Jack Daniel Triple Mash

Jack Daniel Triple Mash

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Amber
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, milk chocolate, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, cough mixture, brown paper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, expands, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Milk chocolate, honey, fresh baked bread, cream, cough mixture, hints of rye bread. 
Finish: Short. Cream, milk chocolate, honey, brown sugar. 

Comments: 

Sweet and chocolatey, a cut above the regular JD. There’s a bit of rye in this, oddly, and it makes for a slightly jarring note on the tongue.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jack Daniels American Single Malt (Oloroso Sherry Cask)

Jack Daniels American Single Malt (Oloroso Sherry Cask)

Official bottling 
Single malt - Tennessee
Amber red
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, brown paper, aluminium foil, molasses, brown sugar, black tea. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, warm, expands. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Aluminium foil, molasses, brown sugar, brown paper, black pepper, coffee. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, black pepper, aluminium foil, brown sugar. 

Comments: 

Sweet, malty, but with much of that brown paper note that characterises American whisky for me. Some metallic notes apparent on the tongue to keep it interesting, and then a short intense finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

Leiper’s Fork 5yo Rye Whiskey Bottled in Bond Batch 2

Leiper’s Fork 5yo Rye Whiskey Bottled in Bond Batch 2

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee
Dark brown
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honeydew melons, raisins, black tea, brown paper, black pepper, leather, cardamom. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, hot, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Black pepper, brown paper, raisins, oak chips, brown paper, cinnamon, hints of cardamom. 
Finish: Medium. Milk chocolate, leather, brown paper, cardamom, oak chips. 

Comments: 

A very fruity rye, with plenty of herbal spicy notes too. Not only the usual black pepper, but also cardamom and cinnamon. It only turns oaky at the end.

Verdict:

I like this.

Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye

Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee
Amber
60.3% ABV
Dram

Nose: Golden syrup, bananas, magic marker, caramel, fresh baked bread, hints of chocolate. With water, malted grains, raisins, icing sugar, hints of bananas. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, expands, volatile, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Golden syrup, malted grains, toffee, oak chips, caramel, chocolate, hints of fresh baked bread. With water, raisins, blackcurrant cordial, fresh baked bread, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, fresh baked bread, chocolate, malted grains, hints of chocolate. 

Comments: 

Sweet and gentle, lots of salted caramel and blackcurrant notes. It’s an intense but short finish - plenty of chocolate! Water brings out more blackcurrant, almost making it like cough mixture.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Corsair Wildfire Hickory Smoked Barley

Corsair Wildfire Hickory Smoked Barley

Official bottling

Single malt - Tennessee
Amber gold 
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, maple syrup, damson jam, toffee, pear drops, magic marker, black pepper, photocopy paper. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, hot, oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Damson jam, magic marker, strawberry jam, chocolate, popcorn, maple syrup, black pepper. 
Finish: Medium. Limes, black pepper, chocolate, popcorn, damson jam. 

Comments: 

Sweet and smoky, but the smoke is light and toasty, perhaps more like popcorn than malt peat smoke. No water needed, the mouth feel and flavours are excellent as is. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Cadenheads Enigma 21yo 2003/2025

Cadenheads Enigma 21yo 2003/2025

Enigma, WM Cadenhead 
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Amber, hints of gold
41.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Pear drops, bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, astringent, tingly. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Vanilla, toffee, bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, Demerara sugar, cough syrup. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, cough syrup, bananas, toffee. 

Comments: 

Not too over-oaked, but instead laden with bananas and cinnamon and many other sweet things. Quite luscious and sticky, and the sort of thing I think bourbon could be with a little more patience.

Verdict:

I like this.

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch

Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch 

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Golden 
46.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: White pepper, white grapes, pencil erasers, honey, popcorn, hints of icing sugar. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Cherries, cough syrup, white pepper, honey, cloves, hints of icing sugar. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, cloves, cough syrup, white pepper. 

Comments: 

Fruity, almost cough syrup like, with light pepper notes. I didn’t review the sourced spirits from Uncle Nearest, but the first make from their distillery that I’ve tried seems promising.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye

Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee 
Amber brown 
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Vanilla, black pepper, blackcurrant cordial, cough syrup, brown paper, caramel. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, loosens slightly.
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Magic marker, pencil lead, vanilla, black pepper, fresh baked bread, cough syrup. 
Finish: Short. Fresh baked bread, brown paper, black pepper, cough syrup. 

Comments: 

Decent rye, slightly sweet for my taste, but there’s plenty of pepper and cereal in here. It ends quite abruptly though, the finish is quite short.

Verdict:

I like this.

Leiper’s Fork Bourbon Whiskey Bottled in Bond

Leiper’s Fork Bourbon Whiskey Bottled in Bond

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Amber red
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Brown paper, strawberry jam, cloves, lemon zest, vanilla, honey, white chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Raisins, brown paper, white chocolate, orange peel, cloves, honey, hints of brown paper. 
Finish: Short. Raisins, orange peel, black tea, honey, brown paper. 

Comments: 

Quite bourbony this one, lots of brown paper notes with classic orange peel. It’s quite light and airy, wish it had a bit more body to it.

Verdict:

I like this.

Leiper’s Fork Tennessee Whiskey Bottled in Bond 4yo

Leiper’s Fork Tennessee Whiskey Bottled in Bond 4yo

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Tennessee 
Copper red 
50% ABV
Dram

Nose: Prunes, strawberry jam, green tea, pineapples, honey, hints of nutmeg. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Strawberry jam, strawberry laces, honey, sarsaparilla, prunes, raisins, hints of black pepper. 
Finish: Short. Sarsaparilla, strawberry jam, vanilla, raisins, prunes. 

Comments: 

Sweet and light, more complex than other Tennessee whiskies I could name. It’s a different character to sherried whisky, but has many of the same dried fruit and prune notes.

Verdict:

I like this.

A Tennessee Whiskey 18yo (bottled 2021)

A Tennessee Whiskey 18yo (bottled 2021)

Individual Cask, WM Cadenhead
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Amber brown
47.7% ABV

Dram

Nose: Lemon juice, brown paper, vanilla, allspice, cooked rice, hints of orange peel. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, tingly, hot, slippery. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Orange peel, cherries, cooked rice, butterscotch, brown paper, croissants, hints of allspice. 
Finish: Long. Croissants, cooked rice, allspice, vanilla, brown paper. 

Comments: 

This is a George Dickel. Lots of cough syrup, or cherry notes (Dr Pepper?) overlay some buttery croissants and cooked rice. It’s really quite good, just another bit of evidence that we should age bourbon / American whisky properly.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey

Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey 

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Tennessee 
Copper
45.5% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, brown paper, quinine, cinnamon, white pepper, mint, vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Brown paper, cinnamon, fresh baked bread, orange peel, honey, vanilla, hints of mint. 
Finish: Short. Brown paper, sea salt, white pepper, raisins, hints of damson jam. 

Comments: 

One of the new distilleries in Tennessee. The whiskey is quite decent, sweet and cereally with bitter highlights and a herbal finish. Quite complex for what is a rather sweet and young dram.

Verdict:

I like this.

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Whiskey

Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Rye Whiskey 

Official bottling 
Single rye - Tennessee 
Amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Honey, orange peel, jasmine, blackcurrants, vanilla, hints of preserved lemons. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, expands, slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Black pepper, jasmine, violets, allspice, vanilla, blackcurrants. 
Finish: Short. Allspice, black pepper, vanilla, honey. 

Comments: 

Floral and spicy, with the rye quite prominent, I rather like this whisky. It’s got quite a few interesting notes wrapped up in a pleasant sweet sour distillate. Some slightly savoury notes too. Intriguing.

Verdict:

I like this.

Corsair Wry Moon

Corsair Wry Moon

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee
Colourless
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Sour cream, white grapes, orange juice, gooseberries, limes, hints of pomegranates. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, warm, tingly, slightly slippery. 
Tasting:  Sweet sour. Malted grains, white grapes, limes, pomegranates, yoghurt, orangeade, lemon zest. 
Finish: Medium. Lemon zest, malted grains, limes, gooseberries. 

Comments: 

New make rye spirit from a very good US distillery. It’s surprisingly fruity, with little of the spiciness that characterises rye whisky. Maybe that comes with wood. But it’s very pleasant indeed, and there’s a nice tart note of lime, in common with some of the other Corsairs that I’ve had. 

Verdict:

I like this.

Tennessee Whiskey 3yo 2016/2019

Tennessee Whiskey 3yo 2016/2019

Maltbarn
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Dark gold 
61.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Butterscotch, raisins, honey, caramel, vanilla ice cream, bananas. With water, sweeter, fresh baked bread, honey. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, watery, loosens. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Bananas, honey, brown paper, caramel, red grapes, raisins, hints of ink. With water, fresh baked bread, raisins, honey, apples. 
Finish: Long. Apple juice, honey, raisins, black tea. 

Comments: 

Maltbarn 123. It's apparently George Dickel, and it's got a nice sweet, toffee apple character. Plenty of vanilla ice cream on the nose too. Brings some classic American desserts to mind.

Verdict:

I like this.

Peg Leg Porker 8yo

Peg Leg Porker 8yo

Peg Leg Porker
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Dark amber
45% ABV
Dram

Nose: Corn syrup, pear drops, fig jam, brown paper, hints of lemon zest. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, sticky, loosens, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Vanilla, corn syrup, lemon zest, rice pudding, hints of chocolate. 
Finish: Short. Coffee, vanilla, chocolate, rice pudding. 

Comments: 

An independent bottling of what consensus says is George Dickel. I tend to agree, it's got quite a few interesting notes, which means it's not Jack Daniel. There's plenty of sweet jammy stuff on the nose, and a cereally bite on the tongue which lasts till the finish.

Verdict:

I like this.

George Dickel No 8

George Dickel No 8

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Amber
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Bananas, cinnamon, brown paper, sugar cane, coconut, hints of lemon. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, slippery, slightly chewy. 
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Bananas, peanuts, cinnamon, toffee, sugar cane, walnut skins. 
Finish: Medium. Walnut skins, peanuts, bananas, lemon peel. 

Comments: 

Hmm. An unusual bourbon (ok, sorry, Tennessee whiskey), it's got a burnt sugar taste that reminds me very much of rum. It's got heaps of bitter notes as well, along with the normal bananas and toffee. I quite enjoyed this.

Verdict:

I like this.

Corsair Ryemageddon

Corsair Ryemageddon

Official bottling
Single rye - Tennessee
Amber orange
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Limes, orange juice, black tea, pickle brine, brown paper, blackcurrants, hints of cinnamon.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, syrupy, sticky.
Tasting: Sweet sour . Orange juice, black tea, pickle brine, brown paper, limes, red grapes, hints of cinnamon.
Finish: Short. Cinnamon, orange juice, pickle brine, hints of chillies.

Comments:

My first single rye whiskey - it's taken me a long time to dip my toe into that particular pond. I'm sorry to say that I'm a fool, I should have done it a long time ago. This is spicy, tart and flavourful. I like the black tea, and the astringency characterised by brown paper notes and even pickle brine. Yummy yum yum, lots of the orange juice and lime that made previous Corsair whiskies so tasty.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Corsair Rasputin

Corsair Rasputin 

Official bottling 
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Red gold
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, cherry, brass polish, cream, key lime, hints of burnt plastic. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, loosens, watery, spicy. 
Tasting: Bitter. Cherries, chocolate, brass polish, coffee, key lime, burnt plastic, hints of sour plum. 
Finish: Long. Coffee, key lime, chocolate, cherry, sour plum. 

Comments: 

The distillers brewed a Russian imperial stout (one of the very best beers one can drink), and used that as the mash from which the whisky was eventually distilled. The whisky has been hopped, which dramatically changes its flavour profile. This is experimental, and it shows. It is fragrant and complex, with loads of wonderful flavours - but offset by an acrid tang of what I can only describe as burnt plastic. The finish is wonderfully long and complex though, and I can still taste sour plums, limes and coffee, 5 hours and 2 meals on.


Verdict:

Not bad.

Corsair Small Batch Triple Smoke

Corsair Small Batch Triple Smoke

Official bottling
Single bourbon - Tennessee
Yellow gold
40% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, key lime, honey, grass, smoke, hints of leather. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, fizzy, airy, turns watery. 
Tasting: Bitter sour. Orange juice, key lime, honey, lemon zest, grass, hints of leather. 
Finish: Short. Key lime, lemon zest, grass, hints of leather. 

Comments: 

An unusual sort of American whiskey. No notes of bananas, not a hint. Instead, I get loads of citrus and smoke. Well, it certainly does what it says on the bottle, but it's a gentle smoke, subtle, and not in-your-face like the Islays. Deliciously refreshing.


Verdict:

I like this a lot.