McFarlane's Reserve

Appearance: a pale gold reminiscent of a younger scotch Smell: smooth vanilla, caramel, sugared toffee, and brown sugar. The aroma is incredibly sweet, very pleasant, and surprisingly deep for a young spirit. I strongly suspect this is a wheated whiskey. Taste: Just like the smell, the taste delivers a powerful, rich vanilla butterscotch and butter cream flavor. The texture is quite nice and coats the mouth well, with a subtle hint of brown spices emerging. The taste of baked cinnamon bread lingers on the tongue into the finish. Chewing on it reveals a creamy fruitiness that I enjoyed. Aftertaste: the aftertaste is medium-short but very pleasant, leaving light fruits and vanilla behind. This is a well-crafted wheated whiskey from KY made by IJW distillery. One of my favorite bottles for an incredible price.

A light Kentucky Straight Bourbon created by including wheat in the standard corn and barley mash bill, plus Kentucky limestone-filtered water. It rests for 3 years in American oak casks prior to bottling at 45% ABV. It offers an aromatic beginning with hints of fruit, grain, wood, and spice; while a subtle progression introduces notes of apple, mature cherry, cinnamon, brown sugar, maple, and chocolate; culminating in a full-bodied finish of moderate duration with flavors of oak, corn, and vanilla custard. December 2021 / August 2022 / July / August 2023 / October 2024

The finest $21 bottle I've ever sampled! An excellent wheated bourbon with only the slightest indication of youth and a touch of roughness. As a devoted fan of Buffalo Trace products, I find myself comparing it to a blend of Buffalo Trace and Weller Reserve. I usually keep Buffalo Trace for casual sipping and mixing. For $19 less, this will take the place of Buffalo Trace in my bourbon mixers and cocktails. I will still keep a bottle of Beam for acquaintances who request bourbon and coke. We all have those friends. 😜

The color is light, and the aroma is young with a strong ethanol scent. Beneath the ethanol, there's some sweetness, possibly caramel and brown sugar. Upon tasting, there's a greater burn than I'd anticipate for 90 proof. It has a burnt sweetness and black pepper with a medium finish. I believe this is a bit too young, but for $21, it's not terrible.

Abundant dark maple flavor, less sweet but more impactful. It has a rich, full mouthfeel that vanishes quickly. The flavor is surprisingly weak, but the heat persists. It seems to have many interesting elements that don't quite harmonize.

I had hoped for a better taste than expected. While there are superior wheated bourbons, it's worth trying at $20 a bottle, at minimum for mixing. It has some good notes, but one must push past some alcohol burn. A bit rough, lacking smoothness.