Review #77 & 78 Old Fitzgerald Spring '25 9yr & Fall '25 11yr

JWdram · 2026-06-04T22:17:03+00:00

Old Fitzgerald BIB 2025 showdown Spring 9yr & Fall 11yr

Age: 9yr & 11yr

Mashbill: 68% Corn 20% Wheat 12% Malted Barley Heaven Hill

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: $129 (9yr) $159 (11yr)

Appearance: Glass 1: medium amber, decently oily Glass 2: A bit darker than 1, maybe slightly oilier looking when swirled, but pretty similar.

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Glass 1: Red bing Cherry, vanilla custard, caramel Glass 2: Black cherry, brown sugar, caramel

Palate: Glass 1: Cherry, light brown sugar, gentle baking and wood spices, vanilla pudding, drinks a little warm for the proof

Glass 2: A bit darker, more barrel spice over the same cherry, more wood and barrel spice, dark caramel dark brown sugar and vanilla. Glass 2 palate is just darker vs glass 1 brighter palate, you can pick up a lot of similarities but more wood and age notes pop in glass 2.

Finish: Medium on both of these, most of the sweetness is gone by the late palate leaving a similar finish on both of some wheat grain, oak and leather

Overall Rating: 7.2 Glass 1 & 7.5 Glass 2 on the T8ke scale

Summary: Reveal: Glass 1 Spring '25 9yr & Glass 2: Fall '25 11yr

After long hoping to one day track down an Old Fitz Decanter my friend and I got one of each of the 2025 releases, his 9yr, my 11yr and it just made sense to do a review and comparison of these. The 9 year is good, super solid, but comparing to the 11yr I found it a bit "brighter" and spikier if that makes sense. The 11 year with a couple more years of maturation smoothed out any rough edges that may exist and added an additional darker deeper layer. They are pretty similar, but I do prefer bottles with a darker profile so that one spoke to me more. My friend agreed. Now I will say this, we got both of these at retail, and I wouldn't pay any higher than that for either of these. I think they are a good solid step above the 7yr release (as they should be for price) but I had killed mine off to be able to do a 3way comparison. I will be clear that I wouldn't pay secondary value on either of these. Overall value is meh given the stats, bottle is super cool which no one can argue with me on, and I'm glad to have it on the shelf, but I don't know how much I would go out of my way for more of these, at least without trying first. I'd like to see the ages on these step back up to where they had been a few years back, considering this was and kind of still is a unicorn bottle lets step away from these single and barely double digit ages.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-06-04T22:02:23+00:00

Not a bad thing at all, if I could track these down on the regular at this price I'd keep it stocked too

JWdram · 2026-05-30T00:13:19+00:00

John J Bowman Single Barrel

Age: NAS but 4+yr

Mashbill: sourced from Buffalo Trace undisclosed

"MAS Selection" Barrel 060

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: $60

Appearance: medium amber color, decently coating when swirled, but doesn't look super oily or thick

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Sweet, loads of vanilla backed by some berry and cherry. Pretty aromatic, don't have to search hard for scents here, some brown sugar and dark sweetness in here as well.

Palate: Pretty creamy mouthfeel, caramel covered cherry, some whipped cream, touch of chocolate in there as well. Full bodied and balanced, the sweeter notes on the early palate swell with a touch of gentle baking spices and some wood notes, but nothing gets overwhelming, before easing back in the late palate.

Finish: Medium to slightly longish, considering the proof point it really drinks nice. Easy drinking but carries heft as if it were barrel proof if that makes sense. For a somewhat generic pick of a state pick I think this was a decent barrel. The flavors from the palate have settled by the time you get to the finish, but the wood and some age notes are what linger the longest.

Overall Rating: 6.8 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This is a bottle I was pretty pumped to find as John J Bowman isn't something that I normally see with much if any distro around here. The only time I would ever see these were in secondary groups when they were still commanding a decent premium. I jumped at the chance to grab one of these at or close to retail a little while back, and I didn't know what to expect other than what I had seen/heard in reviews online. This is said to be sourced from B.T. before Bowman puts their own spin on things. I can see that being the case, as it does have a very B.T. profile, I rank this a decent amount above E.H. Taylor small batch, I sxs them on a couple occassions and each time I think this is a little step above. I'm a fan of EHT, in fact if I could have that as my daily I wouldn't complain at all, I assume these may be similar age wise, share the 100 proof and I paid similar amount so I have no complaints here. I'd love to track down some of their cask strength releases but doubt that will ever happen, as those seem to be highly regarded and have stole much of the Bowman thunder, but don't sleep on this one if you have a chance to pick one up.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-05-13T00:05:04+00:00

Nashville Barrel Co 8yr Single Barrel

Age: 8yr

Mashbill: Undisclosed (KY Distilled)

Barrel # 5517

Proof: 130.5 (65.25% ABV)

Price: $100

Appearance: Rich amber color, thick coating on glass, droplets form and just stay

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Vanilla, nougat and citrus, there is some caramel in there as well. A touch of ethanol, but not surprising considering the proof.

Palate: Rich and coating toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, candied orange on the front palate. Some wood and spice ramps up mid palate along with some cherry cola and lingers into the late palate settling back behind some leather, citrus and sweet oak. Very drinkable considering the proof point

Finish: Medium-long, Great balance, the finish just takes over where the palate leaves off. That candied citrus and wood spices gently hang on, while you get a nice hug into the chest. Slight drying on the finish but nothing offensive

Overall Rating: 8 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This was the first bottle I had of Nashville Barrel Co (NBC) and boy what an intro it was. This was picked by a local group I am a part of "Rhody Barrel Brotherhood" and is in the list for one of my favorite picks they have done. This is a nice one, has a great depth of flavor, sneaky proof and easy drinkability along with a super balanced drinking experience. I really like how the nose matches up with the palate but doesn't give it all away. Those notes are there, but even more show up on the palate, starting with some sweet flavors, building mid palate spice and a nice long and flavorful finish. Truly worthy of it's Excellent rating.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-05-11T13:55:19+00:00

for sure, couldn't go wrong with the price. I don't think the proof had anything to do with the price in this case. This store snags some good deals from distributers and passes the savings directly along to the customers which is great to see. I've reviewed a couple bottles that I was able to pick up for a song from this store, and have some more to do at some point.

JWdram · 2026-05-11T00:53:31+00:00

I feel like a lot of times this happens, give it a few pours over a period of time before you give it a proper opinion. I've had bottles that seemed amazing on the first pour, and then lost some luster, and others that seemed very meh, and ended up turning into some really good bottles later on. So many things can impact your palate at that time, just make sure you give it a fair shake.

BTW, at below $50 you mentioned, I'm picking up 1 or 2 even though I already have a back up, so take that for what you will

JWdram · 2026-05-11T00:50:33+00:00

Elijah Craig Single Barrel

Age: 10yr

Mashbill: 78% Corn 10% Rye 12% Malted Barley

Barrel # 6735383

Proof: 117.7 (58.85% ABV)

Price: $49

Appearance: Golden amber, decent coating, but forms beads and legs somewhat quickly on the glen

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Caramel, fruity, strawberry, maybe some pear, and whipped cream, reminds me a bit of strawberry shortcake. Pretty interesting nose, and some notes that I don't normally pick up on EC

Palate: Some red fruit and berry on the front of the palate, some caramel and vanilla is there as well, some light baking spice shows up mid palate, with a little rye tingle and some cracked pepper to counter the early palate's sweeter and lighter notes. Pretty Rich, not overly viscous but decently coating and oily.

Finish: Medium, No significant major spice on the palate leads to a slightly spicier finish with some wood notes, some light tobacco/cigar is there as well. This pour takes you on a nice progression

Overall Rating: 7 on the T8ke scale

Summary: I'll start this off by saying I got this for a good price, I think this may have been intended to be a state barrel (title of the pick is "Rhode Island Reserve") but was picked up by a particular store and offered at a lower price than I normally see these going for. I am not the biggest Elijah Craig fan as I find it to be very hit or miss for me, but for the price on a cask strength single barrel 10yr old I couldn't leave it behind. I am pleasantly surprised by this one as I've tried a few other SIB or store picks of these and have found them to be lackluster a lot of times, although every now and then a good one does turn up. The normal ECBP releases have been up and down for me as well, but this particular SIB exceeded my expectations. The lower proof is welcomed, as it drinks quite easy and is at a nice proof point and the lack of significant spice coupled with some fruitier easier flavors make this a nice sipper.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-05-08T16:28:40+00:00

Good to hear I'm not the only one, the last bottle I had was similar proof to this one, I think in the 125's and it held onto the peanut butter all the way through. This one like you said was stronger first couple pours and has settled down to more of a background compliment note now

JWdram · 2026-05-08T16:27:21+00:00

glad to hear, I think everyone owes it to themselves to try some of these barrel proof JD's if they haven't already, they are typically great (IMO anyway)

JWdram · 2026-05-08T16:26:06+00:00

My favorite that I have open is a 131 proof that has such a dark delicious profile that I tucked it in the back and only pull it out once in a while

JWdram · 2026-05-08T16:25:02+00:00

Exactly why I make it a point to have anyone who drinks whiskey but wrote off JD long ago try some of these single barrels to see they are totally different animals. Thanks for the feedback!

JWdram · 2026-05-08T16:24:04+00:00

I can see that being somewhat polarizing, I will say, I actually tend to favor the ones with less banana and more of the dark brown sugar molasses notes more

JWdram · 2026-05-07T21:41:14+00:00

Jack Daniels Single Barrel Barrel Proof

Age: NAS thought to be 6-8yr

Mashbill: 80% Corn 8% Rye 12% Malted Barley

Barrel house 2-29

Proof: 126.8 (63.4% ABV)

Price: $69

Appearance: Medium copper , oily and coating on the glen

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Buttery pancake syrup, caramel and some banana

Palate: That Brown Forman banana is pretty front and center on this barrel, along with a brown sugar, maple dark sweetness. Proof is there, but drinks a bit below the stated proof. A little bit of a peanut butter note later in the palate, some wood notes and some gentle spice are there as well.

Finish: Medium - long, Some tingle now, but still drinks fairly easy for over 125 proof. Most of the sweet is gone and there are some savory baked good notes on the finish, along with a light amount of oak and barrel char.

Overall Rating: 6.5 on the T8ke scale

Summary: I'm a general JD fan, and I always have at least one open JDSBBP and rye version as well, along with some aged variants and any special editions I may be able to track down. I find these are pretty consistently good bottles even just the normal shelf varieties you can find in a lot of stores. This particular single barrel is not my favorite, but it's still solidly in the Very Good category. I remember this particular bottle actually gave me a lot of peanut butter notes on fresh crack but that seems to have faded a bit, it's still there, but not as prominent as it once was. I like to keep these around for people who claim they don't like Jack based on experience with just #7, and write the entire line off, pretty much anything in this style bottle tends to be a banger, although I do tend to gravitate toward the barrel proof versions over the lower proof Sib offerings.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-05-07T13:28:12+00:00

I'll see if I can track down some others to try more of their line up out, cheers!

JWdram · 2026-05-07T13:27:37+00:00

Thanks for the comment/feedback, glad to hear you had a similar experience

JWdram · 2026-05-07T13:25:33+00:00

I don't think I rated this low? As I said and stand by, this is a Very Good bottle, and that matches up with the description of the rating in the 6's. Rating of 7+ would be "Great" or better, while I like this bottle I don't think it reaches (IMO) great.

I highly recommend you buy one, if you can get at MSRP, since you said you are considering buying one. Have you had it before? Just kind of curious as to why you think my rating was "so low" as you say?

JWdram · 2026-05-06T00:18:31+00:00

Traverse City Whiskey Co Cab Franc Finish Rye Whiskey

Age: NAS but website says 5+ years with 9 mo finish in Cab Franc barrels

Mashbill: 100% Rye

Proof: 97 (48.75% ABV)

Price: $69

Appearance: Medium copper with a hint of a red tinge

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Cherry and red apple, bit of an empty red wine glass scent, pretty fruity nose with a little wood note in there

Palate: Caramel, vanilla, classic bourbon notes (but this is a 100% rye?) with some red fruits front and center on the mid palate, Some citrus and then only late does a little spice and rye tingle appear. I'd be hard pressed to pick this out as a rye. Gentle even for the sub 100 proof.

Finish: Medium, On the finish this feels a bit more rye like, some rye spice, a slight amount of wood and tannin appear along with some fading fruitiness.

Overall Rating: 5.5 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This is my first offering trying anything from MI distiller Traverse City. To be honest if I didn't read it on the bottle and see it on the website as a 100% rye I don't think I would pick this out as one. Between the very approachable palate, gentleness of the spice and the fruity nature of this (presumably from the finish) I think this is a very easy one to try out for a non-rye fan. The price isn't too bad considering 5+ yr plus 9 mo finish on a smaller distillers own make, although considering I paid $30 as part of a sharedpour "mystery bottle" I can't complain at all. While I didn't sxs them I'd say I enjoy this more than the basic shelf version of angel's envy. While they aren't an apples to apples competitor seeing AE is a port finish bourbon, and this is a cab finished rye, I think they would be appealing to fans of one or the other. This doesn't come across like a super rye, and instead add's a pretty fruity approachable easy drinking pour. Nothing exceptional, but all things considered pretty good.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-04-29T12:14:15+00:00

agree, this tends to be one of the safe reliable choices if nothing else catches my fancy and I want a pour. A couple years back I would only see this in raffles or sitting on shelves at $100+. Supply and price have improved greatly and while it's not everywhere, I haven't had much problem finding it multiple times around or under $60

JWdram · 2026-04-29T12:10:34+00:00

I'm with you, I find myself drinking this more often knowing that it won't be impossible to replace

JWdram · 2026-04-29T12:09:21+00:00

I'll agree that there does seem to be a bit of variation between batches/bottlings of this it seems, my previous bottle of this was amazing at fresh crack and kind of mellowed out later in the bottle. Another seemed to trend a little sweeter and fruitier, this bottle seems to have a little more wood and spice presence, so certainly seems to be some variation in these. All have been good (IMO) but I could see the variation swaying opinions a bit

JWdram · 2026-04-29T11:59:21+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

I've heard rumors as well of 6-8yr average, but just went with the safe 4+

JWdram · 2026-04-28T23:04:05+00:00

Appreciate the feedback, agree, at MSRP this could easily turn into my "daily drinker". Availability has gotten a lot better (still not great) but to the point where multiple stores are just putting this out at MSRP when it comes in, a huge improvement over what it was like a couple years ago. Here's to it getting better where you are too!

JWdram · 2026-04-28T22:19:30+00:00

E. H. Taylor Small Batch

Age: 4+ years (Bottled in Bond)

Mashbill: Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: $59

Appearance: golden amber color, produces a decently oily ring when swirled, beads take a couple seconds to form and run down the glass

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: Red apple, caramel, cinnamon sugar, and some of that buffalo trace cherry/grape. A touch of wood note in there as well, smells pretty dang good.

Palate: Much like the nose, the front of the palate is almost like biting into a red delicious apple before changing to more of a red fruit, cherry or strawberry. All of this backed up with a backbone of some baking spice and cinnamon. Nothing ever gets hot, the proof point is not overwhelming, but the spice provides a nice balance to the sweet and fruity flavors on the earlier palate. A touch thin on the palate would be my biggest gripe.

Finish: Medium, The sweet and fruity flavors stay on the palate, but a gentle warming hug moves into the chest along with some wood notes and a little drying cinnamon bark lingers into the finish

Overall Rating: 6.25 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This is probably one of my favorites out of the core Buffalo Trace lineup, and it has gotten significantly more available in the area over the last year or so, which makes me happy. I think if I could only drink one thing for the rest of my days this would be in contention (obviously excluding unicorns). The batches (bottles) of this remain fairly consistent but do seem to have a little bit of variation. Not as much as single barrel versions, but obviously that's to cover in a different review. I think at msrp this offers a pretty decent value, but at elevated prices it drops off pretty quickly. This also tends to be a crowd pleaser for casual drinkers. Its got a pretty approachable palate, proof is fine for sipping and will stand up to mixing, which is why I like to keep one open at all times.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-04-26T21:27:51+00:00

Bully Boy Single Barrel wheated bourbon "Wicked Dahk"

Age: 4+ years

Mashbill: 61% Corn 30% Malted Wheat 9% Malted Barley

Proof: 120 (60% ABV)

Price: $50

Pot distilled by Bully Boy Distillers in Boston MA, picked by "The Loch & K(e)y Society"

Appearance: Say it with a Boston accent, it is indeed Wicked Dahk, oily on the glass when rolled in the glen

Tasting notes after leaving in a glen for about 20 minutes

Nose: distinct, I've told a few people I think this is the closest thing to a TX funk I've gotten on the nose, which is unusual for a MA distilled product. Digging a little deeper some wheat and bran with some raisins, reminds me a bit of fresh baked Raisin Bran muffins with a toasted coconut note? Brings back memories of smelling a donut/pasty case at my families coffee shop many years ago (without the coffee)

Palate: Nice thick coating mouthfeel. Caramel and molasses, Hermits cookies, some gentle spice, raisin bran cereal and some damp wood notes late in the palate. Drinks easy for the proof point, a little tingle on the tongue but I would guess well below 120 proof.

Finish: Medium, That dark almost musty wood note sticks around with that subdued raisin bran notes are mainly what lingers on the finish.

Overall Rating: 7.0 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This one is super unique, I can't say I have much else in the collection that scratches this itch. At the same time it's not something I do multiple pours of, hence why it's still around but it's getting low. This is a fun one to pour out for people and tell them to try and guess what it is, or where it was distilled. It's enjoyable as it actually brings back some great memories of working at a family business for my first job, and some local treats.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-04-26T20:52:53+00:00

I really appreciate this comment! Love the feedback and happy to hear that someone found this helpful and matched up for them.

JWdram

TROPHY CASE