Starting my blind tasting journal

[b1gcountry]

I always wanted to do this so I just started.

 

I picked up a bunch of 2oz boston rounds from Amazon for about $25. The price was $15 for 10 or $25 for 72, so I bought some for friends...

 

I picked a few basic bottles I had and figured I would start reviewing them this weekend. I didn't want to mix up too many proof points, so I kept it mostly under 90, with some 101 added to the mix

 

I started with a non-blind review of Evan Williams, which is sort of my baseline mixer. I am sort of dry- running my scoring criteria. I gave EW a 55 using my criteria. Strengths were aroma, balance and value. 

 

[b1gcountry]

I tasted my first two blinds last night. I am keeping my first grouping to under 99 proof to minimize the swings.

 

My first sample had a moderate nose of caramel/vanilla and a slight citrus.

 

The pallete was savory with a good amount of barrel influence, a slight generic sweetness, and a mild floral component. Body was fairly thin with some drying aspects. The balance was heavily skewed towards a dominant but pleasant oak tobacco/leather.

 

Finish was short but evolving towards a top of mouth oakiness.

 

My price point would be around $25

57/90 points

[b1gcountry]

My second tasting was hard to score. The nose was really nice. I should have given it a higher score with a nice fruity baseline with a touch of vanilla.i docked points for minimal sweet, no oak, and forgettable spice.

 

The palette was really hard to judge because the overwhelming flavor was a strong but basic char. I really had to dig past the char to find the other flavors. Not much was present on the front end, but once it hit the back of the tongue, overwhelming char. I had to swallow after a long chew to get a very pleasant cherry with some vanilla.

 

Finish was pleasant but marred by the first half. By the end, I had a nice pleasant cherry bomb on my tongue.

 

It was hard to score due to the nice flavor masked by a huge flaw.

 

42/90 points

Spoiler

This one surprised me, but it was OF Statesman. I remember liking this a lot and didn't remember the char, but taking a second pour straight from the 750ml after washing my pallate, I got similar char. I still think I may rate it higher on a different night where I'm less sensitive to the char.

 

 

Edited May 26 by b1gcountry

[b1gcountry]

First of a few pours this afternoon...

 

Nose had an amazing rye spice, caramel and vanilla.

 

The palette was broad and complex, but all the flavors were well behaved with none of them overpowering, but also none of them really robust. There was a leathery oak with complex fruit sweetness and baking spice. Nuances were easy to sort through

 

Finish was amazing with a lasting cherry with some oak char and vanilla

 

My highest score

74/90

Spoiler

I actually guess this one right on the money, which I take full credit for given the 20 samples I have poured.

 

Four roses small batch. It still amazes me these are so good. Guessing right did throw off my value column though since I know what it costs.

 

 

[b1gcountry]

Second tasting I need to own that I didn't wash my pallette enough between these.

 

Nose was a nice maple sweetness with baking spice and it got better with a little time.

 

The palette was a little tricky, it tasted complex at first with some almond custard sweetness and a touch of al almost apricot stone fruit. The complex notes faded though and I think some of the mix of the last glass may have influenced that. By the end it was still very pleasant, and extremely well balanced with more basic notes of oak, spice and sweetness (a little extra sweet). I did get a minor almost scotch-like taste that stayed throughout.

 

The finish was very nice and moderately long.

 

62 / 90

 

Spoiler

Evan Williams black label 86 proof

"American hero edition"

 

I do think I over-scored it on body, complexity and uniqueness. It came in 7 points higher than my non-blind score of 55.

 

Even so, this is a very decent value-priced bourbon that doesn't get much credit.

Funny anecdote, I picked these bottles up about 12 years ago when a local chain was trying to get rid of the labels by selling them for $6.99 for the first and a penny for the second. 

 

 

 

Edited May 26 by b1gcountry

[b1gcountry]

My third tasting involved a longer gap between ratings and a good water rinse off both glass and mouth. 

 

The nose was almost missing, but after searching I got a faint full pickle.

 

The palette was really weak. I got some generic bourbon- like smells, but the only thing I could really make out was black pepper charred oak note. If I really tried, I could almost call it baking spice. There was nothing unpleasant here, but also nothing inviting. 

 

The finish was short, and peppery, but not unpleasant. 

 

This was a general stinker. Not unpleasant, but nothing remarkable. Adding this to a mixed drink rotation would be just fine. 

 

23 / 90

 

Spoiler

Samuel Berton Single Barrel 90pf

 

I didn't write it down, but I sort of guessed this might be the Samuel Berton, a missouri based craft distiller. It definitely isn't a good buy at $35.

 

A friend actually gifted me this bottle because he disliked it. I tried it and thought it was fine,  if not amazing.

 

[b1gcountry]

My last tasting I couldn't even score some categories because I just couldn't taste much of anything. 

 

The nose was almost non existent. I did get a faint muddy-sweet citrus almost reminiscent of Buffalo trace, but worse. 

 

The palette literally tasted like nothing. If I let the alcohol sit in my mouth long enough I almost got a sort of buttery sweet as the alcohol broke down, but the only note I got was peppery char

 

Finish was the same pepper that faded in a second or so. 

 

This was borderline tasteless without crossing over to offensive. 

 

19 / 90

 

Spoiler

Evan Williams 1783 86 pf

 

There was a reason I hadn't finished this bottle. I can't claim I guessed this, although it was between the 1783, and devil's cut. I was more hoping it wasn't something I remember fondly. So I'm more relieved than happy for getting it about right.

 

Even still, I don't remember this being so bad.

 

[b1gcountry]

Ok...I wanted to end on a non-terrible note, so i grabbed one last sample bottle.

 

The aroma was pleasant before I even pick up the glass with nice generic bourbon notes bolstered by a nice nutty/almond aroma bordering on maple sawdust.

 

The palette was a little weak. None of the flavors were well developed except a floral grassy note, otherwise, it was hard to pick out much nuance beyond a (maybe) buttery sweetness. Nothing seemed out of place, although it did have a slight funk to it, not at all unpleasant.

 

The finish was just fine. Nothing great, but nothing disagreeable.

 

I think some people would really enjoy this, but I just found it middling. I did recognize it though. I bet most people do as well.

 

51 / 90

Spoiler

Maker's Mark 90p

 

I knew from the grassy funky note this was standard MM. I know some people like it a lot, but it isn't really my thing. I did have to give it decent scores for uniqueness though.

 

The nutty almond notes were pretty interesting. From the nose i almost thought it could be a beam product. The grassy note was not obvious to me until the second sip where I latched onto it and recognized it immediately. Once I tasted it, it became apparent to me, which is very intereting!

 

[b1gcountry]

One blind tasting last night.

 

Nose was prominant pleasant and bright. Slight sweet funk with a very distinct smell. 

 

The palette was a lot of different crisp flavors. None of the flavors were very deep, but all of them blended together quite nicely. This was more like a fruit salad of flavors. Fruit, char, vanilla, and funky citronella. It did feel a bit thin and young, with some char and bold flavors covering up the grain.

 

Finish fell away quickly, but returned and coated my upper palette with a funky citronella.

 

62 / 90

 

Spoiler

Buffalot Trace 90pf

 

 

This is so distinct just from the nose it definitely deserved the high score for uniqueness.

 

 

Edited May 28 by b1gcountry

[b1gcountry]

First blind last night 

 

Nose was weak "Bourbon scented candle"

 

Palette tasted very young. Nutty and  peppery with a bland sweetness. It was generally pleasant, and worked fine. Nothing wrong, but in a completely forgettable way.

 

Finish was really short, but left a pleasant funk on the roof of my mouth. Some juiciness was present on the sides of my tongue making my mouth water. 

 

36 / 90

Spoiler

Larceny Small Batch 92pf

 

I remember enjoying this when it first came out, and I picked this out of a 4- Bourbon blind I did at my family Christmas party 10 years ago that included buffalo trace, heaven hill 6-yr, and OF100.

 

This used to be a go-to bottle for every day pours. It does make me think the brand has degraded in quality, although I can't say for certain.

 

What do you guys think? 

 

[b1gcountry]

Second

 

Nose was a super welcome and unique surprise. I got circus- peanuts and butterscotch. I never remember anything this unique. It definitely wasn't complex, but man it was bold! 

 

Palette followed through on the bold circus peanuts. There was a nice complicated sweet note, but not much else. This was a "life is a highway" Bourbon... it gets stuck in your head, but try to find another note in your glass, and you come up blank. It was a little young, but that was hidden mostly. 

 

Finish was surprisingly pleasant and long. Some nuance actually came through at the end as well.

 

60 / 90

 

Spoiler

Jack Daniels 80pf

 

Holy cow! I thought this was a much nicer Bourbon than it was. The flavor they get into 80proof is amazing. I usually drink this on travel since I have status on my airline and I get a complimentary 50ml bottle... but I usually drink it from a hotel coffee cup. 

 

I usually get maple, but today it literally smells like circus peanuts.

 

This might actually be the first time I tried it neat in a glencairn. I used to drink thus all the time in my 20's. It's really a great option for a daily drinker! 

 

[b1gcountry]

Third

 

Nose was an inferior version of the last pour. It didn't quite have the circus peanuts, but there was some complicated sweet. It looks like I scored it the same, but it probably should have been a 7 and not an 8.

 

Palette was a real let down.  There just wasn't much there. It sort of generically tasted like bourbon and it wasn't bad, it was just super simple and muddy. It was still pretty peppery though, so it was even a little harsh. 

 

The finish was actually nice, but faded very fast. 

 

40 / 90

 

The nose was actually nice, otherwise this would have been much lower. 

 

Spoiler

Jim Beam Devil's Cut 90pf

 

I can't say I'm surprised on this one. This was actually the first time I tried it though. I got this from a 50ml from the grocery store. 

 

[Anwalt]

This is pretty cool and fun to follow. I lack a nose, big time. Working on it. Past "I like" and "I do not like" but still not able to pick up any serious notes. Practice I suppose.

 

Anyway, fun. Appreciate the time & thought & sharing.

[b1gcountry]

4 hours ago, Anwalt said:

This is pretty cool and fun to follow. I lack a nose, big time. Working on it. Past "I like" and "I do not like" but still not able to pick up any serious notes. Practice I suppose.

 

Anyway, fun. Appreciate the time & thought & sharing.

Whether anyone reads it or not, I'm planning to keep it up... I've been enjoying it a lot!

[VWIndy]

Fun to read.  More science and attention to detail than I have when drinking a beverage I love:}

 

[PaulO]

On 5/26/2024 at 8:14 PM, b1gcountry said:

My last tasting I couldn't even score some categories because I just couldn't taste much of anything. 

 

The nose was almost non existent. I did get a faint muddy-sweet citrus almost reminiscent of Buffalo trace, but worse. 

 

The palette literally tasted like nothing. If I let the alcohol sit in my mouth long enough I almost got a sort of buttery sweet as the alcohol broke down, but the only note I got was peppery char

 

Finish was the same pepper that faded in a second or so. 

 

This was borderline tasteless without crossing over to offensive. 

 

19 / 90

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Evan Williams 1783 86 pf

 

There was a reason I hadn't finished this bottle. I can't claim I guessed this, although it was between the 1783, and devil's cut. I was more hoping it wasn't something I remember fondly. So I'm more relieved than happy for getting it about right.

 

Even still, I don't remember this being so bad.

 

I would tend to agree with your review.  But the bottle in question is the 86 proof EW 1783 in the round bottle.  This version is from maybe two years ago or older.  After that Heaven Hill relaunched the brand - 90 proof flat sided bottle (some much older barrels in the batch).  The newer version is a big improvement.  I say leave the 86 proof, pick up the 90 proof.

[b1gcountry]

4 hours ago, PaulO said:

I would tend to agree with your review.  But the bottle in question is the 86 proof EW 1783 in the round bottle.  This version is from maybe two years ago or older.  After that Heaven Hill relaunched the brand - 90 proof flat sided bottle (some much older barrels in the batch).  The newer version is a big improvement.  I say leave the 86 proof, pick up the 90 proof.

That's a good note to add...I probably won't be rushing to buy it, but I'll keep an eye out for a friend with a newer bottle. 

 

My tasting notes for tonight were pretty low to start, and they went down from there. I may call this a "bad palette night" and dismiss the scores. I was getting good reads on the noses, but I was getting barely any flavors. I had some calumet 16 last night and even it tasted a little meek. I may be catching something... we will see. 

[Thomm]

I am also enjoying these.  Please keep them coming.  

I did almost guess a few.  Four Roses Small Batch I guessed to be FRSiB.

The Jim Beam Devil's Cut I guessed to be good old fashioned JB White label.

A strong circus peanut note I never would have attributed to Buffalo Trace.  If I ever detect circus peanuts in anything edible or potable, I absolutely will abstain from partaking.

 

[b1gcountry]

32 minutes ago, Thomm said:

I am also enjoying these.  Please keep them coming.  

I did almost guess a few.  Four Roses Small Batch I guessed to be FRSiB.

The Jim Beam Devil's Cut I guessed to be good old fashioned JB White label.

A strong circus peanut note I never would have attributed to Buffalo Trace.  If I ever detect circus peanuts in anything edible or potable, I absolutely will abstain from partaking.

 

I had the advantage of knowing all the bottles were under 100p.

 

The circus peanuts were on the nose of the jack Daniels. 

[b1gcountry]

I'm leveling the playing field for anyone trying to guess at home. I also expanded the lineup...

 

Here are my remaining bottles

[b1gcountry]

Started off with a Doozie!

 

Nose was not strong and had a slight Slight ethanol burn. There was a lot going on though. Funky dark cherry with some cinnamon and oak present as a musty leather.

 

The taste was quite strong and it coated my mouth like few low proof bourbon ever does! Excellent mouthfeel. Lots of depth of flavor with a sweet dark fruit and honey.the cinnamon burn isn't my thing, but it was more complex here. Notes of leather and a funk reminiscent of Buffalo Trace.

 

The finish wasn't the shining point for this. It lasted, but the cinnamon built up and a slight sour note lingered on the roof of my mouth. Otherwise, it had some nice notes of strawberry preserves and musty leather.

 

72 / 90

 

Although I have to admit this isn't really my favorite set of tasting notes, and others would score this higher.

 

Spoiler

Ancient Age 86p

Dusty

 

This bottle had a distinct taste to it like a bottle of BT with all the flavors deeped, overlapping, and fully developed. It tasted MUCH older than 6years.

 

I know it's an honor system on whether I guessed it or not, but I got a little lucky on this one because the duties definitely have a distinct old leather thing going on. I guessed antique because it tasted a lot like the BT cinnamon and fruit.

 

EDIT: I re-read the sample label...it was Ancient Age, not Antique! Updated the post and photo...

 

Edited June 1 by b1gcountry

[b1gcountry]

Spoiler

ND Old Grand-Dad 86p

Dusty

 

I actually hesitated to call this a dusty because I wasn't sure the taste wasn't carrying over from the last sample. It definitely tasted much less complex than the last one.

 

I am amazed how different this is from modern OGD.

 

The strengths were the bold and drinkable flavors. Also my math was way terrible and I forgot to score uniqueness at first. Also the bottle is kinda ugly, but the orange does stand out.

 

Nose was nice but pretty weak. Vanilla strawberry. Not super unique but a little

 

Palette was pretty bold with lots of fairly basic fruity sweetness with an interesting fresh suede sort of oak/char influence.

 

Finish was sweet. Moderately long with some strawberry again.

 

61 / 90

[b1gcountry]

Nose was caramel and a generic bourbon spice.moderate slight ethanol. Average.

 

Taste was definitely young and sweet. Lots of grain and nuttiness, but not in a Beam sort of way. The body was actually fairly thick and pleasant

 

Finish was sweet again. This was sort of one-note overall, but it played it well.

 

43 / 90

 

Spoiler

Bowman Brothers Small Batch 90p

 

I actually thought this was more complex when I had a glass last night. I was guessing more towards the heaven hill profile from the tasting but I was pretty far off.

 

 

I sort of guessed it was the bottle of 86p heaven hill white label from my notes on the pallette and I need to stop worrying about guessing it and just score it. I tried some after and didn't get any of the rich notes I got last night. I do think I under scored the body by a couple points, this really does coat your mouth.

 

[b1gcountry]

It looks like I'm not coming down with covid or anything after those tastings, so I'll go ahead and share my notes from last night too...

 

 

First sample was really weak on the nose with a tiny bit of rye spice.

 

I got a slight floral note but it was fleeting. There was a lot of heat with a faint suggestions of rye. A little sweet. Overall though it was overpowering peppery and char.

 

The finish was simply bad. Just burnt peppery char.

 

35 / 90

 

The second sample had a decent nose with some sweet vanilla and strawberry fruitiness. It wasn't strong and had a brown-formam vibe to it.

 

The pallete simply didn't exist. There was some grain and some sweet but generically so. Lots of char. It was very thin too. "Its like gentleman jack fell on hard times and had to sell off his nice stuff".

 

The finish was actually nothing.

 

30 / 90

Spoiler

Sample 1

Bulleit 90p

 

Sample 2

Basil Hayden 80p

 

I picked up a slight floral and rye note that sort if tasted like 4R, but in an inferior way, and I based my guess entirely on that. I was surprised I was right. The bulleit honestly wasn't bad, it just isn't worth buying when cheaper bottles are better

 

The basil Hayden actually had a decent nose, if weak. It just fell apart from there. I'm actually disappointed. This was actually bad. I didn't have any clue what it was...

 

[b1gcountry]

Nose had some light clove and caramel vanilla goodness. It was pretty bright and I got a hint of lilac/floral and I took my first sip. If this was stronger it would be amazing.

 

The pallette was pleasant but understated. Good rye and floral notes with a bright sweetness.

 

The finish had a nice warming aspect and a sort of flan/custard sweet finish, but the flavors were very weak.

 

In all, this tasted like excellent bourbon that just needed a higher proof. The rye spice I was getting made me think it was the 80p 4R.

 

57++ / 90

Spoiler

Dickel 8 year 90p

 

This didn't really surprise me because I like this bottle a decent amount. I'm guessing the charcoal filtering reduced the flavor and I was I tempering that as a lack of proof. This is very drinkable. And fairly priced.

 

I actually like the bottle too.