Company on Label: Hood River Whiskey Type: Finished Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 90° Age: 8 years Further identification: Batch 004 Review: Bright, fresh-sawn oak with some citrus. Vanilla that wants to turn to marshmallow but isn't quite there. Light floral notes. When it turns darker it is a peppery molasses note I get. Palate is rather thin, with a synthetic cherry note taking over. The basis of molasses is still present. Unrefined vanilla and still very floral. Chocolate notes jump from the depths of light spring flavors at times. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in complexity. This is one you can't write off at one sip. It changes quite a bit throughout the glass. Mouth feel is good but little to no finish definitely leaves me with more to be desired out of this pour. Definitely a better experience today than whenever I opened this one! Rating: 3/5

Company on Label: Barton 1792 Whiskey Type: Wheated Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 91.2° Age: NAS Further identification: Purchased 2020 Review: Dust, citrus zest and fresh linen is very apparent. Grass. Back to bleached linen again. Palate is different than the nose. Creamy oak. Fruit is very light in the background. Overall very approachable (read: low proof). Now that is has been open a while it is not overpoweringly sweet like previous pours. Very herbal for a wheater actually. Occasionally I will get a weird flavor like dirty pennies which is very off putting. Usually good for one pour but by the end of the glass I’m definitely ready for something else. Rating: 3/5

Company on Label: Heaven's Door Spirits Whiskey Type: Blended Straight Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed (69% Bourbon, 31% Rye Blend) Proof: 95.7° Age: 7 years Further identification: 69% Batch I05-52 Bourbon, 31% Batch B15-64 Rye. Bottle 010/120. Selected by Burlington Wine & Spirits. Caramel, pepper and a medicinal cherry are all in the forefront of the nose. Raisin and a port wine. Some spice is present and makes the nose sting a bit. Palate is really surprising explosion of citrus and herbal fruit medley. This has a ton of flavor and creamy mouth feel for 95.7 proof. Really approachable still with all the flavors. I shared and introduced this bottle to 6 others after a strong workout this evening and there were only good responses. Interesting change of pace, but not a pour I would hunt down hard I don’t think. Definitely one to share with people who want a big flavor experience without a high proof smack! Rating: 3/5

Company on Label: Old Forester Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 70% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Barley Proof: 128.7° Age: NAS Further identification: Warehouse L, Floor 3. Liquor Depot Store Pick; this sample was provided to me from bourbondipity_ on Instagram in a sample swap Nose: Mmmm, this is going to be a good one. Very vanilla forward. Well in hand in the proof department, this noses like a sweet flower. On deep pulls of air, some sweet pepper appears. After a sip it's like a flavor switch has been turned on. Rich apricot and peppery vanilla are like a summer hug. Smooth, thin molasses and some light blood orange. Nose is turning into a creamy caramel which will always be a welcome note to me. Some light meatiness is coming out now. I've always been intrigued by this note; what causes that specific sensation? Yummy maple syrup. This one is very rapidly evolving. Now shedding the rest of its build up shivers, this settles into a full circle return to a high flying vanilla and apricot. Hint of smoke is present in the molasses. The final note is one of bright oak and dusty vanilla bean. Palate: Oh! There's the proof. Whew! Nice introduction here for an unassuming palate. Syrupy chocolate drizzled plums. Canned peaches and loads of sweet allspice coats the tongue. The allspice and caramel transferred very well from nose to palate. Definitely can tell this is a barrel proof offering, but once the initial shock is gone it drinks well below the 128.7 on the label. The heat that rises on a good sip is slow moving; rolling across the tongue with the pace & intensity of caramel dripping down oak bark. Some low intensity citrus zest, closest to lemon, but probably not a 'real' fruit in current existence. A little more towards the tannic profile of 1910 rather than 1920 here, I'm not growing tired of the proof or the sweetness at all. Sometimes these things can weather a palate but this is very well balanced all the way through. Not explosive or punishing on the finish: this is a great sipper. Rating: 4/5 With any single barrel or individual store pick offerings, the notes and rating in this review may not reflect the same as a different barrel selection.

Company on Label: Old Forester Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 70% Corn, 18% Rye, 10% Barley Proof: 134.9° Age: NAS Further identification: Warehouse G, Floor 7. Ball Sq. Family Selection Store Pick; this sample was provided to me from bourbon_fiend_and_finder on Instagram in a sample swap Nose: Leather, pepper, caramel, tobacco and a dank, wet, dark oak nose. It's like oak has been drizzled in molasses. Faint fig and citrus are trying to escape the heavier notes early on. A little smoke gives a faint sting to the nostrils. Very syrupy and powerful. It's actually kind of hard to discern individual scents in this as the overall mixture of air that enters your nose is just so intense. This might be one of the very rare exceptions that a bit of water is required to fully experience this pour. Things are settling down now (without water, I'm a trooper), but the smells are still intensely spiced with cloves, some nutmeg, and a lovely brown sugar. A silky smooth vanilla does well to hide the peanut shell note I found on the palate, but I can still tell it's hiding in there. About halfway through this glass, I'd have to disagree with my first assumptions about this needing water; things have mellowed out wonderfully. The vanilla is followed by a bright wave of white canvas. Palate: Big mint and herbal explosion forward on first sip. Immediately a rich creamy cherry mouth coating. Citrus and molasses are back. Citrus rises up with heft on strong finish like a metallic lemon zest. Rich dark chocolate is darker than any I've tried; surprisingly, despite my whiskey preferences saying otherwise, I'm actually not a big sweets guy. Pepper note is nestled perfectly into that leather & molasses base. Crazy potent flavors all through this. My only complaint might be a little too much citrus for my preferences. The aftertaste suddenly surprises me with a flash of peanut shells which immediately regains my attention. That's one of my favorite notes and a big reason you'll find me gravitating to some of the Booker's batches. This definitely drinks at a similar proof to those, clocking in at a whopping 134.9. Try taking larger sips or chews of this and you are certainly reminded of that fact. The flavors that follow are all more approachable than the initial bite. I'd say the overall feel of this has evolved from the citrusy pop of the start to a nice cherry soaked peanut shells. It reminds me of a jacked-up version of 2021-02 Booker's "Tagalong Batch". I do dig this, but think it could use just a touch more refinement to smooth some of those intense jagged edges that are present on this one before it reaches greatness. Floor 7 may just run this hot! Rating: 3/5 With any single barrel or individual store pick offerings, the notes and rating in this review may not reflect the same as a different barrel selection.

I'm just getting started here, but I have been on Instagram for some time already, and have been drinking good whiskey for a lot longer than that. 2021 was a transformative year for many and it served as the kickoff year for this review website. I hope you can find if my palate aligns with yours so that we can share in sampling many more pours together! Cheers, Nick