Evan Williams 2001 Bourbon (Kentucky) – Straightforward stuff, slickly treated, with a fiery edge and a fair bit of backpalate spice burn. (12/11)
bourbon
Crazy puffs
Willett Bourbon “Cocoa Loco” (Kentucky) – 119.2 proof, aged eight years in white oak. For a time, every sip of this tasted overtly, overwhelmingly, and somewhat unpleasantly of dill, like a very poorly and yet lavishly-oaked Chilean cabernet. That characteristic eventually faded into oblivion, and while what’s left never failed to taste of various polishes, sheens, and buffs, an incredible amount of dark mahogany character eventually emerged. Impossible to ignore, not burdened by excess sweetness as so many American wooded spirits are, and while I would in no way call it sophisticated, it’s certainly swaggering. I like it. (7/11)
Or ask his brother Sherwin
Evan Williams 2001 Single Barrel Vintage Bourbon (Kentucky) – Lots of oak, chewy and toasty, with peach seed. Fiery and direct. Everything’s delivered up front in a burst, after which there’s just not much to hold one’s interest. (9/11)
Pappybon
Old Rip Van Winkle 10-Year Bourbon (Kentucky) – As with the superior bottlings from this distillery, the wood-infused peach and caramel are more lively and less barrel-deadened than many other commercial bourbons. And while I don’t mean to suggest that this isn’t good – it is; in fact, it’s better than most – it doesn’t quite have the complexity of the longer-aged and more eccentric bottlings. This is carping, I know. (7/10)
Better than
Ezra Brooks Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (America) – Very peachy. Sweet oak without impediment, sweet fruit, but not “sweet” in overall aspect. Very simple, with a nasal bite of alcohol. Quite drinkable, but sorta formless. (12/08)
Rip
Van Winkle “Special Reserve” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 12 Years Old “Lot B” (Kentucky) – Stone fruit and sweet wood with some burn; this is more aggressive than many in its category, with an edge that I’m moved to call bitter. I like it, then I don’t, then I’m not sure. I suppose that’s a positive note. (2/08)