Round 1

#2 Four Roses Single Barrel vs #15 OYO Michelone Reserve

Four roses

The four roses opens a little sweet and instantly sends some spice up into your nose. The sweetness actually builds in your mouth, and you get some subtle woodiness layered in with it. This flavor sticks in the mouth for a good while and you get a nice trail of warmth as it goes to your stomach – but, it’s incredibly smooth and has no more burn than the OYO despite the extra 5% ABV.

OYO

The OYO is going to be a bit of an outlier in this group, as it’s a wheated bourbon, and those wheat notes are definitely noticeable when you first sip it. The wheat gives it a somewhat different sweetness that isn’t quite as sticky or pronounced. This whiskey feels a bit lighter with less pronounced flavors and character – “softly sweet” as it’s described on the bottle is a fair description. Surprisingly, despite being 10 proof less than the Four Roses, it gives almost the same warmth.

Overtime

Another matchup that has had to go to overtime – it’s too close to tell from just one sampling, and fortunately it’s because it’s hard to tell which is better, not worse. This time, starting with the OYO, it goes down with an almost water-like smoothness but with that nice soft sweetness and a slight astringency. The Four Roses probably has a bit more to it – some more depth and complexity, maybe, but also has a touch more of a perceivable ethanol alcohol taste (still extremely mild). The OYO, while perhaps simpler, also offers something a bit different. While these are both excellent, the OYO will take this by a hair. In a different time or setting, maybe I’d swing toward the Four Roses, buy at the moment it goes to OYO – this is a comparison I look forward to repeating

Winner: OYO Michelone Reserve

#7 WL Weller Special Reserve vs #10 1776 Bourbon

Weller

Pretty light, but not quite as mature, making it a little less smooth. The bite is not bad, but the foretaste is a little almost bitter. As it settles, the wheated portion of the mashbill comes through, providing a sweetness I personally like. It’s pretty creamy in the mouth and the aftertaste is a nice sweetness with maybe a hint of chocolate.

1776

This is vastly different tasting by comparison, likely due to the extra 10 proof and the lack of wheat in the mashbill – rather, this compliments the corn primarily with rye. That gives it a bit more peppered spice. Even so, it’s very smooth, but still feels pretty heavy, almost syrupy, in the mouth and leaves a fine balance of sweet and pepper, but coupled with a hint of bitter alcohol taste.

Note

Those who prefer a lighter (this is not to say it lacks character), sweeter Bourbon will prefer the Weller and those who like some more spice and mouthfeel will likely gravitate to the 1776. This was another close challenge that could have gone the other way on a different day

Winner: W.L. Weller Special Reserve

#3 Booker’s vs #14 Corner Creek

Booker’s

You definitely notice the heat right off the bat, but that’s no surprise as this bottling clocks in at 128 proof. With that being said though, it’s almost more of a peppered spice than an overwhelmingly alcoholic burn, and it actually goes down incredibly smoothly, leaving more of a prickle on the lips and a shot of spice in the nose than heating the throat and chest as it goes down. You also get a very clear, nice sweetness layered in with that slice and the two compliment each other very, very nicely. The flavor diminishes unfortunately quickly but a more subtle sweetness does linger nicely.

Corner Creek

By comparison, the corner creek almost feel a like water when it hits your lips – but that’s likely more a statement to the Booker’s. You get nice wood notes up front, followed by some typical bourbon sweetness. This whiskey is fairly light and somewhat viscous, feeling a little oily in the mouth. It is much lighter than the Booker’s, but they are about equally smooth. This whiskey sits almost entirely on the tongue, offering a prickling heat there, rather than on the lips, chest, or nose. The foretaste is so light its almost nonexistent, the mid taste as it passes over the to guess is a good balance of wood and sweet, and the finish is short, light, and reminds me of a mix of a slight (not entirely enjoyable) medicinal taste with a nice woody undertone.

Winner: Booker’s

#6 Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch vs #11 Alibi

E.H. Taylor

Extremely smooth in the mouth with a slight burn as it hits the back of the throat, but only for a second. At 100 proof, this is surprisingly light. This is not as sweet as many other bourbons, with more of a dry, wooded taste. It has an astringent character, with that dry flavor almost seeming to suck the moisture from your mouth. The foretaste may have a bit more of an alcoholic taste than others, but it is not unpleasant and is complimentary to the other notes. The after taste is very subtly sweet and nicely woody

Alibi

Alibi comes across as younger and a good bit sweeter. There is certainly less wood and more bourbon-sweet, which is fair considering this is nearly 3/4 unaged spirit and slightly more than 1/4 3 year+ aged whiskey. Don’t let that mixture fool you though, as the flavors are nicely balanced and over a quite good. This feels like it would be higher ABV than the E.H. Taylor, but at 90 proof it is just a bit shy. The flavor starts off very light, sending an alcoholic spice up into the nose right away, then quickly tempers down with a sweetness that sticks to the tongue. The aftertaste is sweet and hot, with a bit of stickiness in the mouth and burn in the throat and nose.

Note

Although the Alibi lost, it is worth noting that it has been my “workhorse whiskey” for a good time now, presenting phenomenal value. It was positioned against another great whiskey and fell a bit short, but that is not to discredit what Alibi offers, especially at its price point.

Winner: Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch

#4 Blanton’s vs #13 Eagle Rare

Blanton’s

Wonderfully smooth but still with enough peppery heat. After a good few seconds, it warms the chest slightly and nicely. The foretaste is very light and subtle, but the flavors build over time. From that peppered heat in the mouth, it mellows nicely into a woody sweet mix that lingers enjoyably long after you’ve swallowed. I actually don’t remember liking the Blanton’s this much the last time I had it.

Eagle Rare

Before getting to the tasting, I want to note this bottle is from a single barreling for Hi-Time Cellars out in California, so the results may vary slightly from what can be expected generally.

This comes right at you and with some heat. It’s very astringent, seeming to suck most of the moisture out of your mouth, leaving a slightly bitter taste on the tongue and sending a bit of alcohol heat into the nose. The taste is a little bit smokey almost (nothing compared to a Scotch, but there’s a hint of it), and the aftertaste is mostly a prickly alcohol feeling on the to gue and lips and a bit of bittersweet. This comes across as less mature and a bit less conplex than the Blantons

Winner: Blanton’s

#5 1792 Ridgemont Reserve vs #12 High West American Prairie Reserve

1792

Medium feel in the mouth – light in texture, but nicely flavored and presenting itself without much/any burn at the onset. The flavor is a good bit sweet, but not overwhelmingly so nor really sticky. The foretaste has a slight hint of bitterness or raw, young alcohol taste, but it’s very slight.  Overall, a very nicely balanced flavor. The aftertaste is still very smooth, but you get a hint of heat/burn and pepperiness, but in a fully pleasant way. The flavor as it lingers becomes a bit more alcoholic and some may find it less pleasant as it sits. The flavors holds for a medium-short duration, but leaves you wanting another sip, with the initial flavor really excelling over what’s left in the mouth after swallowing.

High West

Very smooth. Even so, it feels like it’s proof, even though the two are comparable (93.7 for the 1792 vs 92 for the High West), but not in a bad way as the flavors are well balanced and the heat is more texture than burn. This is less sweet than other bourbons with more grain flavors coming through. The heat presents itself more so up front with the High West and fthen mellows into a smooth, sweet, lingering flavor that is very nice.

Overtime

Another matchup that was too close to call after just one tasting.

In the second round, the 1792 seemed to express more raw alcohol notes than in the first go – that bitterness stuck to the to guess a bit and was more present in the initial flavor. It also tasted a bit less mature than the High West. While the 1792 is  certainly a solid Bourbon, and even more so a great value, in this tasting, I preferred the grainier aspects of High West’s sweetness to the more typical Bourbon sweetness in the 1792. That, and High West’s lingering flavor were what ultimately separated these two excellent choices.

Winner: High West  American Prairie Reserve

#8 Smuggler’s Notch vs #9 WL Weller Old Weller Antique

Smuggler’s Notch

When it first hits your mouth, it feels like it should burn, but that burn never comes. Rather, it presents itself as full of spice, pepper, and life while somehow avoiding having any burn whatsoever. That changes once you swallow, where you can feel it as it passes down into your stomach, warming you from your core as it goes. This is achieved in a fully pleasant way, where it still doesn’t burn or churn your stomach, but subtly warms from withing. In addition to that initial peppery spice taste, it reveals a bit of sweetness which develops almost a muggy character that stays in your mouth for some time, which is emphasized by how thick the liquid itself feels – it almost seems to leave a residue on the tongue. This never presents an overwhelming, or even particularly strong flavor, but it is subtle, complex, and enjoyable throughout.

Old Weller Antique

For 107 proof, this whiskey shockingly does not burn very much (maybe less shocking given the distillery, which had put magic in a bottle more than once). But that does not mean it is not there – this definitely has a little heat to it, and surely presents more alcohol up front. And while it doesn’t burn a ton on the tongue, my lips feel prickly and almost numbed after a few sips. Looking more closely at the flavors, you do get a good sweetness and a bit of wood, but it’s a bit overshadowed by the raw alcohol taste. The flavors compliment each other well, but could maybe have been better in reverse proportion (which is not to say this is bad whiskey, it’s quite good). The sweetness outlasts the alcohol flavor slightly, and becomes more present with time as do the wood notes. I imagine with a drop or two of water this could open up very nicely.

Winner: Smuggler’s Notch

#1 Knob Creek vs #16 Willett Pot Still Reserve

Knob Creek

Exceptionally smooth up front, almost to the point of being watery (which some may find leaves it lacking), but presenting the slightest bit of spiced heat as it passes into the throat. There is definitely a sweetness present, but it’s complimented by something else I can’t quite place – not quite smoke, but almost ashen and a bit dank.

Willett

The Willett is very smooth and would probably be placed on the slightly sweet end of the spectrum. But it is not a purely sweet Bourbon and shows some depth, with the flavor changing over its time in the mouth. I get something distinctly raisin in the midtaste, which lingers nicely. This is complimented by a nice wooded character and a touch of spiced heat that sits more on the lips than the tongue or chest. The biggest drawback in my view is that the initial taste feels a bit alcoholic and immature, but that hits only for the shortest moment before the sweet and wood express themselves.

Note

These are both damn good. I was pretty surprised, when setting up the tasting, that Proof66’s ranking (the comorehensive ratings site I used for seeding purposes) had Willett as low as it did, and I think it may have been unfairly placed. These two were very close, I just found the knob creek to be a little bit lacking in depth during this tasting and was almost too light.

Winner: Willett

Round 2

#7 WL Weller Special Reserve vs #15 OYO Micheline Reserve

This should be an interesting comparison, given that both of these are wheated bourbons.

The Weller, as always, is surprisingly pleasant, though this time a bit lighter than I remember, both in mouth feel and in sweetness. The first sip is a little watery, followed by a kick of pepper, then a wheaty sweet finish. The OYO on the other hand is quite a bit oilier on the tongue and brings with it a bit more ethanol/young alcohol flavor. With that said, it nicely balances these raw notes with a bit of sweetness and spice and is definitely hotter going down than the Weller, though hopping back to the Weller and tasting specifically for that character does reveal it a bit. The wheat is also less present in the OYO. The OYO has a bit more kick to it and maybe a broader range of tastes to explore, but the ethanol flavors are a but too forward and the Weller’s aftertaste is superb in it’s lingering soft, wheaty sweetness.

Winner: WL Weller Special Reserve

#3 Booker’s vs #6 Colonel EH Taylor Small Batch

These are two big name, high proof bourbons that I’m really looking forward to comparing and think should make for an excellent side by side. As a point of reference, this Booker’s bottling is from 2013, and comes in at 128 proof (woosh!) while the EH Taylor clocks in at a mild (only in comparison) 100 proof.

The Booker’s definitely brings some heat which is really no surprise. Behind (under? Through?) the heat, you actually get a surprising amount of carmael grain flavors, a little bit like a sweet cereal (perhaps in a bowl with bourbon in lieu of milk). The finish is loooong and nice, with much of the heat staying in the mouth and chest but avoiding the throat. Your tongue and lips may actually numb a bit from this – and maybe that dulls the burn? – but as it happens you’re left with more of the kush sweetness filling the entirety of your mouth. Given how how it feels at the start, this is a tremendously smooth and welcomed lingering finish.

After waiting a few moments and drinking a good bit of water to try and dispell the numbness in my mouth, I move over to the EH Taylor. I am immediately surprised by the difference in texture. This is thicker and oilier for sure, unless it’s just that the Broker’s masked this with its heat. The first sip also yielded a crazy flash of cinnamon oatmeal cookies – I had an overwhelming flashback to the Grandma’s Cookies brand that sells them in the purple two packs. Alas, this wasn’t as present on the second sip and I can’t say I remember ever getting those flavors so strongly from this bourbon before. What remained, however, was still excellent: thick, full, sweet, and a bit dry, you get enough heat to give it real legs, enough sweet to leave you yearning for another sio, and depth and complexity that begs you to hold off going back immediately to let it develop. The finish is fairly long and a bit grainy. I’ve tried this bottle a few times now and have to say, of all the times I’ve had it, this tasting has been the best.

Overtime

As could be expected with two whiskeys of this quality, one pour of each simply couldn’t do it. For those uncertain, rest assured you will do well to choose either of these. The Broker’s is a bit more in your face, especially neat, but has tremendous range and a truly wonderful finish. The EH Taylor is probably more approachable, softer, and a bit sweeter, but no less complex. I could probably sit all day drinking either and still have to flip a coin – this is yet another tasting yhat could go either way depending on the day and either of these could deserve to be in the final few. So much so a second overtime is needed.

Unfortunately, given the high proof of both of these, I will not let this go past a second overtime. Maybe it’s just that I’ve had a few at this point, but the Broker’s feels even more balanced than it did earlier and now the EH Taylor feels a little bit light by comparison. I also am enjoying the physical numbing, prickling sensation with the Booker’s that accompanies it’s long, somehow delicately sweet finish – I really don’t know how it manages as soft a finish for its ABV. In the end, the Booker’s takes it, but again, you cannot lose with either of these.

Winner: Booker’s

#4 Blanton’s vs #12 High West American Prairie Reserve

Every time I try Blanton’s, I think I like it more than the time before – this being no exception. It’s lighter than I’d remembered, but oilier as well, presenting a but of an interesting dichotomy. It’s very nicely sweet, lots of grain flavor, a healthy amount of heat, and leaves a nice long, sweet residue in the mouth after swallowing. Surprisingly, the flavors are all rather subtle. Nothing overwhelms with this whiskey, nor is anything particularly strong in the flavors it presents, but it all balances very, very pleasantly.

The High West is actually quite different. It comes across as drier, somewhat more astringent, and with a more spice and less sweet – I’d guess there is more Rye in this mash. It also leaves a little prickly heat on the lips and warms the chest similarly to the Blanton’s. There is also something unique about this Bourbon that I haven’t yet put my finger on, but that I really love. It somehow gives a superb balance of sweet and spice. The finish is nice and long, but as it sits presents some tones more characteristic of a younger whiskey.

Yet again, I am left wishing neither of these had to be dispelled. If price were considered, I’d likely go with the High West, and it is one of my favorites overall, but the Blanton’s edges it ever so slightly in this tasting.

Winner: Blanton’s

#8 Smuggler’s Notch vs #16 Willett Pot Still Reserve

The Smuggler’s Notch is rather corn forward but then quickly evolves and gives off nice spiciness, that actually makes it very rye-like (not totally unexpected, but it’s almost more Rye than Bourbon). It’s an excellent balance of sweet and spice and layers nicely. The Willett is thicker and much more corn sweet. Less complex, and quite young – the corn is very raw with a lot less wood influence than I would have thought or remembered. It is very smooth and not very hot, which makes the youthfulness of the taste more surprising. Both are very drinkable and very good, but I appreciate the spice, slight heat, and wider range from the Smuggler’s Notch.

Winner: Smuggler’s Notch