Background

Not going to be much in the way of an intro on this one, because I have absolutely no clue what these are! Recently, @simon_says_sip offered me two choices from our sample swap, blind or labeled. Never wanting to waste an opportunity to embarrass myself, I told him to go ahead and send them blind for this review. My plan is to try to guess the distillery, type, age, proof, and a simple yes/no on whether or not it’s finished. Below I’ve put my tasting notes and my guess on each. Simon has then provided the answer and his thoughts immediately following each review.

Sample A

Nose: A little dusty funk. Leather, caramel swirl and gentle red fruits swirl around, giving slightly different notes each time.

Palate: Ok so first things first I dont think this is very high proof. It’s not lacking in flavor, but it’s delicate in terms of the heat. Nothing from the palate dissuades me from my initial thought that this might be a dusty. It’s got that leathery fruit funk that I usually find in dustys, or maybe this year’s Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon. There’s a decent amount of caramel as well. Rich and pleasant.

Finish: It’s not that long, sassafras/root beer, some gentle rye spice, pumpernickel bread perhaps. Enjoyable but fades a bit fast.

Guess: I’m of two minds here, the first is that it reminds me a lot of this year’s Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon. But that, to my recollection, had a bit more syrupy texture. The red fruit and delicate rye spice leads me down another road though, Wild Turkey. I’m going to guess it’s an Austin Nichol’s Era Wild Turkey Bourbon, 8 year, 101 proof. I definitely don’t think this is finished. My biggest hesitation is that I kind of think this is closer to 90 proof. Oh well, I don’t have a better guess, final answer!

Simon Says: It is 2023 Michter’s 10 Year Bourbon. Can you imagine what this would have been like at cask strength? Literal perfection.

Sample B

Nose: Big, syrupy red- hell maybe even purple (plums)- fruits. Just off the nose I’m leaning finished, PX cask maybe. Because it just smells rich and red fruit forward.

Palate: More dark red syrupy fruits. Candied lemon as well. I’d definitely guess a bourbon of some kind since there is not a ton of spice bite. Some candied apple and a touch of cinnamon sugar.

Finish: Cough syrup, which is normally something I look for but in this particular instance it’s skewing a bit too medicinal for me. Lemons, a touch herbal, and yeah that medicinal cherry.

Guess: Robitussin. Kidding, but I’m going to say yes, it’s finished first and foremost. My guess would be Cognac or Armagnac cask but some double barrel bourbons, particularly Peerless ones, have had some similar richness. I definitely think it’s also bourbon, but beyond that I actually have NO clue what to do with this, but I’d guess an NDP so why not guess one of, if not the, most popular one. I’m going with Bardstown Ferrand, as I think it’s about 110 proof. It doesn’t taste that old, and Ferrand’s blend of 7 and 11 year whiskey would put it old but not obscenely old.

Simon Says: Here we have Austin Nichols Wild Turkey Rare Breed Batch W-T-01-99 (2000). Reportedly a blend of 6, 8, and 12 year bourbon at 108.4 proof. That's the thing about that 80s-90s era distillate - it has a cognac-y vibe to it. I love it.

Sample C

Nose: Hmmm, we might finally have a rye here. Hot toddy, it’s those honey/tea/citrus notes I like so much on a rye. It just smells a bit spicier than a bourbon.

Palate: Candied citrus, honey, cinnamon and cloves. It’s pretty syrupy texture wise. I’m going to guess this is in the 6-8 year range based on the palate. Right around when ryes start getting that syrupy texture.

Finish: Punchy! Black pepper, muddled mint, lemonhead candies, and the occasional note of candied apples. There’s some grassy herbal notes I’m picking up too, but they are lighter and more background than the others.

Guess: Ok I’m definitely going to start guessing rye. And I’m also going to go not finished, but it wouldn’t shock me if that syrupy texture I’m getting is not from age but instead some type of finish. Since I’m not going finish, I’ll say 7 years and then about, 120 proof. I can’t totally figure out what distillery to guess if I’m being honest. It could be Willett, but something about the muddled mint note I got on the finish says MGP rye to me. Final answer: MGP Rye, 7 years, ~120 proof, no finish.

Simon Says: This is Old Carter Bourbon Batch 3-CA (NAS, 117 proof). Old Carter continues to have a special place in my heart with the way they double barrel and manipulate their blends to really elevate their sourced whiskey - you can say all you want about how it's just 8yr MGP, etc.- but I challenge you to blind these VSB editions against another 7-9yr MGP and see which one wins by knockout.

Final Thoughts

I give myself a little credit on Sample A and other than that essentially mostly succeeded at guessing proof. That Old Carter has such a fun rye spice for a bourbon, it completely caught me wrong footed. And the richness in that dusty Rare Breed is something else. Honestly for just being told these are three American Whiskeys with no other parameters, I'm reasonably satisfied with how I did and will have to try this again in the future. Thanks again to @simon_says_sip for facilitating this!