Ben's Blind Bourbon Reviews

[stearns]

Samples are in, looking forward to drinking Hog's booze

[IBQTEE1]

Originally Posted by massphatness

Awesome!

So does it go Kristen, Bourbon, Cigars? Would have thought cigars were second, but I apparently don;t know you as well as I thought.

The real order:

Tom, Kristin, cigars and bourbon. When we are not fighting!! LOL

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by stearns

Samples are in, looking forward to drinking Hog's booze

Like suckling at the icehog's teat. A treat not many will enjoy in this bourbon journey.

Or all of you can if you just stop by.

[Steve]

Originally Posted by IBQTEE1

The real order:

Tom, Kristin, cigars and bourbon. When we are not fighting!! LOL

Ahhhh, ain't love grand!

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Steve

Ahhhh, ain't love grand!

Yeah, my last one was about 65 grand.

[stearns]

#1 went down last night. The nose was fantastic, green apple peel and apple juice. The pallet was all cinnamon and baking spices, on it's own hardly any apple but when I took a big sniff just before tasting I got a combo that can best be described as a refined apple pie shine like Mac used to make (although the cinnamon in his stuck to your tongue, not the case here). The finish was relatively short and full of more baking spices.

I think this is a 100 proof rye on the younger side, guessing New Riff Rye

Actual bottle:



Willet Family Estate 4 Year Rye - 108.2 Proof

We don't get a lot of Willett around here, I have never actually seen a bottle of the Family Estate on the shelves but if I do I'll certainly be buying. Drinking this was an experience for sure, thanks Tom!

[icehog3]

Great job on #1, Ben, and really in the ballpark with your review and your "guess". Hope you enjoy the next one, I have a sneaking suspicion you may actually call #2 correctly.

[stearns]

No hints!

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by stearns

No hints!

Nope, that was the closest you will get to one.

[stearns]

#2 last night. Light wood on the nose, a familiar profile but I can't put my finger on it. Pallet was smooth, a little sweet but an earthy overtone. I was able to move it around my mouth without too much burn, which I assumed meant low proof, but the finish was great and lasted longer than something 90 proof would have provided so I think it's a little higher. My guess is Henry McKenna 10 Year BiB

Actual:


This one tricked me good, I was thinking something around 90 proof when I first poured it but the finish got me to change my mind to something closer to 100. Very cool, this one has already been on my "buy if you see it" list (after passing on one a couple months ago at the end of a particularly expensive buying streak) and this confirmed it will stay there. Not as unique as #1, but a solid drinker

[icehog3]

Nice review and pretty close, Ben....looking forward to #3.

[icehog3]

Oh, Benny Boy...…..

[stearns]

Posting up soon! #3 was the one that made me realize I have no idea what I'm talking about

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by stearns

Posting up soon! #3 was the one that made me realize I have no idea what I'm talking about

Not true! And you're gonna nail #4, I'm pretty sure of it.

[stearns]

#3 last night. Color is a dark amber, the nose is sweet with some fruit notes, no specific fruit in particular, and a little bit of ethanol if I really breath in but never overpowering. After sipping it really coated my pallet in a good way but I was having a hard time pinpointing a particular flavor, the finish is long and enjoyable. I felt like it was something I recognized but wasn't sure of, I guessed a Knob Creek 120 proof store pick. I was wrong



I don't know why but I had it in my mind that this was a bourbon not a rye, probably the sweetness on the nose. I have never had this before, I enjoyed it as a change of pace but I think I liked the first two just a little more. Looking forward to #4 this weekend

[icehog3]

Great inotes, Ben! Looking forward to hearing what you think about #4 this weekend.

[stearns]

Just finished up #4. Nose has notes of leather and fruit, I can tell a higher proof than the others. The pallet is bright with a small sip coating my mouth, but the proof while not overwhelming makes it a little hard to make out any particular flavors but it still feels in the fruit spectrum. The finish is where some cinnamon starts to come through, it's not super long but it's there for a few seconds. I added a little splash of distilled water to see what would happen, and the cinnamon has come from a note on the finish to a red-hot-esque note on the pallet. I gave it another splash but it didn't enhance anything, so I stopped there.

My guess - Booker's...

...is where I should have stopped

But stupid me guessed "Any Booker's release other than Country Ham"

[icehog3]

Awesome, Ben! Even if we call you "half correct", you still beat me 0.5 to 0!

I had so much fun with this, hope you did too! I'd love to see other guys pair up and do this, or maybe we'll have to do this again later this year.

[stearns]

I agree, very fun both on the guessing side and on the "I wonder what they think of the whiskeys I love" side

Well now I have four little bottles with numbers still on them, anybody want me to fill them up and play the game? We'll call it four American whiskeys, max of one review per day, shoot to have all 4 reviews posted within 8 days of receipt? No high end bottles are expected, just enough variety to make it exciting

[Snook]

Very entertaining thread. I'm a novice when it comes to bourbon, so its fun to read the lingo.