Hayes Parker Reserve Small Batch Bourbon: MINI

Nose: The first whiff of this screams, “I am young!” It has a light, corn-heavy, and bordering on moonshiney, nose. You feel as well as smell the alcohol when you take in a deep snort. Palate: The first sip comes across with a corn and cinnamon-heavy bent, with plenty of heat almost the whole way through it. You get something bordering on moonshine, but not quite, and you immediately get the youth of this whiskey. The heat in later sips is still so prevalent that it makes it pretty hard to pick out any particular flavors in this one. The mouthfeel is thin but it is hard to distinguish the length of the finish because the heat makes it hard to figure out when it starts and when it finishes. This whiskey has a slightly bitter aftertaste that lingers. Honestly, it just wasn’t a pleasant tasting experience. Comments: This clocks in at 90 proof and the label states it is “aged at least 6 months”. Like the recently reviewed Winchester, this also comes out of TerrePURE Spirits in North Charleston, SC. I rarely comment on color, but this whiskey is so light in color that it is hard to imagine that it will be anything but very youthful. And….it is. It isn’t clear from the label or from Internet sources whether or not this bourbon undergoes TerrePURE’s special “aging” process. I suppose if you like that youthful taste, you MIGHT enjoy this, but if you are looking for even a standard, every day (i.e. “budget”) sipper, I think you are best to skip this one. I’m not sure I would even recommend it as “buy the mini for when you need a mini” choice. I just didn’t enjoy this one very much. There’s another version of this that I’ll review next time and the label is very similar, so make sure you look closely if you decide to buy this one. Total Wine sells the 50ml mini for $1.49, the 750ml for $11.99 and the 1.75L for $21.99. This appears to be another whiskey you can ONLY get at Total Wine.