filtered, natural colour, single barrel

Nose: fresh, sweet, mint, eucalyptus, honey, toffee, fresh ground coffee, very dark chocolate, liquorice root, leather, aniseed, wood, syrup
Palate: sharp, green pepper, sweet, honey, honeycomb, citrus, lime, a hint of rubber, cloves
Finish: dark, firm, long, sweet, honey, hints of rubber and leather, slight tannins on the back of the tongue
Mark: +++++

.buffalo trace

40% abv, €25, bourbon

No tasting notes available

Mark: ++/+++

.balcones - 5th anniversary straight bourbon - MOM exclusive

64,2% abv, €110, straight bourbon, non-chill filtered, natural color

Nose: sharp, sweet, sweet corn, vanilla, feint, glue, caramel apples, citrus, oranges, caramel, hay, apple crumble cake, a whiff of burnt matches,
Palate: sharp, sweet, honey, vanilla, honey, salted butter, liquorice, star-anise, citrus, black/white powder (liquorice)
Finish: long, dry, sweet, black tea, tannins, metallic, fresh, mint, star-anise,
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: Good stuff. I am not a big fan of bourbon per se, but it can also turn out that I have not tasted enough good ones yet. This certainly is one of the good ones, most definately.

More info: This batch of Balcones' 5th Anniversary Straight Bourbon is one of only ten bottles sold by Master of Malt in the UK from september 1st 2013.

.noah’s mill - small batch bourbon

57,15% abv, €60, bourbon

Nose: vanilla, sweet, chalk, corn, spirity, wood, cedar, moldy, cork, menthol, eucalyptus, burned wood, cinnamon
Palate: wood, oak, sharp, pepper, sweet, sugar, vanilla, anise, fresh, mint, jalapeños
Finish: molten plastic, warm, vanilla, sweet, melting sugar, long, briny
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: Very likeable. Funny how that works. At first I had not recognised it, but it turned out to be one of the very few bourbons we actually have in our whisky collection.

2nd whiskey in the #LiquidAmericana twitter tasting hosted by @TheWhiskyWire and @WhiskyAndWines 

.four roses - single barrel

50% abv, bourbon, single cask

Nose: sweet, molasses, apricots, asparagus, herbal, cinnamon
Palate: sweet, spicy, red pepper, molasses, herbal, grapes
Finish: quite long, red grapes, dry.
Score: +++++

Conclusion: Not that bad, maybe even quite good, but just not really to my taste.

More info: At this price, I might consider a whole bottle next time I am indecisive in front of a shops' shelf, in order to do a proper tasting, since this was done with a 2,5cl sample.

.john b. stetson - straight bourbon

abv: 42%
type: bourbon
fles: 70cl, €35,- geproefd met 2,5cl sample
filtratie: onbekend
karamel E150a: onbekend

neus: zoet, caramel, vanille, mint, kruiden, coriander
smaak: plastic, caramel, vanille, mout
afdronk: kort, vet, droog, banaan
score: +++++

conclusie: Toch ook weer - wat mij betreft, een typische bourbon. Het is niet mijn eerste keuze als ik een borrel uit te zoeken zou hebben.

.john b. stetson website

.van winkle - 12 - special reserve

45,2% abv, €70, straight bourbon, no caramel E150 added

Nose: walnut oil, sugarcane, salt, soy-sauce, walnuts
Palate: sweet, caramel, soy-sauce, saurkraut, mushrooms, rubber
Finish: medium long, spicy, white pepper, bitter, walnuts
Mark: +++++

Conclusion: I am not sure. Somewhere it is very ok, but at the same time I have a bad feeling about it. Nose and Palate are really nice, but the finish is a bit meh...

.four roses - 8yo

abv: 40%

type: bourbon

fles: 70cl, €15,- geproefd met 25ml sample

filtratie: onbekend

karamel E150a: onbekend

neus: zacht, toffee

smaak: licht bitter

afdronk: middellang, vrij scherp

score: +++

conclusie: weer eens wat anders dan een Schotse whisky, wel lekker, niet speciaal

.four roses website