Cody Road Bourbon

Taste: 1.5 oz. Sampled at a tasting event. The first in a series of selections that evening. Nose: The aroma is youthful, immediately presenting sweet corn and a hint of caramel popcorn. There's a noticeable ethanol presence that dissipates with time. Palate: My initial reaction is 'meh'. The best description is caramel corn soaked in whiskey. The texture, however, is unexpectedly rich and buttery, especially considering the pale appearance. If I had to pick one word for the palate, it would be 'mushy'. At 90 proof, it has a slight bite. Finish: It fades rather quickly, offering little distinction. The experience concludes much like it began, with a popcorn-like note. Overall: It's simply a young bourbon. I appreciated some aspects like the caramel corn, buttery texture, and richer mouthfeel, but it lacked fruitiness and spice, with minimal oak presence. It's just not fully developed.

The aroma is sweet, carrying hints of flowers, citrus, and dried grapes. The initial taste brings a gentle, lingering warmth with continued floral impressions. It's not exceptionally intricate, but enjoyable nonetheless. This is my initial experience with a spirit from Cody Road, and while it lacks deep complexity, it provides enough intrigue to make me curious about their other selections.

The nose is heavily influenced by the barrel, smelling more like new sawdust than aged wood. Corn sweetness dominates the palate, accompanied by a bright lemongrass herbal quality and hints of vanilla. While increasing the proof likely enhanced the flavor, I can detect traces of ethanol that shouldn't be present.

Nose: Predominantly cereal grains and ethanol. Palate: A smoother wheater than the nose suggests. Clearly young, but not harsh like many young wheaters. Not overly complex; notes of corn, caramel, and a hint of dark fruit (cherry?). The finish is relatively short and simple, just fading away without surprises.

It smells like a dead hog in a leather purse with a sow's ear, and the texture in the mouth is terrible. It's smoky, but not in a good way; it's more like, "Wow, feels like I just smoked a pack and a half of Marlboro reds and followed it with a carton of menthol golds." I'd suggest this to someone who can't smell.

I enjoy their rye, but this one could use improvement. It has a light mouthfeel and is somewhat uninspired. Batch 1615, bottle 675.