Interesting topic. I've had a few single malt Scotches that were either bland and boring, or just not very good, but never had the same experience with bourbon.

Up until now. Against my better judgment, I picked up a liter of Old Fitz BiB. My reasoning was, hey, I like most of the low-end HH products, (even Cabin Still is drinkable at 36 months, if not enjoyable), and I like a few other products that most of you guys hate (Beam rye, for instance) but damn, I think I may have met my match with this one.

The nose isn't anything special but it's pleasant. And the entry is actually great-- there was a fleeting moment of "man, this could be really good." Sweet, syrupy stewed fruit, cinnamon sticks... about a nanosecond later the finish hits: hot hot hot and really bitter, almost like tree sap. A truly Hobbesian finish: nasty, brutish, and short. At least it was short. Adding water or ice actually made it worse. Ice killed all the sweetness and amplified the bitterness. I didn't try mixing it but I'm not sure it would even be good for that.

Anyway, I'm going to let it breathe for a few weeks before I turn it into drain cleaner. I recall that I was pretty disappointed with my first OWA for a while, too. I don't have high hopes for this one.