Chattanooga Whiskey Single Barrel

Drank neat. Sample. I wasn't feeling it last night when I tried this blind. It might have been my palate or something I ate/drank, so I recapped it to give it a more thorough tasting now. The idea of a Chattanooga single barrel is odd, though. I know they do great blending for the 111 I love, but I've always wondered if the whole was better than the parts. On the nose, there's a scent I can't shake: Grippo's BBQ chips. That's a regional brand, so it might not translate, but it's a sweet BBQ rub with a lot of mesquite. Despite how dark it is, there's also a youthfulness to it. This combination, along with the high malt content, made me think Texas even during the blind tasting. There's a deep forest and earthiness to the nose as well. It lacks any dessert sweetness or fruit. Maybe a faint apple note. I do like it better than last night, so I'm glad I took a break from it. Nice syrupy mouthfeel, quite dark on the tongue. A bit of brown sugar and molasses. Wow, that Grippo note is inescapable. It hits mid-palate and then dominates the finish too. I'm trying to look past it, but it's difficult. Mmm, I just found a nice toasted oak note and more of that apple. The apple has some salted caramel with it. The malt is really coming through on subsequent sips. Okay! I'm finding some depth here compared to my first impression last night. I'd say this pour is redeemed and interesting, but if I owned the bottle, I wouldn't reach for it often. I'd give it as samples to those who enjoy dissecting it. The BBQ element is more intriguing than delicious. I suspect these Single Barrels will have extreme variations, and now I want to try another.

Barrel 91 SB091. 60.3% ABV, 120.6 proof. Barreled 10/19/17, Bottled 02/01/22. The aroma is dominated by oak, followed by secondary notes of dark chocolate, red hots, and banana runts. Butterscotch appears occasionally. Significant alcohol presence is also noticeable, as expected. Taste: Um… yeah… where are the flavors? I taste alcohol at the start, middle, and finish. Every so often, I detect notes of butterscotch and alcohol-soaked dark fruits. Perhaps a faint hint of chocolate way in the background. I just burped and tasted bubblegum, lol. That was incredibly strange. Overall: I really wanted to enjoy this bottle, as I'm a fan of Chattanooga products, but this one misses the mark by a significant margin. I opened it a year ago and delayed posting the review, thinking it just needed time to open up, but I'm still getting the same profile as my previous tasting notes. This whiskey lacks flavor. It lacks complexity, depth, and identity. Furthermore, the palate is boozy from beginning to end. The finish is entirely alcohol. Very disappointing, especially considering the price (I've seen bottles from $65-$90), it feels like a rip-off. With the continually rising prices of bourbon, this is an easy pass for me. I understand it's a single barrel, but there's no way I'd buy this again. I'd much prefer their 91 or 111 over this, as they taste significantly better than this bottle.

Adding a small ice cube enhances this nicely. It helps to reveal the flavors and softens the alcohol content. A superb drink!!

Full-flavored. Sweet initially with a nice burn. A daily sipper for me. High malt content.

Tastes like chocolate, cinnamon, and graham cracker.

I enjoy the spice.