Penny for Your Thoughts - Highland Park 12, Woodford Reserve, Willett Pot Still Reserve, High West P
I got to try three new, and one old, whiskies at Blackbird Ordinary on Friday night. Thankfully, there was not a dud in the bunch!
Highland Park 12 (43% ABV) - I reviewed Highland Park 15 in an earlier Penny for Your Thoughts, and the eerie thing is I could transpose most of the tasting notes exactly. The nose is fruity, giving off hints of some sherry finishing, but not too heavy on the raisins. There's almost a sweet oily quality to the nose, a bit of honey, and a smokey or grilled fruit note. Of the three Highland Parks, the 12 has the smokiest nose, although still a soft, earthier smokiness than in an Islay scotch. My hastily scribbled tasting note on the palate is simply, "Wow." There's not much more to say, it is a great combination of sweet (honey, grilled pineapple), smoky (that's the grilled part), and oily, and I'm again grateful that the American rendition of this expression is 43% rather than thinned down to 40% like elsewhere. Not complex, but pleasant in every dimension. The finish is almost identical to 15 for me. It feels like the aftertaste of chocolate milk, with a bit of cappuccino, and that earthy peat as well. Considering this bottle is about $50-60, at the bottom end of my value sweet spot, I actually think it's the best value for money in the Highland Park series. A-
Woodford Reserve (45.2%) - Woodford Reserve is probably one of the most well-known bourbons out there, and it also happens to be one of the first "nice" whiskies I ever recognized by name (the other, oddly enough, being Tullamore DEW, which I still haven't tried). For such a famous dram, it's actually quite unconventional to my taste buds, and I get very different notes than most reviews that I've read. Its scents are in the fruit and berry realm, starting with cherry, evolving to nectarine, and then landing on a combination of sweet citrus and strawberry. At the very end, the vanilla characteristic of bourbon peeks through. The palate is also very distinctive, with a strong pear juice flavor, the most I've experienced in any bourbon. The mid-palate and finish, however, are a little thin and generically sweet, and a bit of a fall of the cliff. Although the initial phases are quite fun, the finish is significantly weaker than Evan Williams Single Barrel or perhaps even Bulleit. I'd also prefer some oakier notes here, but at about $27-30 a bottle, it's worth keeping on the shelf. B-
Willett Pot Still Reserve (47%) - Perhaps most famous for its unique and striking bottle, which is shaped like the stills used to produce spirit, Willett Pot Still's also worth trying for the liquid inside. The nose has aromas of chocolate malt, a bit of dried wood and tobacco, and is a good deal mustier than the Woodford Reserve. The flavor profile is classic bourbon, though: vanilla, caramel, wood tannins, and a bit of bite. That musty, pipe tobacco in an old library sensation remains as well. I don't get as much spiciness from this bourbon, so however much rye there is in it doesn't express itself strongly. The finish is pleasantly long and ends with a bit of spearmint tingle. At $50 a bottle, it's not the best value in bourbon, but the bottle alone would make it fun to bring out and drink with company. B
High West Prairie Reserve (46%) - All of these bourbons are within a few proof points of each other, and all (at least rumored to be) roughly in the same age range. It's fascinating to see how differently they express themselves given those similarities. High West Prairie is a little more unusual in that it's a blend of a younger and older bourbon from different distilleries, so it's a balance of the impetuous characteristics of the former and the more mature demeanor of the latter. The nose almost seems sherried to me, as the strongest scents I got were raisins, dates, and figs. Relative to the other two, this one had a spicier nose. The palate also struck me as spicier than average (and after looking it up online, I've seen some sites reporting that one of the bourbons in the mix is Four Roses, which would make sense given that distillery's high-rye mashbills). The classic bourbon flavors are also there, along with a bit of Cherry Coca Cola. The finish, consistent with the palate and nose, is peppery; that sherry sensation returns, and then it mellows out to an herbal and slightly bitter grassiness. Since the flavor profile hits so many of the same spice notes as Four Roses, and the superlative Four Roses Single Barrel is around the same price, I'd recommend just going straight to the source. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable, interesting bourbon. B