As The Spirit Moves Me

Nose: Candied orange peel, sultanas, plums, cocoa, figs. Palate: Raw barley, plum, citron, sloes, allspice. A hint of chocolate. Finish: Long. Baking spices, milk chocolate, oak. Verdict: Not quite as complex as the 18 Allardice, but still damned good. I'd love a bottle of this. Quite nice. Would I buy this: I would! I wonder if the newer releases are this good. Would I order this in a bar: Definitely, if I wanted a nice sherried dram. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Please, and thank you! Rating: ★★★★

A thank you to my friend Kevin for this sample! Nose : Vanilla, cherry cough syrup, ethanol, mustiness, fresh cut oak, copper pennies, cola, cream corn. Palate : Metallic and bright, vanilla, sharp woodiness like licking a board covered in sap. Finish : Baking spices, metallic, vanilla, allspice, sweetness. Light and dry finish. Verdict : This stuff is weird. It's like someone heard Bourbon described to them and used that description to make Bourbon. It's thin on the Palate, all bright things that are sharp. Not rich and delicious. The finish was the best part. I did not especially enjoy this. Well, keep experimenting, Jefferson! Would I buy this: I would not. Would I order this in a bar: Certainly not. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Am I being polite? Like, really polite? Rating : ★

Nose : Smoke, seaweed, caramel, iodine, oily roasted nuts, old fermenting fruit, cocoa,  taffy. Palate : Malt, smoke, toffee, dirty ash, peat, seaweed, custard, butterscotch, lemon curd. Finish : Yesterday's fire, allspice, lingering caramel, bready malt, grilled plums. Verdict : Just plain fantastic. Seriously the best Cairdeas I've had. The balance is superb, the smoke and sweetness and complexity are all so nicely put together. The proof is perfect. I have one more bottle of this, and it's staying on the shelf for a bit. Delicious. Would I buy this: Yes. Would I order this in a bar: Absolutely, yes. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes, yes, yes! Rating: ★★★★★

Nose: Light brown sugar, saddle leather, caramel, hu hong mao feng tea, dried orange peel. Palate: Caramel, oak, a bit of burnt cherry, black pepper. It's hot, I'm really feeling the prrof on this one. Finish: Long. Pepper, caramel, dark chocolate, burnt sugar. Verdict: This is overall quite good. It's hot, but the depth of flavor is so big. I wish it had a little less burnt and tannic flavors and a little more sweet to balance it all out, but I like this. Would I buy this: I still feel Stagg Jr. and ECBP are the best values in bourbon around. I absolutely would. Would I order this in a bar: Yes, definitely. A nice long sipper at the bar. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Absolutely! But slowly. Rating: ★★★

Nose : Cinnamon, toffee, vanilla, oak, brown sugar, cherry, toasted nuts Palate : Vanilla, hot cherries, big oak, brown sugar, baking spice, leather. Finish : Long. Rounded wood, baking spices, caramel. The heat lingers, in a good way. Verdict : This is just plain delicious. Comes together nicely, all the bourbon flavors cavorting together in a spritely jig. A good Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is always something I enjoy, and this is one of the good ones. Would I buy this: Absolutely. I still feel ECBP is one of the better values in Bourbon, and this one is quite good. Would I order this in a bar: Yes. Absolutely. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: For certain! Rating : ★★★★

Nose:  Vanilla, caramel, corn pudding, sweet biscuits, burnt sugar, Virginia pipe tobacco. Palate:  Dried corn, toasty oak, vanilla, allspice, roasted peanuts. Finish:  Very long. Peppered peanut brittle, sweet hay, cinnamon sugar. Verdict: A very bourbony bourbon. This one had been sitting a while, this was nearly the end of the bottle. Nothing stands out as amazing, but it checks all the boxes. Vanila,, the Beam peanut, toasted sugar, some wood. The flavor is big, the mouthfeel is nice. Would I buy this: At $55 a bottle, yes. Now that it's up to $75ish, I'd rather have Knob Creek Single Barrel or Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Would I order this in a bar:  If I wanted a big bourbon, it would be in contention. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Absolutely! Rating : ★★★