Review by: TOModera
I‘m finding something really odd and annoying, and let me tell you, it has to do with my Government, and the last thing anyone wants to deal with is a Canuck complaining about their government, so I’ll make this short.
Our alcohol laws are dumb. Like, really dumb. It’s hard to ship in or out, so we get shafted. I could understand if it just was a tax or something, but no, it’s based on Abv. or some other shit and we end up shafted.
Thus I go to the U.K. and all of a sudden, in a small, underground speak easy (no, seriously), I can actually find W. L. Weller 12 year. What the heck! I can actually drive from my house to Kentucky in less than one full day, but they don’t deliver to my province?
That is some bull shit.
None the less, feeling in the mood brought on by the amazing ambiance of the speak easy, I was overcome by the need to have some bourbon. And try out one of these “wheaters” that people in this sub speak highly off (this is a wheater, right? I didn’t screw that up, right?).
Let’s see how this tall drink of water from Kentucky turns out.
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Bottler: Distillery Bottling.
Region: Kentucky.
ABV: 45%.
Age: 12 years.
Cask type: Virgin Cask.
Price: N/A in Ontario
Color: Red sunset (low-light)
Nose: Cherry, oak, sweet corn, varnish, vanilla, rock candy, sweet potato, light cinnamon
Very sweet and oaky nose. It’s quite nice, as I tend to myself beyond the hidden entrance, enjoying the old books and classy dames that frequent this joint. Some rum runners have brought me a beautiful dram to liven up underground drinking, and it’s worked.
Taste: Sweet potato, anise, corn, burn, blueberry, oak, grapefruit, vanilla
Sweet, almost subtle, with a bit of fruit and small bits of anise. It’s nice, though I don’t think I’d have 2 of these in a row, given the taste. Reminds me of a Highland, which as some of you know isn’t a compliment when I say it, though this is still nice to drink, and I think some Highlands could learn a little bit from this bourbon.
Finish: Cinnamon, cherry, wood, ash, burnt butter, sour, English mustard, cigars, dried plums
The finish starts out a little sweet, and eventually develops more smoke and heat, with a lot of sourness coming in the end. Medium length, not bad, not great.
Conclusion: This is a decent whisky to sit back and enjoy. It has decent complexity, though every so often there’s a glaring flavours that I didn’t really like. It really helped set the mood of an old bar from the 20s, and think that this is well worth buying a bottle. Can’t wait to try the Special Reserve or the Old Weller (if I can find them, in the future).
Final Score: 80.
Scoring Legend:
- 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
- 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
- 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
- 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
- 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
- 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
- 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
- 50-59: Save it for mixing.
- 0-49: Blech.
Malt Runners 