As The Spirit Moves Me

Nose: Vanilla and oak predominate. Hints of baking spices, especially allspice. Buttered corn, and something a little citrusy, like dried orange peels. A little brown sugar. It's an inviting and intriguing nose. The proof doesn't come across, even sticking my nose in and breathing deeply. Palate : Cocoa, baking spices, vanilla, sweet corn, a little mineral, hints of cream. Sort of all over the place. Not unbalanced, but just doesn't work well together somehow. Finish : Oak, floral Mexican cinnamon, toasted pecan, marshmallow, white pepper. Pretty nice. If it had slightly less wood to it that would be better.  Verdict : 6 year old, 114.8 proof, and not bad, but Barrell has sure done better. Would I buy this : Depending on the price, yes. Knowing what Barrell bourbons usually go for, no. Would I order this in a bar : Maybe. Do they not have ECBP? Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass : Absolutely. It's pretty good. Rating :★★★

This was a collaboration between Old Sugar Distillery and Capital Brewery and Bier Garten in Middleton, WI. They used the same mash bill as their Schwarzbier, called Fishin' in the Dark. Nose: Vanilla, sour wood, under ripe pear, musty, sour cherries. Tiny touches of something smoky, and a little floral. Palate: Thin, lightly sweet. Apples, plums, a moment of wildflower honey spread on malted toast. Finish: Honey and a little sour. The honey is gone in moments, the touch of tannic sourness remains. Verdict: Overall, not great. I've sure had worse, but this is thin and lightly sweet and not much else. There's a tiny moment in the nose that hints at the black malt, otherwise I'm not getting it. Would I buy this: I would not. Would I order this in a bar: Negative. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes. But I'd take my time at it. It's not great, but it's not the worst thing. Rating: ★

Nose: Yesterday's campfire, clean maritime salt, smoke, toffee, canned peaches, yellow cake, vanilla frosting. Palate: Smoked apples, orange rind, soot, nectarines, vanilla buttercream frosting. Finish: Long. Simmering smoky vanilla. Sweet and warming. Verdict: I like this a lot. It's like a sweeter, fruitier Springbank. Would I buy this: I would, it's a shame it's limited edition. Would I order this in a bar: Yes, depending on price. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Absolutely! Thank you! Rating: ★★★

Nose: Burnt sugar, vanilla, cherry blossom, white rubber, guava, papaya. A little funk here. Palate: Caramel, cassia, passion fruit, and something herbal. It's sharp, like something in the mint family but not quite actually mint. It reminds me of a South American mint I've had, which is like a mix of spearmint and vanilla. Finish: Sweet sugar and that miny herbal something carry on for quite some time. Verdict: Well, it's rum. No idea from where. I like it, it's interesting but still easy to get into. I don't love the herbal finish that much, but it's not terrible. Maybe 45ish% somewhere, not enough wood influence to be very old. 4 or 5 years? I like it a bit overall, but I sure don't love it, and that's the main thing. Would I buy this: I would not! It's just not interesting enough. Would I order this in a bar: Maybe? If there's not much else on offer. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Sure, but I'd think they were ho