Happy Holidays y’all! I’m posting from the road, rolling to visit family in New York, but before that (for perhaps because of it) it’s time for another tasting of whiskey and eggnog! This is the final of the four-week Whiskey-Eggnog Mixing Challenge/NogOff 2k19 and we’re down to the final nog: Oakhurst Eggnog. A big brand in its own right.
On its own this is an incredibly rich, incredibly thick nog. It has some of those gingery notes both on the nose and the palate, but the overriding flavors are this kind of candied bubblegum, fake cinnamon (sweet not spicy) flavor. Almost as rich as the Hannaford brand, maybe a little more. The artificial notes aren’t the best in this, and make me a little worried for how this nog is going to pair with the whiskies.
As usual we’ll be doing a 15-point system, with 5 points each for taste, depth, and overall impression based on a 1-4 Whiskey-Eggnog ratio.
Please nog responsibly.
Jim Beam- The nog and whiskey balance is completely muted on the nose, with only faint aromas of alcohol. On the palate, we find that the nog is dominant, with only the smallest bits of pepper and spice on the finish. Overall not really that unpleasant, just not interesting. 3/5 Taste. Cohesion is mixed, with the two blending well but really not making anything new. But this does make it easy to drink, so… 3/5 for Depth. Overall Impression is low for lack of interest. 2/5. Final score is 8/15. Drinkable, cohesive, if uninteresting.
Evan Williams- Alright, this smells like black pepper and fresh vegetables. Those are not things I want to smell in my eggnog. Flavorwise, again we find the nog dominant. I think this is just an all-consuming eggnog. There’s some pepper on the back, but little else. Taste 2/5. The two have mixed decently, sans for the nog overwhelming again. I have no idea what happened with the aroma though, that is not pleasant. 3/5. Overall Impression is fine. Unimpressed overall but it’s not as bad as some of the others. 3/5. Final Score: 8/15.
Maker’s Mark- This aroma is all nog with a whisper of acetone and alcohol. Not very pleasant. The taste is also very unpleasant. Sharp, bitter, peppery, with a bitter finish. It’s jarring just how poorly this tastes. Taste 1/5. It’s a harsh blend, that doesn’t play well at all, and depth likewise suffers. 1/5. Overall impression is a disappointment, but a low score again. 1/5. Final Score: 3/15. Bitter, thin, and unpleasant.
Bulleit- Sharp, peppery nose with little sweetness. Pepperiness continues on the palate, clashing with a bit of a red-hot kind of cinnamon spice. Bit of bitterness on the finish, as well. 2/5 Taste. There’s a clash in the glass here, without much cohesion. Depth will suffer as a result 1/5. Overall impression remains low, without much interest. 1/5. Final Score: 4/15. Uninteresting, a bit bitter, and clashing.
Wild Turkey 101- Almost a caramel nose with good spice, actually attractive. This makes me excited. Taste is a bit bitter, unfortunately. I think this is a problem with the nog, maybe? The ginger spice notes have been clashing hard with the whiskies throughout the tastings. Taste 2/5. There’s a bit of better cohesion here, and a richness that’s not too unwelcome. 3/5. Overall Impression is still low, 2/5. Final Score: 7/15. A bit bitter, and a bit rich, sort of okay.
Jack Daniel’s- Smokey, spicy, a bit sweet on the nose. Not unattractive, actually, but not quite noglike (Middle finger to you, spellcheck). On the palate, this is a not terrible mix until that Jack maple, spicy finish kicks in the end. It doesn’t ruin it, but it does bring the score down a bit. This is still the best tasting one, except for the finish 3/5. Overall blend is not great, though, there’s not a lot that’s harmonious. 3/5. Overall impression is pretty impressed, given what this is. 3/5. Final score: 9/15.
Alright, so, all the scores here were middling. Something about this nog just did not like whiskey. But we prevailed, and once again the winner is Jack Daniel’s, with a score of 9/15. Not stellar by any, and on the lower side even for a winning score.
With these tallied, our final scores for NogOff 2k19, and the best cheap whiskey to mix with eggnog with some reflective notes, are:
Wild Turkey 101, 42/60. Never quite staying in the spotlight for long, but overall offering richness and more alcohol than its competitors, a fair choice for most eggnog.
Bulleit, 32/60. Distinctive, a bit peppery, and occasionally showing the ability to mix well with less spicy eggnog.
Jack Daniel’s, 32/60. Honestly a bit of a dark horse here, be prepared to really taste the Jack in whatever party he’s invited to.
Jim Bean, 31/60. Usually a bit thin, but can deliver a punch of bourbon flavor and spice.
Evan Williams, 22/60. Inviting vegetal notes and strong black pepper. Not recommended.
Maker’s Mark, 21/60. Unfortunately, a bit of a disappointment. Has a tendency to thin the eggnog too much and lacks the depth to compensate.
That caps off our Whiskey-Eggnog Tasting Challenge for 2019! How did your favorite whiskey fair? Do you guys feel I missed anything? Feel free to let me know. Have some very Happy Holidays, drink and be merry, and hopefully I’ll get a couple more blog posts out before the new year. Cheers!