Rollins Tennessee Whiskey

Batch 15: Nose is green apples and rye…some toasted oak and vanilla. Taste in a glencairn is corn sweet with a hint of baked apples, burnt sugar moving to cinnamon and light oak spice. You don’t taste the barrels like better bourbon but there is some nice oak spice and toasted oak notes. The overall taste is balanced and wonderfully smooth. Its not super complex or long in finish but there is much to like and nothing to hate. This is obviously young spirits but quality is where it should be. In Australia this is around $45 and I think its top value. Compare this to Jack Daniels and shake your head in disbelief that Jack is usually a few dollars more but serves up so much less in everyway. Can be drunk straight in a glencairn where it is perfectly pleasant if a bit limited but rocks on the rocks where the char and toasted notes come out more prominently. My guess this is designed for making a great Old Fashioned. Solid 3 stars or 88. Please note this comes in batches and there is definitely batch variation going on here. (Word to the wise; batch 16 is coming through as I write this and is not as nice as batch 15, which is still in shops and the basis of this review.)

Take this one at face value.. it’s unfair to compare this to a $100+ bottle of bourbon it’s also unfair to compare it to good scotch. This can be compared to Jack Daniels. With this in mind we can say this is a good spirit in its class. If I had a choice out of this or JD, I would happily have this one. Tasting neat in a glen cairn. NOSE: Young and sweet Old oily vanilla pods Surface cleaner mock sweetness Unripe green apples in the background Iron metallic ARRIVAL: Caramel Vanilla Mouth drying DEVELOPMENT: Wood char and cinnamon More dry sappy wood note FINISH: Cinnamon drags out like you did the challenge A little front of palate Thai chilli heat Burned sugar I’m keen to try this in a whiskey sour. Cheers!

Surprisingly non-eventful across the nose, the tongue, and the finish. It’s almost impressive to put together a bourbon that so perfectly manages to be drinkable but also so simple, inconsequential and unmemorable.

Sweat maple flavours coming through.

Oaky cinnamon vanilla caramel