I'm giving this another go since my last review. I fight with this pour. It seems like when I go for this as a follow-on pour (not the first of the day) I enjoy it thoroughly. When I try to sit down for tasting notes it feels like it loses some of it's magic. Let's try this again! Company on Label: Michter's Whiskey Type: Finished Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 109.2° Age: NAS Further identification: Barrel No 20G1711 Nose: Spicy, potent red wine sweetness. Sharp vanilla that is layered like a light linen over a basket of fresh plums. Syrupy funk similar to the sweetness of Michter's toasted barrel sour mash. Right nose stings a bit, left nose highlights creamy caramel. Sweet lemon glaze. Hints of dark chocolate shavings. Shiny light metallics now, like a kitchen sink smell. Caramel fades into a nice raisin late. Vanilla continues to dominate all the way through. Some cardboard and pepper are parting gifts of this wild pour. Palate: Instant cherry mouth coating. Cinnamon. Funky double oak influence. Really creamy feeling; the linger is a blend of many rich stewed stone fruits. While the palate is little bit one directional, the linger and finish are exceptionally flavored and long: featuring all the rich fruits you could want. I think where this really shines is maybe as a follow up to a traditional rye. As a first pour of the day there's not much of a frame of reference to make you appreciate these flavors. For that reason I'm going to have to rank this similarly to my previous review. For some reason this (and E.C. Toasted Barrel for that matter) is just too hit or miss glass to glass on the palate for me. Rating: 3/5

I've tried this many different times, many different ways; in neat pours, in blind lineups, in an old fashioned... you name it. This review will be a neat pour. Company on Label: Wild Turkey Whiskey Type: Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 37% Corn, 51% Rye, 12% Barley Proof: 112.2° Age: NAS Further identification: Purchased early 2020 Nose: Mint and leafy spring greens. Copper note with a slightly earthy oak. Bubble gum and dust. Citrus is like an orange zest, but it's not sweet. A lot of dill now that I've had a sip. Cotton balls. Copper metallic note is all throughout this now. It's kind of off-putting. By the bottom of the glass a nice vanilla and caramel show up, but are quickly pulled off the surface and that volume of sweet air is consumed completely on a deep inhale. Palate: Whew! Big citrus spice right on tongue. Quite a bit of mint and a strange wood funk I can't place. Anise. Little to no linger. I let this rest a while longer hoping for a better experience. Still really only astringency I'm experiencing. There might still be some citrus or stone fruit hidden in these depths but they are fleeting. Minty and still funky, I can't say this is my favorite profile; I've loved absolutely everything else from Wild Turkey, but this bottle is a bit of a miss for me. Rating: 3/5

I've long had an internal argument about this bottle. Do I like it or not? I finally sat down to try to decide with tasting notes. Company on Label: Michter's Whiskey Type: Finished Straight Rye Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 109.2° Age: NAS Further identification: Barrel No 20G1711 Nose: Meaty and nutty notes immediately. Dark, lean, raw red meat. Caramelized molasses. Pepper. Leather. Walnuts. Malty nose; smells like this is going to be heavy and syrupy. Floral notes are heavy too; like pressed flower petals, or some kind of extract. A powdered chocolate weaves into the rye spice. Slight graininess. I want this to be sweeter, but the heavy meatiness is still lingering. Wait... Suddenly things are lighter. Actual cotton now mixing with a sweet cotton candy. What just happened? It's like I'm smelling a completely different whiskey now. I swear it can't be, because I haven't put this glass down yet. Caramel and vanilla are now here to party. A bright, shining singular cherry is being displayed. Better experience than I've previously had with this. Maybe it needed a longer rest time. Slight tannic note like I've experienced out of a madeira finish comes out late. Ok, finally (!) there is a hint of marshmallow I was hoping for on the toasted barrel. It has evolved very well in the glass, with the later scents being more enjoyable than the early ones. A dusty old oak that reminds me of my grandmother's attic I would play in as a kid. Palate: Instant syrupy plum mouth coating that also thins quickly, leaving caramel and a bright linen / citrus. The spice of cinnamon and allspice are well checked by these lighter flavors. A good chew reveals much more hot cherry and clove. After a few sips it falls a little flat; while the finish is very long & lingering it just feels like a sting with little flavor coming along with it. Very drying, I can feel my tongue start to become abrasive against my gums. With how the initial nosing went, I was expecting a lot of different things that did not transfer to the palate. The citrus has been a constant, but the parts of this pour that I really enjoy are so fleeting. There one moment, gone the next. A rollercoaster pour to say the least. With how hit or miss a glass of this is for me, I am going to air on the side of caution and give this one the lower end of the two ratings it has received from me in several reviews. The nose is really fun but I am always left confused on tastings. Rating: 3/5

Company on Label: Nevada H&C Distilling Co Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malted Barley Proof: 92.5° Age: NAS Further identification: Purchased mid 2021. Red, White and Blue specialty label Nose: Apples! Through and through. Bright zesty caramel. The smoke of the fire in front of me is getting in the way of pulling more smells out of this at the moment. Some cinnamon-like sandalwood incense smells showing up how. Dry, light vanilla more like a paper or cloth smell. Very mellow and pleasant when not trying to dig too deep. Palate: Pear forward. Some citrus zest. Younger oak probably around 3-4 years? After taste is something like a dry paprika spice. Cloves and orange peel zest. A hint of rye grain is the only flash of youth that presents slightly metallic. The predominant mood of this pour is a spicy caramel linger. It's a nice warming sensation on this cool, rainy New England day outdoors. Rating: 3/5

Company on Label: Buffalo Trace Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (Low Rye < 10%) Proof: 90° Age: 10 years Further identification: Muckey's Liquors Store Pick Nose: Synthetic spice & caramel. Dusty, worn out oak. Very faint leather, like smelling a bound book sitting down in your lap. Very light, airy & open space feel to it. Fresh, floral Spring air. Brought back to reality from a dreamlike state by a level sour cherry. Occasionally the nose still drifts off to a farm somewhere with the mash bill grains showing off. Palate: Silky vanilla and pear. Cherry transfers well and is more sweet here on the palate. Creamy butterscotch opens the door to new tannic dark fruits. I could never get tired of this flavor & mouthfeel, dreaming forever of some impossibly perfect countryside. Finish is low & slow, but a creamy presence asserts itself still. This one could definitely do more in the way of complexity, but for enjoyment value, how can you go wrong? I have yet to explore how this pick differs from the normal profile head to head, but I’d imagine the nuances are small in magnitude. I’m so glad we have access to so many barrel selections in MA. Rating: 4/5

Michter's Sour Mash Small Batch Whiskey Company on Label: Michter's Whiskey Type: American Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: 45% Corn, 45% Rye, 10% Malted Barley Proof: 86° Age: NAS Further identification: Barrel No 19K2140 Shenk's Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey Company on Label: Michter's Whiskey Type: American Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 91.2° Age: NAS Further identification: Batch # 20F1432, Bottle 1777 of 1807 Michter's Small Batch Bourbon Company on Label: Michter's Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 79% Corn, 11% Rye, 10% Malted Barley Proof: 91.4° Age: NAS (around 8 years?) Further identification: Barrel No 20E892 Michter's Sour Mash Small Batch Whiskey Review: Slight marshmallow and coffee bean on nose. Caramel, pepper, spice. Sweet fruit come out on swirl of the glass. Very mellow. Fresh sawn oak. Slight grass note. Low proof but a spice and a thin creaminess spread over tongue. Shenk's Homestead Kentucky Sour Mash Whiskey Review: Butterscotch, citrus & heavy leather nose. Sour & toasty. Rich marshmallow nose with some citrus hints. Caramel. Way more of a rich syrupy palate with citrus fruits and oak. Dark fruit shows on finish. A clear step above the other two glasses. Michter's Small Batch Bourbon Review: Peanut nose... Muted. Nothing specific jumping out on this one. Maybe a light citrus fruit and leather. New found spice on tongue. Leather for sure now. Lowest (toughest) proof to taste on this flight. Final Ranking: Shenks > Sour Mash > Bourbon

Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Bourbon Company on Label: Wild Turkey Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley Proof: 101° Age: NAS (around 8-9 years?) Further identification: Warehouse A, Rick No 40, Barrel 1516 Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Bourbon Company on Label: Wild Turkey Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Barley Proof: 116.8° Age: NAS Further identification: 2019/early 2020 purchase Kentucky Spirit Review: Citrus primarily, but also pepper, cherry and spice all present on nose. Really punchy & alive. Late nose after resting turns much creamier, with other notes of butter and soup herbs. Citrus & cherry carry well into the palate. Rye spice continues to dance well in the background. Citrus can't hide a slightly unwelcome white wine tannin mouth feel. Nuanced & thin, but slightly oily and herbaceous. This beats Rare Breed on nose and finish, but falls slightly short on palate. Rare Breed Review: Creamy caramel, leather, darker black pepper and a hotter cherry on nose. Late nose turns really dusty with a cherry pop still present. Cinnamon candy and pine are also still coming through on the nose. This one is a conundrum; it is both mellow and easy on the palate at times and others super spicy and rich. The variations on the palate are interesting and keep you guessing. At times the creaminess subdues the spicy cherry. I would guess based on this experience that this is older. Light marshmallow & vanilla is perfectly rich. Only lacks in finish; but has a more experienced palate than the Kentucky Spirit. Final Ranking: Rare Breed > Kentucky Spirit

Booker's Little Book Chapter 01 "The Easy" Company on Label: James B. Beam Whiskey Type: Blended Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Blend Proof: 128.2° Age: 4 (Blend of 4 year old bourbon, 6 year old rye + malt whiskeys, and 13 year old corn whiskey) Further identification: 2017 Release Booker's Little Book Chapter 02 "Noe Simple Task" Company on Label: James B. Beam Whiskey Type: Blended Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 118.8° Age: 8 (Blend of 8 year Kentucky rye, 13 year Canadian Rye and 40 year Canadian corn whiskey) Further identification: 2018 Release Booker's Little Book Chapter 03 "The Road Home" Company on Label: James B. Beam Whiskey Type: Blended Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Blend of several mash bills (77% Corn, 13% Rye, 10% Malted Barley & 63% Corn, 27% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley) Proof: 122.6° Age: 9 (Blend of 9 year, 11 year and 12 year bourbons) Further identification: 2019 Release Booker's Little Book Chapter 04 "Lessons Honored" Company on Label: James B. Beam Whiskey Type: Blended Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 122.8° Age: 4 (Blend of 4 year Kentucky brown rice bourbon, 7 year bourbon, and 8 year Kentucky rye) Further identification: 2020 Release Chapter 1 Review: Strikes me similarly to the start of Michter's 10 year. Rich oak says old but refined. Nose is really balanced though, falling almost too bland. Peanut, shiny metallics, and an overly buttery/rich mouth coating that lingers. Really tastes like it should be a regular Booker’s batch. Chapter 2 Review: Lightest! Dusty oak, citrus/Pinesol note I love, chocolate and sweet fruit like strawberry cereal on nose. Rich full proof mouth coating with no burn. Marshmallow sweet creamy char. YUM! So good I went for a second glass of this; second pour: Vanilla, spice and fruit immediately on nose. Deep, rich citrus nestled into a strong oak. Floral first, then caramel. Thinner, but rye spice packs a pretty mean jab into you but that fades into a nice, creamy cherry finish. Pepper and floral notes linger long. A little too spicy at times is my only complaint. Chapter 3 Review: Light caramel, graham cracker (no, ginger bread!), slight cherry nose. Pepper. Way better mouth feel than nose. Cherry cola, spice, butter, creamy caramel. Rich stinging finish! Feels like something that would be a really nice "in the woods" drink to me for some reason. Chapter 4 Review: Clean, citrus; high proof, summer grass with old oak. Smells like a farmhouse beer hall. Instant THICK mouth coating w/ cherry & caramel. Ginger bread and pepper. Thinner like a Weller Special Reserve. Nice. Final Ranking: Chapter 2 > Chapter 3 > Chapter 4 > Chapter 1

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.