Eight & Sand Blended Bourbon

Rating: 18/23 N: Dusty with some fairly mature barrel spice and a tartness. A nice big corn sweetness, but not in a syrupy sense. That corn is building and I like it. P: Mellow, but spicy with sweet corn and some mild cherry. There's a hint of earth to the woodiness and also some faint anise. The spices include black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and faint clove. The dustiness brings out a big, dusty vanilla. Very faint dill. F: Spicy and dusty with a bit more tannins. Faint vanilla. More bitter and tannic than I'd like, but that occasional vanilla sweetness is nice. - Conclusion - Side by side, I think that this beats Russell's Reserve 10 (16/23). The Russell's is just more challenging with more of an alcohol bite. Blanton's has more sweetness than this does, but it has less of a mature flavor. I think that the two are competitive. I might slightly favor this for that mature aged flavor. Belle Meade Cask Strength (18/23) has some nice herbal and bitter character, but it tastes a bit more youthful and has more of an alcoholic blast to it. This is clearly better. Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered (18/23) has more of an alcohol bite than this does, but it's more decadent and complex. This might taste a bit older, but honestly I'd probably give the win to the Smoke Wagon. Russell's Reserve Single Barrel has more depth but less complexity than this. This Russell's is giving more of an old vibe than the last one was and I think it's pretty close in quality to the Eight & Sand. Overall, I'm getting real 18 vibes here. Some of the scores of what I compared this against are a bit dodgy, so this is not the most scientific of tastings, but an 18 seems about right. Coming back to this a few days later, it's still a really nice 18. Thanks @soonershrink for sharing another great dram!

Taste: Neat in glen cairn Nose: (3) Initially alot of ethanol on the nose but then it disappears. Lots of vanilla and spice. Some younger wood notes. Reminescent of a wood shop but in a good sort of your grandpa is building something by hand in the shop and you are helping him out type of way. Nose is a bit young. Palate (3.75): Spice and vanilla forward with cinnamon like red-hot candies. Offers a sweetness but not cloyingly or artificial. Not bad, the palate is better than the nose. Addition of water helped the cinnamon settle down a little and opened up some sweet cherry. Finish (3.5): A bit thin and dry is my biggest complaint. Stays woody on the mid palate. The saw dust from grandpa's woodshop takes over a bit. Oak blooms with a warming finish that seems better than its proof. Overall: I would have liked to see MGP pick one bourbon, give it time in the barrel, and come up with a bourbon barrel proof offering like they did with the rye Rossville Union which I very much enjoyed. I think the blending of some older whiskeys with younger ones made this a tad disjointed. It plays a bit young and woody on the back end, but the pieces for a great one are all there, just a little underdeveloped and maybe not enough mesh. I would not kick it off the shelf at the 29/bottle price because it is a quality juice and will be nice for sipping or mixing. The dry finish and the "sand" in the name though will bring a bit of comparison when sipping with bourbon friends. Five stars for the old timey bottle and steam train reference. Reminds me of the show "Hell on Wheels."

Fifteen dollars doesn't buy much these days, but it was enough to take this home. It's actually packaged in a decent looking bottle with a good weight, and with an actual cork. The bottle says no GNS or coloring added, so while this is a blended bourbon, it's actually all some form of whiskey, which is all from MGP. The nose is sour strawberry, maybe a little caramel, and after sitting a few minutes behind that are some rye notes, but mostly the strawberry and a little artificial strawberry candy. The palate is reminiscent of other MGP whiskey, which for me is not a bad thing. Sweet, but not overly so, fruity with cherry, caramel, some cinnamon, and a little rye again sneaks in there. A little watery, but this isn't bad at 15 bucks. However, I was told this normally goes for closer to 30, at which I'd say there's not a lot of value.

Neat. Neck pour. Classic MGP nose and very fragrant for only 88 proof. Dessert flavors with a hint of oak and pepper. Vanilla, light caramel and butterscotch. Hint of berries and cream. Smooth and almost creamy mouth feel. Light texture but oily too. Not much flavor on the tongue. Light sweetness but otherwise muted, some barrel spice and vanilla. The taste is delicious and very bright and sweet. Vanilla and light caramel. Light, milky chocolate on the legs. It’s 88 proof and $30. Can’t lose sight of that. With that in mind, the oily thick texture and smooth dessert qualities are amazing. It’s delicious, light MGP. I can see myself reaching for this as a great everyday sipper when I am just in the mood for dessert bourbon.

Aroma: a little muted, sweet corn, and a touch of cinnamon Flavor: at first it comes off as a little simple just sweetness with undertones of cinnamon but once it starts to open up the spice becomes more prevalent and is quite enjoyable Overall: There isn't a whole lot going on but when it opens up it's a nice easy sipping rye heavy bourbon

Initial flavors are of vanilla with a hint of caramel. It darkens toward the center as it picks up nutty and fruity notes of pecan and cherry. Vanilla emerges again at the back, alongside chocolate and oaky spice. The finish is tempered and moderate, with a light coating of spice and big notes of vanilla bean and oak.