Winchester Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

Nose - maple syrup, butter, chemically vanilla and caramel, frosting, sawdust, fresh oak, charcoal, nondescript spices, high ethanol burn. Taste - sweet vanilla, caramel, sawdust, charcoal, more nondescript spice, maple syrup, high alcohol bite, finishing fast with sawdust and hot, young alcohol flavors. Not good, although I appreciate the heat on it. Many of the bottom shelf bourbons I’ve tasted are extremely cloying. This borders on cloying but doesn’t quite go all the way. Nonetheless, at $20 a bottle this is more expensive (and at least three years younger) than EW BiB and nowhere near as good.

Mini bottle because this doesn’t look good but what the hell. Very pale as expected after “a year and a day”. (P.s. I don’t think the extra day does anything. Nor does it seem an effective marketing gimmick when it comes to something that for which quality actually takes time. But what do I know about marketing bottom shelf whiskey?) On the nose it’s weak; mostly ethanol, with toasted grain and hints of vanilla, pepper and apple. On the palate it’s thin, not far beyond a white, sweet and boozy, with alcohol, sugar, pepper and a touch of vanilla. Alcohol and sugar finish.

The bottle says it’s aged a year and a day and you can definitely tell.

Terrible Young/corny Has a bite

Good taste but not smooth

Good flavor, not bad