As The Spirit Moves Me

This sample was a gift from a friend. Hi Travis! I went into it knowing only that it was Bourbon from Still Austin. Nose: Corn, vanilla, lemon, caramel, oak, light nutmeg, old varnish, gun oil, shoe polish. Palate: Sweet corn, popcorn, caramel, burnt peanut, pepper, bitter clove, flamed orange peel, vanilla. Finish: Corn, vanilla, a little pepper. Sweet mostly. Long but simple. Verdict: Tastes young, I'd bet 12-18 months? Maybe 95-100 proof? Has a lot of harsh notes right in the middle of the palate. The nose has some weird unpleasantness, but the base Bourbon notes underly all of it. Might be fine with more time, but as is, I don't care for it. Would I buy this: I'm betting this is craft priced, so 35-50 a bottle. In which case, nuh-uh. Would I order this in a bar: Probably not. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: I would, but mostly so I could discuss what I do and don't like abut it with them. Final notes: Looking this up I see it is 100...

Nose: Acetone, vanilla, baking spices, slightly herbal, a hint of Virginia tobacco and leather. Palate: Cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla mint. A little bit of peanuts and popcorn with caramel. Surprisingly light on the palate. Finish: Medium. Lots of baking spice. A little mint again. Some pepper. There's something just acidic in the finish. Verdict: It's certainly not bad stuff. Pretty middle of the road bourbon, not a ton of complex things here but not much for flaws either. I'd solidly put this at 2/5 stars, same spot I put things like Evan Williams BiB and Jim Beam BiB. Would I buy this: At the price they're charging? No. It should be half that. Would I order this in a bar: If they had no other BiB Bourbon? Otherwise Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Sure! There's nothing especially bad about it at all. Rating: ★★

Nose: Walnut, vanilla, cardamom, honeysuckle, leather Palate: Wood, baking spices, vanilla, chamomile Finish:  Long and oaky. Walnut, baking spices, mildly sweet. Verdict: This whole thing is a bit hot. The herbaceous notes are not fantastic. I feel like it's unbalanced a little over woodsy. I don't love this. It's not terrible by any means, but if I'd sampled this I would not have bought it. Would I buy this: No. Would I order this in a bar: Probably not. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Sure, it's not terrible stuff. Rating: ★★

Nose: Vanilla, pale caramel, light oak, chamomile, a touch of acetone. Palate: Slightly thin. Corn sweetness, a bit herbal, vanilla, allspice. It's not that hot, but the alcohol is more forward than I'd like. Finish: Baking spices, sweetness. Then it gets woody quick. The wood in the finish is light and more than slightly bitter. Verdict: This isn't bad, but it's sure not great. It tastes like a young rye or high rye bourbon, maybe? The finish really twists this negatively for me, it's not enjoyable. Bitter and woody in a not fun way. It starts out pleasant enough, and it's all downhill. It's like Mellow Corn with more vanilla but a sad bitter aftertaste. Would I buy this: No, I would not. Would I order this in a bar: Probably not. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes, but I might ask if they had anything else after the first. Rating: ★★

I received this as a blind review sample from LCBThrowaway. Let's see what he has for me! Nose: Walnuts, red currants, sour cherries, dried leaves, Virginia pipe tobacco, vanilla. Palate: More than a bit hot. Leather, dried plums, vanilla, sweet hay, oak. Finish: Fairly long. Musty oak, nutmeg, pomegranate, vanilla, toffee. Drying more than sweet. Verdict: I have no idea what this is. It comes across as fairly hot to me. Lots of complexity, it's sweet and tannic, dry and fruity, all at the same time. High proof Bourbon of some stripe? There's far more wood here than I usually get, I'm feeling like it must have some age on it. Would I buy this: No, I wouldn't. It's interesting. But nto great. Would I order this in a bar: Maybe? It's a bit weird. I could see a mood that might call for this. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Sure! It's not amazing, but there's nothing wrong with it. 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 : ★

Thanks to my friend Steve for this sample! Nose : Vanilla, Caramel, brown sugar, oak, a hint of cherry. Palate : Quite rich mouthfeel. Thick caramel, nutmeg, allspice, toasted oak, dark cherries. Finish : Long. Baking spice and caramel dipped cherries throughout. A bit of bitter oak and vanilla show themselves just for a moment at the end. It's quite nice. Verdict : Tasty stuff. It's like someone put ECBP in a mixer and played with the dials. It's the exact same flavor set, just certain things are stronger, and other things are weaker. No surprise given that it's sourced by Luxco from Heaven Hill. Would I buy this: At retail, I would. This is quite good for the price. It's up there with your Stagg Jr. and Elijah Craig Barrel proof. A little younger, and honestly that's not a bad thing. It might be a little more balanced for it. Would I order this in a bar: I would! It's tasty. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: I did, and I wou...

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, oak, cinnamon, allspice, yeast, corn Palate : Cinnamon, sweet corn, walnuts, caramel, oak Finish : Cinnamon, mint, toffee, Burnt pecans, oak Verdict : It's not great. Maybe it's the fact I didn't have a glencairn, but this fell pretty flat. All yeasty cinnamon, like an underbaked cinnamon roll someone forgot to frost. Would I buy this: I would not. Would I order this in a bar: No, I'd much rather Wild Turkey 101 Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Sure. It's still bourbon, it's not terrible.. But I wouldn't ask for it by name. 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 : ★★★