McFarlane's Reserve

Color: a light Straw similar to a younger scotch Nose: creamy vanilla, caramel, candied toffee and brown sugar. The nose is oh so sweet very pleasant and pretty in depth for a young whisky. I’m pretty sure this is a wheated whiskey as well. Pallet: Just like the Nose the pallet slams home with a big rich vanilla butterscotch and butter cream note, the mouth feel is quite nice and mouth coating, a small hint of brown spices appears. The note of baked cinnamon bread dances along the tongue into the finish. “Chewing” brings out a creamy fruitiness which I enjoyed. Finish: the finish is medium-shot but the after taste is very nice leaving light fruits and vanilla behind. This is a well done wheated whiskey made in KY by IJW distillery. One of my favorite bottles for an amazing price.

A delicate, Kentucky Straight Bourbon made by adding wheat to the traditional mash bill of corn & barley; along with Kentucky limestone filtered water. It is aged for 3 years in American oak barrels before being bottled at 45% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with notes of fruits, grains, wood & spices; while a delicate life adds notes of apple, ripe cherry, cinnamon, brown sugar, maple & chocolate; that led to a rich death of medium length with notes of oak, corn & vanilla custard. December 2021 / August 2022 / July / August 2023 / October 2024

Best damn $21 bottle I’ve ever tasted! Great wheated bourbon with only the faintest hint of being young and a bit un-refined. Disclaimer- I’m a huge “all things Buffalo Trace” fan and the desire to compare this to a blend of Buffalo Trace and Weller Reserve is there. I typically keep Trace on hand for a pedestrian pour and for cocktails. For $19 cheaper, this will replace Buffalo Trace for bourbon mixers and cocktails. I’ll still keep a handle of Beam for me friends who ask for bourbon and coke. We all have one of those guys. 😜

Light in color, young on the nose with heavy ethanol nose. Behind the ethanol is some sweetness maybe caramel and brown sugar. On tasting there is more of a burn then I would expect for 90 proof. Burnt sweetness and black pepper with a medium finish. I think this one is a bit young but for 21 bucks it’s not bad.

Lots of dark maple flavor here, less sweet but more resonating. Sweet, full mouthfeel that actually dissapates quickly. Flavor is surprisingly thin, but heat lingers. It's like it has a lot of intriguing components, but they don't quite come together.

Wanted this to taste better than what I expected. There’s better wheated bourbons, but at 20 bucks a bottle it’s worth a try, very least as a mixer. Theres some good notes, but you have to dig past some alcohol burn. Bit rough, not smooth.