I am so excited for tonight! For two reasons honestly. One is that there are actual sports stuff happening tonight! Like sports stuff that is live and not a replay of an old game that basically only serves to remind us how poorly sports graphics age. And sure, I couldn’t give two shits about the NFL. But I love college football and so the NFL Draft is always a fun way to see kids that I’ve followed for years finally see their dreams come true. I watch it every year. And for the most part it is the last time that I will pay attention to most of these kids. It’s kind of a good bye in that respect. Plus on the years that my Gophers have players that will be drafted, I like to see where they go.
But the other reason is the more pertinent to tonight’s post. I finally get to spill the beans on who wins! This was such a fun contest and I wish that every one of you had been able to play along with me. So let’s get down to it.
And as always, the following Bourbons were tasted blind at the same time. There may be odd or inconsistent tasting notes between these contests and other reviews because of how they pair/interact with one another.
Four Roses Single Barrel vs. Maker’s Mark 101 proof
Nose: Both of these have a really nice nose. They are pretty similar. Notes of toffee, caramel, brown sugar, oak and hints of fruit.
Mouth: Both of these show a lot of similarities. Lots of "bourbon" notes of toffee, caramel, brown sugar, baking spices. Whiskey 2 has a strong note of red fruit, whereas Whiskey 1 is more floral.
Pre-Reveal Thoughts: These are both delicious. As you might guess since we are reaching the last few matchups, the competition has gotten tighter. So much so that my wife and I have picked different winners. She picked Whiskey 2 as her winner and I picked Whiskey 1. Believe it or not, this is our first split decision. Things could get could get interesting later on.
Reveal: Whiskey 1 was Four Roses Single Barrel and will be moving on tot he Championship in my bracket. Whiskey 2 was Maker’s Mark 101 proof and will be moving on in my wife’s bracket.
Four Roses Small Batch Select vs. Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond
Nose: Whiskey 1 is showing more oak, cherries and vanilla. Whiskey 2 is basically a sugar cookie with floral notes.
Mouth: The mouths follow the noses fairly well in both of these. Whiskey 1 features cherries and baking Spice. Whiskey 2 features sweet caramel, vanilla and floral notes.
Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Once again, these are both very good, and I wouldn't turn down a glass of either. But in this case whiskey 2 rolls to an easy win with both of us.
Reveal: Whiskey 1 was Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond. But our winner was Whiskey 2, Four Roses Small Batch Select.
So here is where my bracket stands right now (for my wife’s swap Makers and Four Roses Single Barrel). I have a matchup of Four Roses heavy-weights on my hand. Will the new kid on the block knock off the old favorite? And remember, when you read these, I didn’t know yet what I was tasting. All of these were done blind after the first post of the series.
Four Roses Single Barrel vs. Four Roses Small Batch Select
Nose: These are very similar. Both of them have a lot of brown sugar and vanilla.
Mouth: Whiskey 2 shows sweet honey and baking spice. Whiskey 1 is more brown sugar and baking spice.
Pre-Reveal Thoughts: The difference here is slight. Basically the difference between honey and brown sugar. And for me, I prefer honey. Whiskey 2 wins my bracket.
Reveal: To say I was shocked at this outcome is an understatement. I could have guessed that, just based on my preferences, that Four Roses would be a favorite to make the finals. But I would have never guessed that both of them would. And I tell you, as a guy who makes grand pronouncements about what I like and don’t like, I was relieved to find out that Whiskey 2, Four Roses Single Barrel was the one I preferred. Just like I said back in my Small Batch Select review.
So there we go, right? No, not really. Much like college football of old, we have dual champions as each awarding agency has chosen their own.
Maker’s Mark 101 proof vs. Four Roses Small Batch Select
Pre-Reveal Thoughts: My wife says that whiskey 2 shows more of the classic “Bourbon” notes that she loves in bourbon. Vanilla, caramel, spice. And that the heat of whiskey 2 is nicer as well. So for her champion she chooses Whiskey 2.
Reveal: Whiskey 2 for this matchup was Four Roses Small Batch Select.
So what did we learn from this experience? Well, I learned that even against top competition, Four Roses is a favorite in this house. I mean, as I said above. I was shocked to learn that both of the Four Roses bourbons made it to my finals.
I also learned that while my wife and I have a very similar palate, they aren’t the same. Which is nice since that means that sometimes we each get a bottle to ourselves as we choose to “leave it” for the other to drink since they enjoy it that much more. Most of the time it is me leaving wheated bourbons for her as she really likes them. I get about one glass of any Weller that comes into the house. She just likes it that much more than I do so I let her have it. So it wasn’t too surprising to see that the only wheated bourbon in the competition made it to the Championship in her bracket.
I hope you guys had as much fun reading along with this as I did doing it. And once again, I’d like to give a shout out to reader David Brown for the financial donation that made me get off my butt and get the ball rolling on this and covered a majority of the cost of the bottles that I didn’t already have in my closet. Thanks David!
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