Josh the Black's comments

Almost syruppy smooth, hint of clove, very christmas spice

Really sweet. Not just the sweetness, but some darkness too. Covers the spicy ABV nicely.

Spicy, sweet, vanilla, molasses. Kind of oily and thin in the mouth. A little honey scent. Mild burn. A splash of water livens it up a bit. Adds to the smoky scent and punches up the oakiness. Not a bad glass, but hopefully not my favorite of the 24.

Elijah Craig Small Batch KY Straight Bourbon Whisky

This is a bourbon ass bourbon extremely high levels of execution

This is a much better glass. Smells sweet, citrus and almost minty. Smooth, oaken flavor with a little smoke, spice, grass and nuttiness. Long, chocolatey finish. Nice and complex. Would definitely buy. If you like the Elijah Craig Small Batch (~$30) and want to level up, The Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (~$80) is a great recommendation.

Kentucky Peerless Small Batch Rye Whiskey

I can't believe it's rye

Sweet and mellow scent, oak, butterscotch and spice. Lots of rye, pepper, and oak. A little honey and a hint of apple on the tongue. A little sour and bright with a medium finish. It's very good for such a young craft rye. The price (~$90/750ml) is a little steep, but if you like rye, this gets a rec from me.

Smooth, "real good", notes of dates, and currants

Brown sugar, vanilla notes, immediately looking into price of bottle

Oak, pepper, vanilla, and raisins on the nose. Very sweet smell. Not very complex. Very spicy on the tongue. Oak, szechuan pepper, vanilla, caramel and a hint of raisin. Maybe a little smoke. Thin on the tongue. Very short finish, mostly a hot numbing spice past the first few seconds. Very straighforward It's a perfectly serviceable pour, but at $50 your money may be better spent elsewhere. At $30, it would be a great buy.

thinner, hotter, lemon peel finish, heavy wood finish

Jim is at a loss. Cannot describe what he's tasting. Needs a minute.

Smells of cherry, vanilla, oak, leather, and mentol with a hint of clove. Sweet, spice, and citrus at first gives way to caramel, spice and fruit. Thin and spicy feel in the mouth. Medium finish with lingering oak and pepper. At $30, its a good value. Decent enough. You've probably had Sazerac before, so who I am trying to convince. Decent in it's price range of Rye's.

This is fine. Just fine.

Very Jack Daniels

It smells like warm fall spices, pancakes and maple syrup, caramel cream, graham cracker. Maybe a hint of banana. Sweet caramel candy, cinnamon and mild oak flavors. A hint of tobacco too. Very smooth in the mouth. Short finish with trailing syrup flavor. It doesn't do much to stand out, but at $35 it's a perfectly cromulent option for mixing, or sipping if you like sweet whiskey at the minimum proof allowed. Probably a good one for the person whose favorite whiskey is JD. Interestingly, this is produced in Columbia TN, with corn grown within 50 miles of the distillery. Has a great looking bottle too.

Boulder Spirits American Single Malt Whisky

Syruppy kinda molassas taste

Very Tennessee Whisky

Nose: Oak, citrus, leather, tobacco, grape. Taste: Charred oak, citrus, barley, cherry, coffee, cinnamon, chocolate, nutmeg, clove. Long finish, starting sweet and turning sour leaving behind dark chocolate fading slowly into smoke. A splash of water brings out fig, hazelnut, and chewy caramel candy and cuts the sourness and spice a bit. This is all around great if you like scotch. Great feel in the mouth, with a tail that leaves my mouth watering. I'd like to see what this is like aged 10 years or more. Definitely recommend.

Blantons Original Single Barrel, KY straight bourbon whiskey

Sweet, smooth, clean

Vanilla maple finish, very strong vanilla

Nose: Oak, vanilla, leather, dusty grass, butterscotch, warm spices, banana. Taste: Oak, honey, citrus, smoke, molasses, cinnamon Finish: Short, warm spices carry into lingering citrus sourness This is a very good bourbon. Might be my second favorite of the bunch so far. This bottle has a MSRP of $65, but is regularly sold between $150-$200 around me. The lowest price I've seen on Drizly is $120. At $120 this bottle gets downgraded from great to okay, but if you can find it somewhere for <$80, it's a no brainer.

VERY rye, woody, kinda mediciney finsh

Nose: Honey, rye, cherry, apple, clove. Taste: Rhubarb and cherry tartness, granny smith apple, oak, cedar, malted barley, clove, maybe a hint of pine. Finish: Very short, just sour notes lasting past the first second. Not great Bob! It is entirely unfair to this bourbon that I started sampling it 10 minutes after finishing the Blanton's, so let me just say it's a decent rye to keep on hand for mixing or sipping once you hit the point that the flavor is less important. This is pretty good in its price range of around $15. Absolutely nothing special apart from the value per dollar ratio being high.

Surpringly hot for it's abv, kind of a rummy whisky

Some whiskeys are too sweet, this is just right

Nose: Cherry, Oak, and Dusty Corn at first. After a short rest, Cinnamon, Vanilla Cream, Orange, and Honey. Taste: Oak, Caramel, Lemon, Honey, Dusty Corn, White Pepper Finish: Short, not a lot of burn, slightly bitter and acidic at first fading into oak and spices. Weighing in at 80 proof, this is at the lowest end for Bourbon ABV. Usually around $20 a bottle in my area. This is one of my go to mixers actually, courtesy of @Dennis (he/him) recommendation. I used it in my ⁠AB's Aged Eggnog batch 2023 back in May and have been enjoying that eggnog since Black Friday. It is delicately scented and flavored, a little watered down really, but fairly inoffensive as far as bourbon's go. Not the best sipper, but a great all around option for mixing drinks, or a nice coffee additive. If you want a better option from this distillery, their Single Barrel at 50% ABV is a solid option at around $50

Sagamore Spirit Double Oak Straight Rye Whiskey

This is a very good, very christmassy rye. Packs a bunch, but still smooth, vanilla, orange peel

You can certainly taste the oak there. Sweetness unexpected from a rye

Nose: Orange, Honey, Petrichor, Maple Syrup, Rye, Mint. Taste: Peppery Rye, Toasted Nuts (Hazelnut and Pecan mostly), Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Malt, Charred Oak, Citrus. Finish: Long finish, slightly acidic with a lot of oakiness. This has an oily mouth feel that coats the taste buds quickly leaving behind a strong characteristic peppery rye burning sensation that slowly fades into dark roast Ethiopian coffee. Sour and bitter. It lingers on the back of the tongue, right where you make the "g" sound in "that's a Great Glass of bourbon." It's very pleasant. This is about $75 in my area, and in my opinion is worth every cent. This is my new favorite of the 11 so far.

Too much burn, not enough flavor

Nose: Cherry, Oak, Marzipan, Chocolate, Herbs. Taste: Oak, Cherry, Orange Bitters, Dark Chocolate, Mint. Finish: Short dry, medicinal and smokey. This is not entirely unlike drinking an equivalent amount of dayquil. Sweetness doesn't quite cover up a very bitter flavor and the aftertaste is very medicinal and unwelcome in my opinion, but doesn't stick around too long. The glass mellows as it rests and becomes a little more palatable. A few drops of water liven it up a bit too, bringing out more nuttiness and lightening the bitter aftertaste. I think this is just not one for me. YMMV.

Buffalo Trace - KY Straight Borboun Whiskey

nice smooth bourbon

I taste so much vanilla

Nose: Cherry, Vanilla, Strawberry, Dry Grass, Brown Sugar, Oak. Taste: Very mellow and thin mouth feel. Citrus, bitter cherry, mild oak. Finish: The finish is long and mellow, slightly bitter up front fading into more citrus with whisps of oak. Not super complex, but very enjoyable. This is similarly priced with Elijah Craigh Small Batch from Day 2. For my money, I'd grab that for the complexity and extra abv.

James E Pepper - 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey

Pretty rye for a pepper guy

Nose: Strong Oak, Floral Perfume, White Pepper, Rye, Lemon, Clove, Mint. Taste: Pepper, Lemon, Oak, Pine, Floral tea, Vanilla, Chocolate, Honey, Butter. Finish: Medium, Lemon and Oak fade into bitter chocolate pepper and mint. Soft and oily feel. Not bad for a very spicy rye if you like that strong white pepper burn. Not very complex, maybe a little too bitter for my taste. This is around $35, and for my money certainly not as good as Sazerac in the same price category.

Has a mediciney, rubbing alcohol finish

all words have evaporated from my head, I cannot taste bourbon, only the lidless eye remains

Very warm, smooth. Brown sugar and space, carmel notes? Toasted coconut.

Apple and sugar cookie

Thin, very rye, woody

Citrus, orange leaning lemon. Mouthfeel coats.

Rowan's Creek Small Batch KY Straight Bourbon

This is a surprisingly rye tasting non-rye bourbon. Bright and citrusy

This is more lemon peal than the last one.

SEELBACH Private Reserve Batch 3 KY straight bourbon whiskey

Overwhelming experience. Immediate sensation of heat flooding the body. Kind of a new whiskey profile, very corn mash heavy

Wilderness Trail single barrel KY straight rye whiskey

There is an interesting note here, apricote, or pear, maybe lychee? Not as hot as you'd expect. Thin mouthfeel. Interesting.

Feet. Stinky feet.

Willet's Pot Still Reserve Single Barrel KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Bourbon ass bourbon. You can taste the abv. Pretty then mouthfeeel. Just alright

I'm detecting nose on this one. And it's not boozy, it's rubbing alcohol, it's the wrong kind of alcohol, and also? Meg Ryan. Not that charming

Blackened - A blend of straight american wiskeys

smooth, lots of char, burns in the chest

Blantons Gold Edition = KY Straight bourbon whisky

very smooth, thick mouthfeel. Velvety. Warm and honey, very sweet finish

long bright sweet finish

Col. E.H. Taylor - small batch Ky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

nice smooth on the pallette, just a solid borboun

mole-asses, and oak, a little too much alcohol it hits you with