Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked

Distillery: Woodford Reserve

Proof: 90.4

Age: NAS

Cost: 199 usd

Preface: So very happy to have stumbled across this bottle as I really like the regular Woodford and the standard Double Oaked. This whiskey starts in standard new oak and is finished in heavy toasted new oak. Very excited to dive in!!!

Presentation: neat in a rocks glass, rested 10 minutes

Nose: Classic scent of Woodford is there but turned up a notch. Maple syrup, butterscotch, vanilla, and sweet caramel all hit at once. Coming back, there is oak, hickory smoke and chocolate and cherry.

Palate: Big wave of cherry and vanilla warmed by Chai tea/allspice. Maple syrup and butterscotch with oak and ripened apple. Very enjoyable to chew and easily crushable at this proof.

Finish: Short to medium finish that is slightly drying, full of oak and lingering allspice. There is vanilla bean and chocolate and more and more oak with allspice that lingers nicely.

Score: 8.1

Thoughts: This is finished wonderfully! I expected it to be more drying, albeit being double double Oaked ( that’s like quadruple right?) and was very satisfied with what I experienced. Complex for a low proof whiskey, many enjoyable flavors and extremely crushable. Complaint, It is a fair bit overpriced (and only 700 ml), could see this at/near 100 usd - but really glad I bought this and will definitely be enjoying it 🥃

Review #3 - RD1 double finished oak and maple barrels cask strength 119.6 pf

TLDR: 6; you get exactly what you’d expect out of this per the name. Maple Baby

Nose : MAPLE (holy stack of pancakes with syrup), brown sugar, toasted vanilla and caramel

Palate :maple syrup through and through, brown sugar, corn and grains come in and reminds you that it’s young (Carmel corn)

$ : MRSP - standard bottle $70; this their your own bottle ($45) ; Secondary: $ no secondary market on this

Score: 6 I personally feel that this is an awesome pour, the double barrel finish gives you the EXACT flavor profile that you’d expect. The nose and the palate go hand in hand. Definitely something I’d keep around at a lower price point, I think the ~$70 MSRP for a shelfer or a barrel pick of this might discourage some folks, but almost all whiskeys seem to be sitting in that 65-90 dollar range now. But I’d say give it a try, it can be a super versatile whiskey to drink straight or use in a cocktail.

Scale: 1: Disgusting - Drain Pour 2: Poor - Forced myself to drink it 3: Bad - Heavily flawed 4: Sub-par - Many things I’d rather have. 5: Good - Good, enjoyable, ordinary 6: Very Good - Better than average 7: Great - Well above average 8: Excellent - Exceptional 9: Incredible - Extraordinary 10: Unsurpassable - Perfect/Nothing else is close

Time to cool things down after my last post 😂; I have shared this pour with multiple people since I did this review and each one has been absolutely baffled by the flavor profile.

FYI intro (skip if you just want the review): Not an expert by any means. I use the reviews on here to choose whether or not to buy something, so I’m trying to return the favor. Only giving simple notes (no ‘Amazonian rain forest rock moss in October after a 2 inch rainfall’ or anything like that). No info that I don’t personally care for, like historical backstory or weird trivia on the bottle or company.

Stats: 110 proof. Everything else you could care about is on the label.

Prep: Poured in a glencairn neat (shoutout to the Bourbon Junkies channel, btw), rested for 15 minutes. Nearly halfway through bottle pour.

Nose: Fruit cocktail. Didn’t get any more notes at first, but after nosing it again later down the pour I found some butterscotch pudding and brown sugar crumb notes.

Visual: Mahogany color. Lackluster legs.

Mouthfeel: Very… ehh. A little watery, but thicker compared to say a Japanese whisky. Chewing on it didn’t add much texture to it, either. Definitely proofed down.

Palate: Tastes like Buffalo Trace, but blander fruit notes and stronger oak and ethanol. That oak and ethanol is actually the only notes I got out of it at first sip. Had to really let it sit there to find the fruity notes from the nose. Maybe a little stewed cherries and crisp pear.

Finish: Medium ethanol finish. No new notes on the finish.

T8ke: 4

Value: 2/5 (would pay around 75% MSRP)(MSRP $70, but bought for $78)

Conclusion (skip if you don’t care about personal input): This was my first store pick purchase in my bourbon journey. At this time of my life, I knew that Russell’s Reserve is generally good and store picks are generally good. I hadn’t gotten the ‘lay of the land’ in terms of hunting spots in my area yet, so Total Wine was my go-to. Therefore, this was a must-grab.

Now, I realize how naive I was. I paid a premium for a bottle that’s 2 years younger (and $25 more expensive) than normal RR10, picked by a conglomerate that probably just told the distillery to pick whatever barrels they want and put their names on the label. Knowing how barrel picks work now, there is no way that they could possibly pick enough barrels to supply all of their stores, unless they do so at the expense of lowering their standards. I’d put value bottles like BT, OGD 114, and even this bottle’s younger brother WT 101 over this.

Morale of the story: not all store picks are created equal. I know that sounds obvious, but I know there are some rookies like me back then who think that any store pick is better than a distillery’s regular release counterpart. Barrel picks don’t mean much unless they’re from a customer-driven, genuine group of pickers.

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I've only been drinking bourbon for about a 18 months, so don't listen to me for tasting notes or a qualified opinion. I thought it would be fun to compare two bottles from popular "craft" distillers that seem to get a lot of hype in the online community. I haven't seen a head to head between these two and feel like they matchup well.

This was a blind comparison, both glasses neat in a glencairn. The Still Austin was a fresh crack where as the CS Pipe Dream has been open about 6 months.

Glass 1: (Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Cask Strength)

Nose: Somewhat fruity, sugary sweetness, low ethanol.

Palate: Deep and oaky.

Finish: Sweet and smooth

Score: 73/100

Glass 2 (Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon)

Nose: Black cherries, caramel/toffee

Palate: Thin on palette, spicy, citrus and spice.

Finish: Pleasant finish but somewhat flat compared to the burn.

Score: 70/100

A little more detail on both bottles:

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream Cask Strength:

MSRP- $70, Paid- $70.

Mashbill: 73% Corn, 18% Rye, 5% Malted Barley, 4% Wheat

Age: A blend of 4 to 14 year old Bourbon

From what I understand, CS Pipedream is a mix of Re

dwood Empire's own distilate from California with the rest blended in from outsourced MGP product.

Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon:

MSRP- $50-60, Paid- $55.

Mashbill: 70% White Corn, 25% Rye, 5% Malted Barley

Age: At least 2 years disclosed on bottle. Allegedly a mix of 3-5

years barrels.

Still Austin uses Texas grain and their own distillate.

Conclusion:

I really like the story of both these bottles. Both are easily available nationwide. If they're not distributed near you, they're easily available online for MSRP + Shipping. I am continuously impressed with Redwood Empire. If you didn't know that it was a combo of young bourbon plus MGP product, you wouldn't be able to tell. I think it is a little pricey but I've never had a bad drink from them. Still Austin has received a little hype and I was a huge fan of the rye. The bourbon was pretty good but fell short of the Pipe Dream for this review. I would still recommend if you're interested in Texas whiskey

First review here as I’m decently new to this subreddit. I’ve been drinking whiskeys of all kinds for a while but haven’t really taken time to break down and analyze so take my opinions with a grain of salt. Shortbarrel are a newer distillery based out of Georgia I believe. I was introduced to them through another Honey cask finished whiskey of theirs called The Bees Knees IV. I thoroughly enjoyed it and when I saw this one I had to try it.

Taken: Neat in an old fashioned glass (I don’t have a Glencairn) Rested roughly 15 minutes

Proof: 116

Mash bill: 95% rye 5% malted barley

Age: Minimum 5 years in toasted oak barrels, then finished in honey casks for 1 more year

Cost: Around $110 before tax

Nose: Definitely a heavy note of honey as to be expected, a bit of vanilla, a slight note of cinnamon, and some spice. The honey is definitely more noticeable than anything else.

Taste: Surprisingly fruity, almost like a cherry flavor. Cloves noticeable after a second or two. Very nice honey flavor, not overwhelming and balances the spice from the rye out. Can taste the oak for sure.

Finish: Has a slightly thicker consistency than most whiskeys I’ve tried. Very well balanced with the sweetness from the honey shining through the rye. Very long, smoky, and warm finish. Definitely has some spice to it, but I love the balance.

Thoughts: I’ve only had a couple of Shortbarrel’s whiskeys, but this one is my favorite. I really love the balancing of flavors.

Final Rating: 8.3

Rating Scale

1 - Toilet water

2- Bad

3- Poor

4- Below Average

5- Average

6- Above Average

7- Good

8- Great

9- Fantastic

10- The greatest thing that has ever been created

It’s a rainy day in February and I’m in the mood for a blind tasting. Tonight’s contestants are three entry level wheated bourbons from three well known distilleries: Makers Mark, Weller Special Reserve, and Larceny. All three bourbons have a Suggested Retail Price (SRP) below $30 and are nearly identical in proof. Weller and Larceny come in at 90 proof while the Maker’s comes in at 92 proof.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, shall we? You can walk into any liquor store and find the Maker’s and the Larceny at SRP, but good luck even finding the Weller Special Reserve in most markets. And if you do find a bottle of Weller, you’re most likely going to see a majorly uplifted price. SRP for Weller in my state (controlled ABC system) is $28.99. I was lucky enough to grab this bottle in my state and paid that price, however near by states with private liquor stores often sell Weller SR for $90 and higher. This is an often chased bottle and gets a lot of love and a lot of hate. I’m not hear to argue why, but I am hear to ask this question: hype and secondary prices aside, which bottle represents the best wheater for a sub 100 proof point / sub $30 SRP?

Glass 1

Nose: Oh this smells very good. What a start for this blind. I get dark brown sugar, vanilla, chocolate, covered fruit, and caramel. Coming back to it throughout the tasting I get a little bit of funk on the nose as well.

Palate: I get caramel, a bit of butterscotch, and a faint trace of a berry juice. There is also a tad bit of white pepper. I also come back and get a bit of wheater funk.

Finish: A so-so finish with white pepper and maybe some oak spice, but it’s fairly light on the spice. The finish hangs the most of the three.

Guess: I would guess this is Maker’s. I really like Maker’s 46 and haven’t had the standard Maker’s Mark in a long time. Something about this reminds me of Maker’s 46. So, that’s my guess.

Glass 2

Nose: This seems so much brighter than glass one. I get vanilla, light, brown sugar, some ethanol and ascent like nail polish. I’m not really loving this nose. I repeatedly come back to it and just can’t get into the scents.

Palate: this is a sweet glass, but there really isn’t a lot to detect here. I get some amount of wheater funk.

Finish: Fades quick with some lingering tingle in the tongue and gums.

Guess: I’m going to say this is Larceny. I haven’t had Larceny in at least 4 years.

Glass 3

Nose: Oh another good nose. Not as robust on the nose as Glass 1, but I’m really loving the subtle scents of cherry, almond extract, and pie crust. It’s like I’m smelling my mom’s cherry pie with the almond extract she puts in the filling. My only beef is that the nose is too subtle. I have to really get in there to detect these scents whereas glass one isn’t shy at all on the nose.

Palate: Subtle on the and for sure subtle on the palate. This is almost delicate. I am getting sweat tea, raspberries and cream. This is dangerously easy to drink. Smooth as can be without any burn.

Finish: My first thought was “what finish”. As I sip it more I do get a very slight and quickly fading finish with no lingering spice at all.

Guess: I’m thinking this is Weller. It’s also been a while since I’ve gone back to this bottle and I recall thinking Weller was light on the nose and palate.

I am putting Glass Two in last place, but I’m torn on Glasses One and Three. I feel like Glass One is better overall because it has a more robust nose and palate while still being very easy to sip. My issue is treat Glass Three has fantastic notes in the nose and palate but it’s just a tad delicate. It seems like glass three is lower proof and I’d love to see how it would do with just a tad more oomph. If this is 90 proof, I’d love to see it at 100 proof.

I’m going to rank them in this order3

1st Place: Glass One Second Place: Glass Three (close 2nd) Third Place: Glass Two (by a mile)

Before I reveal what the bottles are, I do want to take a moment to explain why I am using 50 mL bottles for the Larceny and Maker’s Mark. I really wanted to see how these three bourbons would stack up against one another blind. I no longer have the standard Makers or the standard Larceny in my collection. So, I did go cheap and pickup these little guys at my liquor store. More on my cheapness below.

The Reveal

Glass One: Weller (First Place) Glass Two: Maker’s (Last Place) Glass Three: Larceny (Second Place)

Thoughts: Well, I’m truly shocked. I was blown away to see Maker’s was the one I disliked the most. Larceny was the shocker for me. I have a Larceny Full Proof that I really don’t love. I have to give the entry Larceny props. And let the haters hate: Hats off to the Weller. I was not expecting to put it in first place. Is it worth paying secondary prices — no, not in my opinion. But I’m cheap when it comes to whiskey. I don’t like paying above SRP for anything. It would have to be something REALLY special and rare for me to spend much more than SRP for a bottle of whiskey. Weller doesn’t raise to that occasion for me — especially knowing Larceny was such a close second place in this blind.

All that aside, if I could buy any of these three at SRP, I would chose the Weller.

Sorry for my typos. I’m using my phone to post this.

Stagg 24C Review

Price: $149.99 (Boston, MA)

Proof: 128.9

Distiller: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY

Method: Let it rest about 15 minutes in a Glencairn by a window on a cool rainy evening.

Nose: Nice amber color, hints of dark fruits and grape, slight ethanol, and beautiful oak. The more it rests, the more sweet it smells. A dark brown sugar or caramel note appeared as time elapsed. As the rainy breeze wafted through my window, the more sweet, fruity notes I smelled without even holding the glass.

Palate: Not has hot as I expected for higher proof (compared to usual for me). Dark fruit and strong oak notes initially. On a second sip, more leather and tobacco notes appear. More complex than a standard ECBP or JDSBBP that I am used to. From what I've read, I'm sure this will only get better with time. As I continue to drink, I get more sharp notes like black pepper and a darker chocolate flavor.

Finish: Incredible sweet, caramel, chocolate notes. Something I've never experienced before. Very long finish that is wonderfully pleasant.

Thoughts: I have been searching for this bottle for a long time. It appeared at a favorite store of mine in greater Boston. When I first opened it today, the cork snapped in half which was unfortunate. I needed a wine opener to get into it. While this was disappointing for such an expensive bottle, the goods did not disappoint. I have not experienced such a strong, complex finish in a whiskey before. I am a huge fan of Elijah Craig, Four Roses Barrel Proof and some Scotch (thanks, dad), but this is an entirely new experience. I do think there are probably better sips out there, so I will hold off on a perfect score, but this is high. Also, this is my first attempt at a genuine review with notes throughout the sipping experience, so please be cautious in your analysis of my.. well.. analysis.

Cheers everyone!

Score (modified t8ke scale, includes decimals where applicable): 8.5/10

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 I’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.

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Side by side comparison if the r-bourbon selections from last year. Wanted to comp these in one taste and finally got around to it.

Overall all tasted done neat then with just a touch of water and across the board these all like a bit.

SiB 6.5yr 114.8prf Aroma big ol rye notes that spearmint behind that a hint of cola Flavor is light somehow for the proof and mash but leads sweet lots of brown sugar behind that mint Palate is average some dry wood in the finish Overall good but simple 5.5

Toasted 114prf Same spice notes the cola is almost lost and now theres some new butter on toast hints Flavor is similar but somehow softer more balanced the butter and nut component is nice. Palate is the same Overall a step up 6

Double Oak +4mos 111.4prf Aroma now the cola is gone the butter toast is there but lighter and theres a clear oak front Flavor is the best so far. The balance of the wood, the spice, the vanilla, clove in balance Palate is the same but leaves a lingering dry tongue Overall 6.5

Px Sherry +14mos 119prf Aroma cola is back reminder the spearmint never left somehow i get a hint of banana bread in this even though i know i shouldnt. Flavor is sweet and spicy love that polar game (sweet and spicy) some brown sugar maybe molasses almost a popcorn finish Palate same as base Overall 6.5 - 7 tonight a 7 Note I'm a sucker for this paoring and love a sweet secondary.