This bourbon is named for the Special Forces horsemen, known as the horse soldiers, who served in Afghanistan. The nose starts earthy and herbal, with notes of leather, licorice, and light smokiness. Drying oak on the palate, with bitter orange and herbal notes, roasted walnuts, and burnt cinnamon and brown sugar. A finish of orange, bitter chocolate, and espresso beans. Water coaxes out raspberry and honey blossom.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

Three and half year old rye finished in rum casks from Barbados. Rum-influenced notes of ripe mango, guava, and orange curaçao dominate the nose. A light, nimble mouthfeel with rum sweetness on the palate, plus candied mandarin, lemon, pineapple, and a light pine note. Similar notes on the finish, helped by a sprinkling of white pepper. Flavorful and rich, with the overlay of rum sweetness dominating the rye notes to some degree.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

Orange and flower aromas mingled with cinnamon candy, tea leaves, and fresh-cut wood show off the lively side of the grain from the start. In the mouth, this whiskey is spicy and vibrant, with chili pepper, Hot Tamales, green banana, and plenty of oak, finishing on dark chocolate, black tea, and lingering heat. A young whiskey, but well on its way.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

Quite youthful on the nose, with barley, vanilla, and finally nectarines. Smooth and medium-bodied, with floral notes, custard, and milk chocolate. A relatively short finish, with sappy oak.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2019)

Faintly herbal but mostly sweet aromas: Swedish fish, Twizzlers, treacle, marshmallow, and toasted almonds, as well as Lipton tea bag and pine needles. The flavor is dominated by oak, along with charred corn, black pepper, roasted nuts, and pipe tobacco, while the finish takes a slight turn with lingering pine and cigar notes.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

Orange, mango, strawberry candy, and licorice on the nose, while water brings out watermelon, more mango, and a soft wood note. A light palate offers fruitcake, orange, blackberry, chocolate, almond, gingersnaps, tobacco, and cedar spice. A finish of vanilla, orange, and more tobacco, with water bringing out hot chocolate, orange, burnt espresso beans, and drying oak. Orangey and tropical at the outset, but also deep and nutty, particularly on the finish.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

The nose begins with a whiff of new wood, but moves to orange peel, apricot, green banana, raisin bread, black tea, and raspberry Popsicle. The palate is youthful and syrupy in texture, with notes of milk chocolate, burnt almond, vanilla frosting, and chili spice. The finish is barrel-influenced but light and honeyed, with notes of milk chocolate, nuttiness, and spice.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

Oily, earthy, and a bit vegetal on the nose, with nori, moss, caramel corn, toasted pecans, barbecue potato chips, and butterscotch haystacks. The oily-textured palate is heavy on smoky char, roasted corn and nuts, savory mesquite-cooked meat, and spearmint. On the finish, it’s all cigar wrapper, dark chocolate, mint oil, and coffee bean, with plenty of lingering char flavor.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

Buttercream, fresh-cut bread, taffy candy, citrus, and a distinctive hoppy note from the craft ale casks. Charmingly smooth but quite light bodied, there is warmed bramble fruit, bitter grapefruit peel, and plenty of peppery spice. This stands up well to other ale-cask finished whiskies, but in the Grant’s range there are better whiskies with more to offer.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2019)

Banana chips, peppercorn, coriander stalks, dry grasses, cracker bread, faint lemon zest, butterscotch, and green apple; more grain than malt character evident. With watery citrus, butterscotch, walnut, lemon peel, and caramel initially, it’s lighter-bodied but balanced. It develops more spices and a fine texture as it dilutes, lifted by cinnamon, caramel, and gentle spices. Overlook the hard-to-love nose, and this is tasty both neat and over ice.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2019)

The nose is pleasant, with fresh strawberry, spicy smoke, cookie dough, allspice, and glacé cherry, but the palate fails to shine or excite. This has been finished in port and Pedro Ximénez casks, giving the whisky a subtle rose hue, but it needs more body. There are flavors of biscuit, mandarin, vanilla, and redcurrant. It meanders along with a fairly flat trajectory, then hits the buffers with some lingering rosehip fruitiness. (2,266 bottles for U.S.)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Summer 2019)

Light in aroma, with nougat, pistachio halvah, fresh lilies, and the chalkiness of general store candy. Flavor and mouthfeel are also subtle, sometimes too much so; while there are lovely floral and fruit notes, along with spices, pistachio, toasted grain, and orange oil, a bit more amplitude would go a long way.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

The nose begins with lemon and lime, followed by notes of licorice root and dill. The palate is smoother and sweeter, if a bit light, with notes of cherry, chocolate, cinnamon, and new oak. The addition of water reveals flavors of orange pekoe tea, peanut shells, a richer note of chocolate, and a dusting of chili powder. Some barrel influence on the palate, but the finish concludes with chocolate, sassafras, and bitter almond oil.

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Summer 2019)

Made with an unusual mashbill—corn, wheat, caramel malt, and oats—this whiskey was aged for 2 years. Grain, bread dough, almond paste, and a hint of cinnamon on the nose. The palate has fresh wood shavings, cinnamon, bread dough, orange Popsicle, and walnuts, with a dry chocolate and oak finish. A bit more maturation time should soften some of the youthful edges.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)

Yes, this is named for the beach in Australia, and its light character might well be intended for seaside sipping. Orange blossom, lemon, and cinnamon gum vie with Popsicle stick on the nose. The light-bodied palate has more orange, cinnamon candy, nuttiness, and a lot of oak that becomes cloying on the finish. Overall, it has the effect of making one wish there were just a bit more body and character.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2019)