Pours Unknown - Sample #1 and Introduction

Pours Unknown :Sample #1 - Introducing Pours Unknown

Allow me to introduce "Pours Unknown," the latest segment of The Pot Still Column. Pours Unknown will consist of short reviews of blind samples provided to me by friends, enemies, fans, critics, readers, and the illiterate alike.

The segment will include the blind review, scoring, and a guess about the sample's contents. More often than not, I will be embarrassingly incorrect, but that's all part of the fun. Trust that I will not have any prior knowledge about the sample's contents before conducting my review, and that the review will not be edited after the reveal. Pencils are down upon unveiling the mystery whiskey, so any grammatical or spelling errors will have to stay. I look forward to this little game, but I hope it doesn't become the end of me!

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Sample #1

From: Mansour (San Diego, CA)

Date: 09/15/2022

Appearance: medium color

Nose:

Oooooh, this is nice! Immediately, the nose relays a distinct vegetal aroma, a scent I commonly refer to as bleeding plant stems or roses-- not grass or fruit, but the crisp and raw scent of a broken plant stalk or blooming rose. It smells like the color green. Sometimes this sort of smell will waft off of a fern or houseplant, especially when warmed by sunlight. The sourness reminds me also of pre-packaged apple slices kept "fresh" by a lemon solution, the sharp smells of both fruits mingling. While the dominance of this notes distracts me from anything else that might be there, it is a gorgeous note and requires no supporting cast. Caramel comes out from underneath, and the greenness continues with surprising depth, not brittle and thin as crisper notes can often be. I've gotten this sort of nose on several bourbons and ryes, and although it always comes from a smaller craft distillery, the type of whiskey can differ widely. My suspicion is that this is a bourbon from a distillery such as Frey Ranch or Koval that uses grains from outside of the mass market. While there are absolutely no ethanol fumes detracting from the nose, my guess is that this is going to be relatively high proof, probably over 125. This is a mesmerizing nose.

Taste:

Funky, but an unfamiliar bright funk, not musty or dark. My taste buds want to commit to the vegetal profile present in the nose, but are pulled askew by whispers of other notes, not lingering long enough for a proper identification, but unmistakably present. Chocolate? Not sure. Rose water and cardamom? Maybe. This whiskey is like an aromatic bowl of spiced Jasmine rice at an Middle Eastern restaurant, and that is the weirdest comparison I've made to date, but you may find it surprisingly accurate. The flavor is rich, a little tug of war between the vegetal character and more traditional bourbon notes such as caramel and barrel char.

Finish: The finish is long, leaving me smacking long enough to burn a few calories. It is a full-palate experience, coating all surfaces with a thin, acidic sheen that takes its time retreating into an oaky dust. In my mind, I often compare the residual oak layer left on one's tongue to the Elmer's glue left on one's fingers after a craft project. Not necessarily desirable, but secretly kind of fun. Interestingly, the tail end of the finish brings out what I suspect is the rye character, previously dormant. It shows up at an almost imperceptible hint of dill, maybe bar olives. As the glass becomes emptier, more caramel-adjacent flavors and scents begin to come out, namely crystalized honey and butterscotch.

Closing Impression:

This is a great whiskey, checking all the boxes and then some. It isn't something that fits any traditional mold snugly enough to please a crowd, lacking the oaky and syrupy character of popular bourbon, but those who appreciate the occasional off-road experience will appreciate it. This is a bourbon that demands attention. I could easily see someone getting caught up in the initial vegetal burst, never bothering to look deeper and thereby denying themselves a whole world of flavor. The whiskey has such a clean profile that I wouldn't be surprised if it was organic. Of course, that is a ridiculous thing to say and I have no real idea of how an organic whiskey would taste, but it's a gut feeling.

Nose: 94

Taste: 91

Finish: 87

Overall: 91/100

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REVEAL:

Frey Ranch Single Barrel Barrel Strength "Khoury's Fine Wine and Spirits"

Proof: 125.12

Age: NAS Finish: None

Source: Frey Ranch Distillery (Nevada)

Price: $89.99 to $99.99

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POST REVEAL THOUGHTS:

I can't imagine a better way to hit off the segment than with a near-perfect guess. While the uniqueness of the Frey Ranch profile makes it easier to identify in a blind than most, I still feel pride at having guessed it correctly. Not every detail was correct, but I guess incorrectly more often than not.