Batch 206 Old Log Cabin Bourbon

Rating: 10/23 N: Nectar. Possibly some artificial caramel. Banana, Fuji apple, vanilla. This is actually really fruity. I'm not at all sure I'd guess this was a bourbon based on the nose. P: Oh, but this palate is bourbon. Super fruity bourbon, but there's plenty of wood and a fistful of spice here. I also get some smoky wafts. The spices are white pepper most prominently, then little ginger, clove, and cinnamon. That artificial caramel flavor comes through mixed with banana, vanilla, clover honey, a bit of Fuji apple pokes its head in and out. There's some viscous malty character that makes me think of Old Forester Signature, but younger and less full. Hints of cherry here and there. Maybe I'm getting some banana bread here. F: banana, vanilla, white pepper, a bit of viscous malt, and plenty of minerals. A little artificial caramel, but it's reduced. A totally approachable finish. It's fine. - Conclusion - My overall impression here is that this is quite youthful. There's an interesting character going on here that I'd really like to see developed more, but right now it's too young. I find myself wanting to compare it with the regular Ancient Age and Early Times offerings. I think it's competitive in that group, but that's a fairly low-end set of offerings. I'm thinking that this will be a 10 or 11. It lacks the mature sophistication to compete with something like regular Buffalo Trace. I'm inclined to say that Batch 206's Barrel Raider Irish whiskey is a better product than this is. Both can use substantially more age, but the Irish whiskey is more complex. Unfortunately, this is just too young. I think this is going to be a 10.

It smells really sweet, like Balcones Baby Blue. There some malt on the nose, but it seems like at 49% malted barley the balance is out of whack. The palate initially tastes like young malt with its sweetness, but then some viscous corn sweetness comes out and a surprisingly fierce burn ensues. I'm not a big fan of the young flavor (not a fan at all actually), but the complex actually does increase a fair bit. This is substantially better than Balcones Baby Blue with its fruity flavors the come out toward the finish, adding richness. Still. I would have guessed that this was a young malt-heavy whiskey (which I guess it is actually) and placed it in the bargain bin. I have mixed feelings about this one: it's better than the Barrel Raider II with its added complexity, but it still tastes young and reminds me of stuff like Shieldaig Class (a.k.a. the bottom shelf stuff). The execution is better than for bottom shelf scotch, but I wish it didn't remind me of it at all. The nauseating Sherry sweetness is minimized here, but not eradicates. This definitely tastes like young bourbon, which is a shame because it isn't terribly young. Still, there is more complexity here than in young bourbon and the balance is better despite its flaws. The flavor here is also on the light side. I'll be intrigued to try a more mature version of this at some point, but for now it's not that great and very expensive. The complexity seems good, so it definitely has potential. At 12 years, this could be quite good.

This time around I smell sour, which I'm not sure I've encountered yet. Flavor is very light and thin, almost no burn but not much of anything really. Apple, and the same sour tang on the tail that I got on the nose.

A cross between a bourbon and a non-smoky single malt. The taste is nice, the proof too low, and the price too high. The barrel strength version is better but also more expensive.

Smells like cereal to me, very thin and light on the tongue, minimal burn. Mostly light oak for flavor, short tail. Whole thing reminds me a lot of plain Cheerios.

A bit raw. Burned on front and back of tongue. Tasted more like a scotch.