Nose: Flambeed peaches leaning towards gummy peaches, grilled leeks, going to let it breathe a bit. Nose feels shy and restrained. White tea, jasmine flowers

Palate: How un-pouchegu, all fruits, and the oak tannins without the spice cabinet, yet quite delightful. Very elegant in some ways. Peach white tea. Gentle floral fruitiness. Then the bitter hits and this is almost aspirin bitter. It somehow work with the fruit. But not positive I can hang.

Rating: 6 / 10 – the fruits are wonderful, but like A6, the bitter finish is a love or hate thing.

Nose: Bourbon vanilla and maple sawdust. It’s a specific note, but when a 60ft tall maple tree fell in my parents yard, we had it turned into rough boards and I spent the next decade building furniture for my home. A touch of stonefruit, leaning towards yellow plums. The nose is an odd pairing as it’s quite gentle oakiness on one side, and yet has some astringence which reminds me of a touch of celeriac.

Palate: Hello woody. This is like a classy surf car. Isn’t it crazy that those station wagons all our moms had in CA in the 70s and 80s are now vintage classics? Oak with gentle touches of nutmeg. Rootbeer barrels. Those candy by the way, are a score. When it was time to do the formal trading of the halloween candy, their trade value was garbage, so I could get dozens of them for a single bazooka joe gum. Must have been the comic. I was expecting to find fruit from the nose, but nope, it’s just a lovely bit of oak for me. And I can jive with that.

Rating: 6 / 10 – Solid – Super Glad I Drank It. The nose had hints of youth, but the palate delivered right where I’d want an XO to hit. I think the bourbon crew will quite enjoy this. I just got a sample of the 2023 XO, so I’m going to do a side by side.

Nose: Opening with a blast of fresh pressed apples. What we call cider in northern washington, to differentiate from that vapid shit people sell in stores as apple juice. Cider that pulls no punches, with off the chart sweetness and acidity. If your head doesn’t snap back, it’s not the right blend yet. Tonight my daughter cooked dinner, and she took it up a notch with some epic steak tacos. Heavily seared filet with a green mango coleslaw. The mayo / paprika / cider vinegar and sugar vibe pairs so well with shredded green mango and carrots. Earthy, sweet, rich creaminess and extra acidity given both our palates. Sorry mom, I know it’s not your jam, but the chef is in charge.

Palate: Oh. Oh… shit lads (n ladies), we have a belter. My mom sometimes allows the apple and pear juices to sit in a glass container and give the wild yeast some space to add a touch of character. It’s not quite alcoholic cider, not quite apple vinegar. Maybe kombucha is the closest coursin. Or a shrub. A funktastic expression of nature and time. Incredibly vibrant, tart, tonic and tannic without jumping the shark. Vanilla and turmeric. Rich earthiness of brown sugar rock candy.

Rating: 8 / 10 – Off the charts awesome if you love belgian sours. I wish I had a bigger amount as with more time this will most certainly evolve into a 9 (but might not).

Nose: In a strange place tonight as I find myself contemplating mortality. Worked with my parents for a few hours on their medical directives. We legit argued about where my mom’s brain should get donated. And then the queen of England passed and I’m watching friends process. Don’t have much of a horse in that race. But all in all there is something austere in the air. Spiced plums and holly. A huge blast of cloves. And definitely sweet and earthy. Sticky rice with tamarind sorbet.

Palate: Fun! Old timey candy, both herbal and lightly sweet. Thyme. Catnip. Jasmine tea. Honey lozenge. I usually don’t go for this type of style, but it is so beautifully balanced, and kind of fits my mood. I’d drink this at a funeral and appreciate both the past and the future yet to come.

Rating: 6 / 10 – Not typically in my wheelhouse but an incredibly elegant pour.

Nose: Harkens to a good amontillado. Cherry cola notes. Royal flan, with the notes of industrial caramel syrup (that we all know is just palm or corn syrup) but damn it’s good. A wander through a fresh herb garden after a while, parsley and thyme. A lovely thick wood layer.

Palate: Tamarindo, tomato marmalade, bitter pie cherries with a notable astringency in the mid palate. I’m tasting a touch of salt but this might be because I was making barbeque sauce earlier today and got it everywhere. Peppery. Herbal notes are quite prevalent but are less easy to pull apart for me today. I’d need to come back to it, but since I don’t love herbal, the odds aren’t high I will.

Rating: 5 / 10 – this is tasty but I wouldn’t reach for it again. From the nose I was hoping for a bigger oak and cherry hit. What I found was more savory and herbal and interesting, which is not really my thing. This is an excellent pour for the herbal aficionados. Kind of leans towards some of the more agricol style rhums I don’t jive with.

Nose: Big lovely oak. rootbeer . vanilla pods, cloves and nutmeg.

Palate: It like a perfectly rounded bourbon. Light maple syrup sweetness. Oaky tannins. Christmas plum butter. This should be put into a wrapper and sold as candy.

Rating: 7 / 10 – this is gorgeous. And sweet deliciousness. It’s missing the complexity to transcend but dang lads. Buy this one. Paco says he would consider buying 2.