It's been quite a while since the last Un-Gnome Whiskey review. This was a fun thing I started to keep myself honest & remove any label bias that might have started to creep into my reviews. @amongstthefernsco is once again helping me out on hiding what sample I have been given tonight. We will be switching it up a tiny bit for this one as I will have 10 options to guess from once I am completely done with my review and ranking. Part of the fun is trying to get the whiskey right too! Let's get into this one. Bottle information will be posted after the glass reveal at the end. Scroll slow if you don't want spoilers! Nose: Mmm stone fruit, coffee grounds and a touch of malt to start. There is a touch of ethanol burn on deep inhales, so maybe a little higher on the proof side. Chocolate, meaty, malty aromas are very heavy in this glass. Popcorn kernels are sitting in the middle of the glass with a bit of dry flakiness to it. Some fleeting caramel. Incredibly dusty oak aromas now, more-so than usual in a pour I'd say. An older, dried out black pepper aroma is also wafting through on deep inhales. Now that I am nosing a little heavier I am wondering if I was misled on the higher proof as it is now it is presenting fairly low. The overall feel is still very malty. There's also a copper with a heavy patina smell now. Very herbal and metallic. Time for a sip. Now the nose feels much lighter and sweeter. The oak is even presenting brighter with floral undertones. Now moving towards a bit of baking spice later in the glass. There's a touch of smokiness that smells like a grill that is burning off the remnants of a big batch of burgers. The base layer to this is some kind of creamy yet floral note. The empty glass smells of sweet malt, oak and honey. Palate: Wow, way different than the nose. Punchy vanilla and strawberry sugar. This tastes like a strawberry daquiri. What on earth! I have never tasted something like that out of a whiskey before. The sweet flavor was so powerful for a few fleeting moments before settling into a vague, unshapely strawberry smoothie finish. A good swish and chew reveals honeycomb and something that reminds me of fresh, pressed flowers. This is incredibly tasty and unique. There's something different about this; either a strange mash bill or a finish I think. Regardless: just an incredible flavor to this; it reminds me of eating those wildflower honey sticks you might find at a farm stand or country store. There is a great thin yet syrupy mouth feel to this. I wish the flavors stuck around a little longer, but only because they are so delicious. Oh! This reminds me quite a bit of elderflower liqueur. Incredible orange creamsicle flavors now. Wow, impressively tasty. I feel like this stands up very well as a first pour of the day, but may not do well after a few other pours. My last sip is incredibly delicate, maybe one of those surprising ~90 proofers that work well as first sip? Rating: 4/5 Options: Old Tub BiB Rebel Yell 10 Year SiB Bakers 13 Year Chicken Cock Bourbon Hill Rock Rye - George Washington Hickory Hill Bourbon Amador Double Barrel Legent Sherry Finish Bowman Brothers Small Batch Town Branch Sherry Cask Guess(es): 1. Amador Double Barrel 2. Hill Rock Rye - George Washington 3. Hickory Hill Bourbon Reveal: Hickory Hill Bourbon Surprising result yet again! This is why I do these! Hickory Hill Bourbon... Would you ever go hunting for this? It's 25 bucks at Total Wine. Never thought I'd like a 3 year age statement nor a 90 proofer as much as this! Company on Label: Gulf Coast Distillers Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 90° Age: 3 years Further identification: This is the flagship release of this; I probably purchased this in ~2019

This blend runs 'E' heavy on the mash bill for those who prefer the lower rye content. Company on Label: Four Roses Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: A blend of both the B and E being 75% Corn, 20% Rye, 5% Malted Barley Proof: 109° Age: NAS on the bottle (but it is listed as a blend of 14-20 year bourbons) Further identification: The 2022 limited edition blend consists of 20 year old Brent Elliott and the Four Roses team hit an absolute home run with this blend in my opinion.

expected to be very similar within any given Act - Act referring to the sequential year in which it was blended High West blending expert Tara Lindley says in response: We are blending and bottling in such large batches All of the spirit lots are dumped to large tanks and homogenized prior to blending, so we see great consistency Shakespeare Company on Label: High West Whiskey Type: A Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys Mash Bill Percentages The blending team over at High West definitely are doing their best work though, often spending weeks

got into their whiskeys early on and learned that the company certainly knows whiskey; sourcing and blending They're now making, blending and bottling whiskey that they believe honors their family's distilling Given the few clues we have from the bottle labeling, I think we can assume this is a blend of some of The front label reads "a blend of straight bourbon whiskeys" and the back label reads "Bottled by Nelson's held a Blackstone Brewery Imperial Stout for about a year before getting dumped and then the bourbon blend

They also produce rye, bourbon, and a bou-rye whiskey blend. The company self-identifies as a craft distillery while also sourcing and blending whiskeys from Kentucky As their own production ramps up and well-aged stocks become available for blending, expect to see more Mash Bill Percentages: 100% malted barley Proof: 94° Age: NAS Further identification: This 27 barrel blend Caramel and milk chocolate show up at the end, reminding me this blend favors some of those classic bourbon

The story is much richer than just what is told through this blend of 12-14 year wheated bourbon from Mash Bill Percentages:  Undisclosed wheated mash bill Proof:  125.8° Age:  12 years and 6 months (a blend wheated mash bill feels a bit washed out in all the barrel influence from this 12-14 year old barrel blend

It's finally time for another new batch of the consistently good blends that Barrell bourbon puts out Company on Label: Barrell Craft Spirits Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed blend of TN, KY, and IN mash bills (high rye and high corn bourbons) Proof: 116.6° Age: 5 years (a blend of

@amongstthefernsco poured me something blind tonight and I'm so ready.

As we trend up in proof, I wonder will this full proof blend embark into a land of too much heat? Further identification:  A blend This blend was a promising first run, and I look forward to future releases from Green River.

release of Cellar Aged is the oldest whiskey Maker's has ever released, with a 14 year component in the blend Percentages:  70% corn, 16% wheat, 14% malted barley Proof / ABV:  112.9° / 56.45% Age:  11 year (a blend

making good whiskey, or Bruce's love for rye - each had a hand in their first ever collaboration on a blend marks the first time three generations of the Russell family have collaborated on a single whiskey, blending Bruce Russell, this bourbon is a blend of hand-selected barrels unique to each of their tastes. Jimmy, prefers bold bourbon flavors, which comes through in the 12-year bourbon he selected for the blend Blended in Lawrenceburg, KY as has been tradition since the Ripy brothers first opened their family distillery

Nice herbal chocolate blend with some orange zest and pepper.