Traverse City Whiskey Co. Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon

It’s very, very solid. But unless you have ties to the state of Michigan and don’t mind overpaying a tad to support a craft distiller, there’s certainly better values out there. If it cost $55 a bottle, I’d recommend it to everyone, no caveats needed. At $70, it’s competing against some serious heavyweights. (That said, if they’re making stuff this good now, I can’t wait to see what comes out in a few years. These folks know what they’re doing.) As far as tasting notes: caramel, butterscotch ... maybe baking spice? I’m so bad at this. I’m just happy it’s all “classic bourbon notes” even if I can’t articulate them, and none of that medicinal / obviously young taste I get from a lot of other craft distillers. tl;dr ... It’s good. If you’re getting started building your collection, there’s more bang for your the buck elsewhere. If you have a decent-sized collection already and are curious what one of the smaller players are up to, it’s worth a shot.

OAK LIQUOR CABINET Store Pick \\6 years, 6 months\\ \\ABV - 58% \\ NEAT NOSE - Loads of Cherry and Vanilla PALATE - A nice velvety mouthfeel. The cherry is upfront and immediate on the palate supported by notes of caramel and vanilla. This actually reminds me of Haribo Happy Cherries on the palate. This drinks well under its proof. This drinks around 100 proof surprisingly. FINISH - Short unfortunately. BUY? - This is not particularly interesting and does not do anything new. However, it’s extremely approachable and easy to drink. It’s on the sweeter side so if you like sweet bourbons then this may be up your alley. BUY AGAIN? - I think I’d only buy again if I bought from a store that allowed you to sample and it was much better or more comolex than this one. Nevertheless, I don’t regret giving Traverse City a chance.

Right off the nose you know you're in for a wild ride. This bad boy clocks in at 58.4% and it shows. Winning double gold at the 2019 world spirits competition, it does have nice color for a 4 year old bourbon. Nose puts of scents of toffee and butter in tandem with Carmel and just the slightest bit of oak. Over the tongue it not overly sweet and as it rolls to the back, you feel that proof almost clean out the ears. The finish seems true to the nose and takes the breath away on the first sip but the second and third get smoother. I gave it a high rating due to the nature of being so far away from traditional bourbon country but capturing the true essence of a bourbon. Well done, easy to see why you took down double golds for small batch in 2019.

Neat. Opened three months or so. Whiskey Bear 4 year pick. First impression on this one is that it was too young and green. Let’s see what a few months of air time does. Still very bright but just a little green. Caramel dominates this one. Vanilla frosting. Hints of apple. Baking spices. Almost like an apple parfait. Caramel and vanilla frosting dominate again. Apple shows up on the legs. Not much else to say. It’s tasty. For 4 year MGP, this is really good. I’d put it above Mic Drop 3.0 but still well under the 5 year SAOS floating around. At least it is better than the first impression and the overwhelming youngness subsided.

60.9% abv batch. The nose smells like whiskey, nothing too complex but nothing off-putting either. There are also some hints of what I'm going to call toasted wood present. Later on, the nosing gives off vanilla waffle cone which I noticed first on the taste. On the palate, the first sip was like a sweet waffle cone. Every once and a while I get a slight not of what I'll call "craft" whiskey notes. Other tastes give a bit of a medicinal note. The finish was short with not much lingering or to note.

Nose is brown sugar and vanilla, but there is also a bit stronger hint of alcohol than I would prefer. Taste is powerful here with heavy Carmel and vanilla before a rising pepper burn emerges. Flavor flavor and more flavor as the layers wash over your tongue. Finish is a sustained slow burn that leaves a smooth caramel as the fire subsides. Wasn't sure this woukd live up to the San Fran award from 2019, but it definitely does. A very nice pour often!