Holladay 6yo 2018/2025 Soft Red Wheat UK Exclusive #1

Holladay 6yo 2018/2025 Soft Red Wheat UK Exclusive #1

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Missouri 
Amber red
61.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla sponge, coconut cream, raisins, cinnamon, milk chocolate, hints of almonds. With water, vanilla, coconut cream, sea salt. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, slippery, hot. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Black tea, vanilla sponge, raisins, milk chocolate, brown paper, cinnamon, hints of almonds. With water, black tea, vanilla, milk chocolate, brown paper. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, vanilla sponge, brown paper, raisins, hints of aluminium foil. 

Comments: 

Lot 18E17 cask 6715. Soft and gentle bourbon, lots of cakey notes - vanilla, chocolate, almonds - and plenty of raisins too. Water brings out a bitterness, mostly tea, but also more chocolate.

Verdict:

I like this.

Holladay 7yo 2017/2025 Soft Red Wheat UK Exclusive #2

Holladay 7yo 2017/2025 Soft Red Wheat UK Exclusive #2

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Missouri
Amber red
61.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, peanuts, cough syrup, popcorn, milk chocolate, oak chips, hints of fresh cut grass. With water, peanuts, brown paper, fresh cut grass, milk chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, evaporates, hot. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Oak chips, cream, cough syrup, popcorn, beetroot, vanilla, blackcurrant cordial. With water, cream, cough syrup, vanilla, milk chocolate. 
Finish: Medium. Beetroot, cream, cough syrup, milk chocolate. 

Comments: 

Lot 17F03 Cask 3503. Very milky, lots of chocolate, blackcurrant and cough syrup notes. There’s a vegetal note of beet root on the finish too. A rather good bourbon, even gentle at this cask strength.

Verdict:

I like this.

Holladay 6yo 2017/2024 Soft Red Wheat Bottled in Bond

Holladay 6yo 2017/2024 Soft Red Wheat Bottled in Bond

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Missouri
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, black tea, butter, popcorn, raisins, sea salt, milk chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Damson jam, strawberries, milk chocolate, butterscotch, popcorn, cloves. 
Finish: Medium. Strawberry jam, popcorn, milk chocolate, damson jam. 

Comments: 

Buttery and sweet, with popcorn notes. It’s quite jammy though, with damson and strawberry. Doesn’t take water much, I much prefer it near.

Verdict:

I like this.

Holladay 6yo 2017/2024 Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Rye

Holladay 6yo 2017/2024 Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof
Official bottling
Single bourbon - Missouri
Amber red
59.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, caramel, honey, golden syrup, vanilla ice cream, red grapes. With water, raisins, vanilla ice cream, butterscotch, golden syrup. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, loosens slightly.
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Brown paper, caramel, honey, red grapes, raisins, milk chocolate, black pepper, cloves. With water, raisins, milk chocolate, blackcurrant cordial, butterscotch. 
Finish: Long. Chillies, mint, milk chocolate, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Holladay are distributing their wares in the U.K. at the moment. This one is sweet and silky bourbon, with a decent level of Christmas flavours, and a long chocolatey finish. Needs quite a lot of water.

Verdict:

I like this.

Platte Valley 3yo 100% Straight Corn Whiskey

Platte Valley 3yo 100% Straight Corn Whiskey

Official bottling
Single corn - Missouri
White wine 
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Wet stones, bubble gum, strawberry jam, pencil lead, vanilla, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, tingly, airy. 
Tasting:  Sour sweet. Pencil lead, wet stones, white grapes, lemon juice, fresh cut grass, photocopy paper, hints of cornbread. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon juice, pencil lead, fresh cut grass, cornbread, white grapes. 

Comments: 

Flinty yet sweet corn whiskey. It’s surprisingly feinty as well, but it’s definitely corn spirit. Interesting dram, corn spirit has a character all of its own.

Verdict:

I like this.

Ben Holladay 6yo 2016/2022 Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Ben Holladay 6yo 2016/2022 Missouri Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Missouri
Amber copper
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, brown paper, black tea, coffee, allspice, orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, cool, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, raisins, allspice, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Brown paper, orange peel, black tea, hints of cinnamon. 

Comments: 

Only ever had one bourbon from Missouri before, and it didn’t stand out. This is slightly different, quite spicy, not too sweet. It’s a higher ABV, so carries a bit more complexity. A decent dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Missouri Ridge Bourbon Single Barrel

Missouri Ridge Bourbon Single Barrel

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Missouri
Amber
47% ABV
Dram

Nose: Smoke, raisins, orange peel, vanilla, custard, black tea, hints of pears. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, tingly. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, vanilla, honey, fresh baked bread, pear drops. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, brown paper, orange peel, vanilla, custard. 

Comments: 

Not your usual bourbon. In fact I might have called it a malt, had I tasted it blind. There's a little hint of brown paper on the finish, but the rest of it is sweet, chockfull of vanilla, and even some pears. Very nice stuff.

Verdict:

I like this.