In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of the E.H. Taylor Four Grain Bourbon 2018 & Michter's 10 Year Old Rye Whiskey 2018. Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits.
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My tasting notes from this episode can also be found below:
Spirit A - E.H. Taylor Four Grain Bourbon 2018 (50% ABV)
Appearance
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Clarity: Clear
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Intensity: Medium
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Color: Amber
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Suggested texture: Medium > high
Nose
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Condition: Clean
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Intensity: Medium > pronounced
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Aroma characteristics: Butterscotch, Ginger bread, vanilla cream, caramelized apple, all spice, cloves, dried apricots, dried orange peel, pecan nuts, toasted/dry oak
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Other notes: Has a dusty/dry sensation to it. Like a toasted oak/sun dried oak type sensation. Very little char sensation on the palate but there was the burnt sugar note.
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ABV: ~55%
Palate
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Sweetness: Dry
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Texture: Warming, mouth filling, Medium > high viscosity
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Intensity: Pronounced
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Flavor characteristics: Oak, burnt toast, all spice, cloves, black pepper corn, licorice, leather, hints of vanilla and caramelized apples + some floral notes after water added
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Other notes: Lost a bit of the dried fruit notes, but gained the barrel aging notes much more clearly.
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Finish: Long and complex (Oak, cloves, licorice)
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ABV: ~55%
Conclusion
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Quality level: Outstanding
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Blind guess: Bourbon, ~10 years
Spirit B - Michter's 10 Year Old Rye Whiskey 2018 (46.4% ABV)
Appearance
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Clarity: Clear
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Intensity: Medium
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Color: Amber
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Suggested texture: Medium > high
Nose
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Condition: Clean
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Intensity: Medium
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Aroma characteristics: Oak, sweet corn, caramel, baked apples, pie crust, leather, ground cinnamon, crushed cloves, nail varnish
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Other notes: More oak, and has a sharp note at the end of the nosing like a high ethanol spike. Could mean a younger whiskey, but not sure.
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ABV: ~55%
Palate
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Sweetness: Dry
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Texture: Watery, low > medium viscosity
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Intensity: Medium
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Flavor characteristics: Oak, leather, cloves, black pepper corn, very little hint on those baked apples + sweetness grows with water
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Other notes: All the spice and burn sits on the tongue, doesn’t follow through. Feels like higher ABV but doesn’t carry the burn, just more tongue swelling.
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Finish: Medium with some complexity (Oak and black pepper corn)
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ABV: ~60%
Conclusion
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Quality level: Very good
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Blind guess: Bourbon, younger than spirit A
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