I’ve been slacking last week on the reviewing part, so may as well not wait any longer and review more samples
Whistlepig 10 ‘Original Wine Club Pick’ Single Barrel 112 proof
Nose: Oh you, sweet vanilla front and center here. Very perfume-forward.
Palate: Ethereal vanilla that drinks much higher than its proof. Really, it drinks like a 125+ for being a 112 proof. Nearly no body. Little bits of wood but the alcohol overwhelms. Water helps here to tune the alcohol burn down, after which it becomes a wood/spice/vanilla mess.
Aftertaste: Alcohol burn with some wood and vanilla sweetness. Less burn after water. Very slight rye and eucalyptus in the very back. Very long aftertaste that is likely its saving grace. I want that aftertaste, yet I dread drinking more to extend it.
Overall: This is a hot mess. I find myself struggling to give it a passing grade after having done work to make it drinkable. Honestly, I’m struggling to see rye notes in the glass at all. If I was tasting it blindly, I’d be convinced this is some kind of bourbon. Becomes reasonably drinkable with water, essentially not palatable at bottle proof. The aftertaste is actually quite good, but it’s a journey I’d rather not take to get there. Side Note, the sample I was given was my first experience with Whistlepig. I’m aware they produce/bottle highly-regarded delicious bottlings, but this wasn’t one of them for me.
Score: D+
Few Rye ‘Total Wine Pick Single Barrel’ 101 proof
Nose: Chocolate and rye bread on the nose. With a tiny bit of eucalyptus of course, it wouldn’t be a rye without that for the most part.
Palate: Very rye bread-like on the palate. Sweet and quite complex to unwrangle. Wood is well balanced together with spice and vanilla flavors and doesn’t lose in its intensity. The closest thing I can come up with on similarity would be a well roasted, freshly baked rye bread crust. Maybe with a small touch of caraway seeds.
Aftertaste: Same as palate without major changes or deviations and lasts a reasonable amount of time. Again, a lot like eating fresh rye bread in my childhood. Maybe a touch of soap somewhere in the very end, which is something that I’d expect with this type of rye profile and it works fine for the most part.
Overall: Well, this one takes me right back to my childhood of… eating freshly baked rye bread. Its tasty, reasonably straightforward and neither has any major faults nor generally outstanding in some way. Extremely drinkable and quite delicious nonetheless. Definitely enjoyable straight, but also will not call you back after moving on to something else.
Score: B
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown