The folks at Doc Swinson’s were kind enough to send me five samples and a bottle of their new releases. They sent me samples of their Garryana, Pineau, Bossa Nova, El Cuerpo and French Toasted plus a bottle of their new Session Blend!

Overall the star of the show for me was the Bossa Nova. I’m a big fan of Amburana finishes and Docs did an excellent job marrying the MGP bourbon with the finish. El Cuerpo and Pineau were very good. They’ve released both of these before and these were similar to the previous ones which is a good thing. The Garryana and the French Toasted both had a lot of classic double barrel style notes and were also enjoyable. I’m just waiting for a local shop to get the Bossa Nova in and I’ll definitely be grabbing one.

The Session Blend was light and an easy sipper. They said it’s primarily for cocktails so I mixed up an old fashioned with maple sugar, Fee Brothers Old Fashioned bitters, a Luxardo Cherry and a dried orange garnish. It was light and tasty which was perfect for the heat wave we’re having here in Central Texas. Thanks again to Doc Swinson’s and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Debs x ATX Bourbon Garrison Brothers 6 Year

Age: 6 years

Proof: 124.8

Neat

Notes: The nose is rich with sweet corn and caramel notes. The palate brings the classic Garrison house flavor of sweet corn and charred oak plus plenty of caramel. The finish is long and sweet with lingering oak and caramel.

Conclusion

Obviously I liked this one :) It takes the classic barrel proof Garrison profile and adds a bunch of caramel to it.

2022 Debs x ATX Bourbon Eagle Rare

Age: 10.5 years

Proof: 90

Neat

Notes: Sweet and earthy. The nose reminds me of being in a forest in the PNW. The palate brings big oak and cherry notes with subtler spice, caramel and vanilla. The finish is long and slightly dry with more oak and vanilla. Great mouthfeel for the proof.

Conclusion

One of my favorite ER picks of all time but obviously I’m biased. We picked this pack in 2022 and I wish I had grabbed a couple more. On the other hand my dad still has his so maybe it’s time for a trip.

TL;DR: Like normal Eagle Rare but more flavor especially the cherry and a very long finish

2021 Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye

Age: NAS

Proof: 114.2

Barrel No: 21B410

Neat

Notes: The nose is big and spicy with plenty of holiday spice balanced by a sweet vanilla frosting. The palate is warm and sweet with more spice and vanilla plus some subtler herbal notes. The finish is medium length and a little hot with classic rye notes.

Stars: 1 - Good whiskey: I would choose to drink this over readily available whiskies

TL;DR: Overall I really enjoyed this one and it’s definitely worth the retail price. I wouldn’t hunt one down or overpay though.

Bardstown Bourbon Company Foursquare Collaboration

Age: Blend of 7 and 17 year

Proof: 107

Neat

Notes: The nose is sweet, fruity and funky with lots of rye and rum notes. The palate starts sweet and gets spicy with more rye spice and tropical fruit notes plus a bit of vanilla. The long warm finish is slightly bitter but not in a bad way.

Conclusion

Overall I really liked this one and the rye and rum were the stars of the show. I didn’t pickup much if any of the classic TN bourbon mineral note which was a pleasant surprise. Thanks again to the folks at Bardstown for the sample!

Orphan Barrel Scarlet Shade

Age: 14 years

Proof: 90 proof

Neat

Notes: The nose is sweet and inviting with vanilla cream and mint. The palate brings more sweet, herbal notes plus plenty of rich oak. The mouthfeel is good for the proof but doesn’t impress. The proof is well integrated with no burn and plenty of flavor. The long finish lingers with herbal and rye spice notes.

Stars: 2 - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

Conclusion

Overall I liked this and I am glad I have a bottle. It’s got a ton of flavor especially for the proof and is very easy to drink It’s no Michter’s 10 Rye but it was a lot easier to find and about the same retail price while serving a similar purpose.

TL;DR: If you like older, low proof rye this is a solid buy

The folks at Bardstown were kind enough to send me samples of their newly acquired Green River Bourbon both the rye recipe and the wheated.

Green River Bourbon

Age: NAS

Proof: 90

Neat

Notes: The youth comes through, grain and spice, slightly herbal. Vanilla frosting sweetness.

Green River Wheated Bourbon

Age: NAS

Proof: 90

Neat

Notes: Soft, sweet, hints of nuts reminds me a good bit of Larceny. Honey wheat bread, spice on the finish. Vanilla and oak on the finish.

TL;DR: Looking forward to a higher proof and/or age stated release!

Smoke Wagon Malted Rye 3C

Age: NAS

Proof: 119.6 - I think; the hand written proof is hard to read

Neat

Notes: The nose is what I would expect from a good MGP rye with sweet, rich herbs, rye spice and vanilla extract. The mouthfeel is excellent as is the proof integration. The palate starts sweet with vanilla cream before getting into more herbal territory. The finish is long, slightly spicy and slightly dry with oak, rye spice and vanilla notes. The herbs are never overly dill forward which is nice for me.

Stars: 2 - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

TL;DR: One of the better MGP sourced ryes you can actually get without a hassle

The folks at Beverage King in Connecticut were kind enough to sell me one of their Blanton’s pick at retail so obviously I jumped on that. Harsha is a great guy and his ECBP pick was pretty great so I was very excited for this bottle. The Lord of the Rings one ring tater label didn’t hurt either :)

Blanton’s Single Barrel Beverage King One Ring Pick

Age: NAS

Proof: 93

Neat

Notes: Sweet nose and front palate with vanilla honey buttercream frosting notes. Then a burst of spice and oak that lingesr alongside vanilla extract for a very long finish.

Stars: 2 - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

Conclusion

This is right up there with the Moonshine Blanton’s pick for the best 93 proof modern Blanton’s I’ve tasted. Buffalo Trace makes some great whiskey.

TL;DR: I’d drink more Blanton’s if they all tasted like this!

WFE distilled bourbon sold through TN for some reason.

Old Kirk 6917

Age: 6 years 9 months

Proof: 129.7

Neat

Notes: The nose is sweet with a big bubble gum note. The palate is classic bourbon with caramel, vanilla, oak and cherry notes. The finish is a little hot with baking spice, cinnamon and ethanol burn which is slightly balanced by some dried fruit and vanilla extract.

Stars: 2 - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle

TL;DR: Not at the level of a WFE Bourbon but not far off.