Troy & Sons Oak Reserve

DISCLAIMER: I was able to get a special bottling of this at the distillery. I talked with the head distiller for a while and he offered me an unfiltered, undiluted Oak Reserve straight from the barrel so my notes may be different from yours. Here goes The nose definitely has that sharp corn hint. Vanilla bean for sure. Mild cherry syrup. Grenadine almost. Now the palate has the corn upfront as expected. It's a little spicy. Black pepper, almost astringent as well. It's barrel proof (at least my bottle is) and unfiltered so lots of the charcoal flavor coming through but it's not particularly bad. I'm not a fan of barrel proof whiskey but this one isn't bad. It's mellowed in old Woodford Reserve barrels so there's hints of vanilla, and the char like before. I had some of the unaged shine that this comes from and it's honestly the best shine I've had. Low proof but good. The finish definitely an umami sort of savoriness. Almost like a char-grilled steak on the back end. Sweetness from the corn comes through afterward and the finish is nice and long and leaves my tongue tingling. This is an incredible whiskey, a sipper for sure, not something I can drink quickly either. Pick some up if you have a chance!

I love that this is less than 50 miles grain to glass. However this could use some extra time in the barrel and I hope they are leaving some in reserve for that reason. Enters sweet with Oak and Leather in the mid palate. Pleasant burn. This has an almost "tequila-ish" note on the finish. Try the Troy & Sons Blonde Whiskey which adds a local heirloom wheat to the mash bill and gets some extra time in what I believe are used Woodford Reserve Barrels. It is miles ahead of the Reserve.

Not bad overall, but the younger notes are a bit distracting. Nose - some sap notes I associate with younger whiskeys, vanilla and lemon zest, a bit of oak spice Taste - sweet vanilla and caramel up front, a bit of medicinal notes, only a bit of oak spice comes though Finish - the medicinal and sappy flavors show up here, but fade away fairly quickly, leaves some tingle on the tip of your tongue

Tastes like cleaning solution. Faint sweetness. Their cuts are bad. I’m not sure if 5 years more of aging would help. Destined for cocktails maybe.

You can really taste and smell the corn. Has a slight burn going down but nothing that takes away from the flavor

I prefer something aged a bit longer.