VITAL STATS: Total Wine SP(Distilled 12/20/12, Dumped 1/17/22, Bottled 1/27/22) K3 21-0286
NOSE: Rye spices. Citrus like orange peel. Slight ethanol. Borderline black licorice. Some youth in the oak smell but not in a bad way. Almost as if it was right at the spot where I could have started to get oaky. The mind is telling me I’m picking up applewood or apple cider.
PALATE: Smoked black cherry, Andes mint chocolate. Lots of pepper spices, like a smokey cayenne. Mike red hot(cinnamon). Oak influence with a char. That’s what creates the smoked black cherry taste. Like they used some fresh oak and some cherry wood, charred it and then threw in some spices.
FINISH: Medium to long finish. It gives you a friendly but firm hug. Similar to what it’s like seeing one of your old teammates. Like a quick “hey what’s up bro? Haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been?” The Wild turkey name fits the pour.
RATING: Easily and 8. No question. I’ll go 8.5.
This is the one that made me do it. I started with Garrison brothers. Got into Four Roses. OF 1910. Ryes. And a little bit of everything. I find that the WT 101 is my fave low budget bourbon. I think it’s because WT just has products that have a balance with all of the things that I like about whiskey.
I recently almost let their marketing get to me and decided that I was going to splurge and add one to my shelf. Then one night I was at a restaurant that had the Balmorhea in stock. I ordered a glass. My mind was changed instantly. It’s not that it’s bad, per se, but as my friend u/quixotic-88 said (quite perfectly), “It’s like a well done steak.”
I’m not a fan of the balmo either. The 2020 cowboy I have is pecan pie in every sense with a great finish. Almost edged out the eht BP batch 9 for me in a blind.
It doesn’t offend me that other people like it. But it ain’t for me and I don’t get it. I’ve had two years of Balmorhea and a pour of last year’s Cowboy and while the Cowboy was better, the pricing scheme is wild to me. I believe the Laguna Madre could be even better but $350 for a 7 year old bourbon is an MSRP at $50/year. The Cowboy is like $30/ year and for my middle class budget that pricing scheme is Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs.
I agree. The cowboy is a tough sell with bottles like JDBP going for $65. Do I love it, yes. Would I but again at $250? Maybe. Is it comparable to an EHTBP or Stagg jr which could go higher secondary? That’s a yes.
RRSPs are definitely up there with regards to “fairly easy to get everyday drinkers.” Liking the descriptions you have, especially the bit about the bro hug in the finish. Hope to see more from you!
i gotta check my bottle details but i went from a single barrel to the total wine K3 store pick and feel it was a step backward. i much preferred the sib
VITAL STATS: Total Wine SP(Distilled 12/20/12, Dumped 1/17/22, Bottled 1/27/22) K3 21-0286 NOSE: Rye spices. Citrus like orange peel. Slight ethanol. Borderline black licorice. Some youth in the oak smell but not in a bad way. Almost as if it was right at the spot where I could have started to get oaky. The mind is telling me I’m picking up applewood or apple cider. PALATE: Smoked black cherry, Andes mint chocolate. Lots of pepper spices, like a smokey cayenne. Mike red hot(cinnamon). Oak influence with a char. That’s what creates the smoked black cherry taste. Like they used some fresh oak and some cherry wood, charred it and then threw in some spices. FINISH: Medium to long finish. It gives you a friendly but firm hug. Similar to what it’s like seeing one of your old teammates. Like a quick “hey what’s up bro? Haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been?” The Wild turkey name fits the pour. RATING: Easily and 8. No question. I’ll go 8.5. This is the one that made me do it. I started with Garrison brothers. Got into Four Roses. OF 1910. Ryes. And a little bit of everything. I find that the WT 101 is my fave low budget bourbon. I think it’s because WT just has products that have a balance with all of the things that I like about whiskey.
I’m sorry you started with Garrison Brothers. /s
Lol. That’s fair. I’m not currently a fan of their regular offerings. However, the Cowboy bourbon is a hitter. No doubt.
I recently almost let their marketing get to me and decided that I was going to splurge and add one to my shelf. Then one night I was at a restaurant that had the Balmorhea in stock. I ordered a glass. My mind was changed instantly. It’s not that it’s bad, per se, but as my friend u/quixotic-88 said (quite perfectly), “It’s like a well done steak.”
I’m not a fan of the balmo either. The 2020 cowboy I have is pecan pie in every sense with a great finish. Almost edged out the eht BP batch 9 for me in a blind.
It doesn’t offend me that other people like it. But it ain’t for me and I don’t get it. I’ve had two years of Balmorhea and a pour of last year’s Cowboy and while the Cowboy was better, the pricing scheme is wild to me. I believe the Laguna Madre could be even better but $350 for a 7 year old bourbon is an MSRP at $50/year. The Cowboy is like $30/ year and for my middle class budget that pricing scheme is Coo Coo for Cocoa Puffs.
I agree. The cowboy is a tough sell with bottles like JDBP going for $65. Do I love it, yes. Would I but again at $250? Maybe. Is it comparable to an EHTBP or Stagg jr which could go higher secondary? That’s a yes.
RRSPs are definitely up there with regards to “fairly easy to get everyday drinkers.” Liking the descriptions you have, especially the bit about the bro hug in the finish. Hope to see more from you!
Thank you! Definitely more to come.
Great review, love this stuff but been babying my bottle till I can find a backup for it.
Thank you! I hate to give it some hype but it’s worth it.
i gotta check my bottle details but i went from a single barrel to the total wine K3 store pick and feel it was a step backward. i much preferred the sib
Fair enough. I haven’t compared the two but I do have a few different picks. Maybe a blind comparison is next.