W.B. Saffell Kentucky Straight Bourbon

It’s 2020. It’s December. Let’s shut this year down with a brand new whiskey (or whisky) every day. It’s my own personal whiskey advent calendar. +6! Dec. 8, 2020 The Whiskey Barons Collection. If you’re a bourbon fan who enjoys the history of bourbon, you should read up on these guys. There’s ancestor worship, there’s reaching back into the bourbon days of yore, and restoring old homes of dead guys with recognizable names. All the things. This is the fourth and most recent release in this collection. I was a big fan of the Bond & Lillards, and I hope this delivers. Nose is sweet tarts. There’s powdered sugar, citrus, oak, apple, jelly... swirl it around, there’s tons of stuff there. Body is pears, flowers, vanilla. Weird-ass combo. Wondering if you’d like that? So am I. Finish is almost too sweet at times. The pear and cane sugar can come for a vengeance when you breathe wrong, and in those moments the mild cinnamon (which I would normally like) is a deterrent in your efforts to survive. Sickeningly sweet... which is rare in the bourbon world. This is a huge letdown for me. It’s passable, although overpriced as a 375mL. I was wondering why B&L flew off the shelf while this one is still available. I’ve had many worse things, but I wouldn’t recommend this to a friend. This bums me out because these “Whiskey Barons” produced Bond & Lillard 2, which was great but slightly fell short of the even more magnificent OG Bond & Lillard 1, and now I have to square that with the fact that they made this. I haven’t had Old Ripy yet, but now I’m scared to. 2/3 is such a better track record than 2/4, and even if I’m late to the party, I’m going to maintain my own version of reality for as long as possible. Maybe I’ll crack that one next year. ‘Tis the season. I’m day-to-day on my whiskey selection, so if you’re reading this and there’s something readily available out there you’d like me to enjoy/suffer through this holiday season, leave it in the comments. Merry whiskey to all, and to all a beer flight!

Ok this has a really epic nose; peanut shell, cinnamon sugar, caramel chew candy, red apple, orange peel, barrel char, rickhouse must, and soft oak. There’s a lot here and it’s complex, robust, and totally devoid of ethanol. Palate is Wild Turkey 101 on steroids. Rich caramel flan, vanilla bean, Spanish peanut, creme brûlée (both the custard and the burnt sugar), candied pear, and cinnamon stick. If some of those descriptions are oddly specific it’s because the elements are that pronounced. Flavors are bold and in your face, and I’m about it. Finish offers a slow morph into cinnamon gummy bear, nutmeg, allspice, charcoal, and sweet oak, and goes on what seems like forever. Mouthfeel is super chewy and is a perfect fit. In the running for one of the best Wild Turkey products I have ever had, and an ass kicker of a bourbon. So it’s a 5, right? Not so fast. Not sure what the MSRP is, but I paid $84 for this 375ml bottle. Even if I overpaid by a decent margin, this would still be overpriced. Man, why couldn’t this be in a regular 750ml with say a $60 price tag? Hmmm? A great whiskey but a shitty value. Gets a 4.0 even though I’m almost certainly not going to be rebuying it.

🥃 - W.B. Saffell Bourbon Batch 1 Proof - 107 / 53.5% Color - Amber Nose - Caramel with heavy ethanol forward, peanut shells and oak finish it out Flavors - A little complex with a rye spice forward, corn, brown sugar in the middle, and cinnamon with oak at the finish. Sweetness - 3.5 / 10 Not really a sweet bourbon for my palate Dryness - 4 / 10 A creamy and buttery palate on this one, good mouthfeel. Burn - 5.5 / 10 A good rich burn, nice hug in the chest, long lasting finish. Bud’s rating - 6 / 10 If you needed to have a base explanation of “what does bourbon taste like” this might fit the bill. I will start this statement with explaining I have a bad history with Wild Turkey, I have yet to find one that dazzles me. That being said when I tried this and wrote in my bourbon journal I did not know it was wild turkey that makes this product. I’m often left wanting more when it comes to the wild turkey products I’ve tried and this seems to fit that bill. My palate simply just doesn’t fit with their whiskey. It’s a good bourbon, but average at best for me.

The Aroma is just like a cigar humidor. One you walk into to select some cigars. So that means some tobacco & wood, perhaps cedar. As it opens smelled pretzel and a touch of sweetness. Bright & crisp copper in color. First sip makes me think this is a high rye mashbill. Good spice throughout. Biscuity, bitter & spicy. All in a nice way. One of the most bitter Bourbons I've tasted. Peppery spice on top with some balancing sweetness just below the surface. Three drops of water killed the Aroma and exploded the spice. Wow, the finish is so much bigger with the water. You have to be patient with this in the glass. Cocoa and chocolate flavors emerge and the balance of spice and sweetness hits the right spot. Definitely drink with water in my opinion. You can tell we are over 100 proof with the heat. It's good. Just not sure it's worth the elevated price.

Maybe the most unique expression from Wild Turkey. If you are a fan of all things WT, this will definitely stand out from the standard WT & Russell’s offerings. W. B. Saffell has a strong wood component with little oil, some tobacco and even chocolate forward. It’s full bodied with baking spice throughout reminding me of some of the better Russell’s picks. Overall, it’s just a flavor profile and combo you don’t come across often. Makes sense they kept it’s release to only a pint. It might not be for everybody looking for a classic bourbon, but if you want an adventure, you will appreciate the experience and understand it’s limited allocation.

First time finding and trying. Freshly cracked bottle enjoying neat in a glencarin rested just a few minutes. Nose - wow a lot going on here. Caramel, apples, vanilla, and fruity citrus flavors lasting with brown sugar. Taste - vanilla kicks this one off which immediately rolls into some clove, oak, buttery and oily mouth feel. Very well balanced bourbon with the sweet flavorings that roll into the slightly spice from the clove and 107 proof. Overall- the nose and taste are excellent. I would rate the nose a solid 10/10 and the taste around an 8/10. This tiny bottle with a great bottle design is a must have for any bourbon lover.