I always seem to do these things during the weather that really calls for nog and whiskey. Today it is warmer than usual for New England in December, around 40, and it’s raining. Cuddle up and drink boozy nog kind of weather. In the wake of Bulleit’s stunning victory last week, I’m amazed to find myself at an open race with this week’s nog of choice- Hannaford Brand!
Supermarket brand things can be kind of hit or miss, I understand. The results of this tasting, too, will be fairly regional, as I don’t know how Hannaford’s nog would compare to your local supermarket nog. But I think it’s at least a good jumping off point when considering blending these things. Maybe your Kroger nog or Publix nog would be far better, I don’t know. But this is a good stand-in for what some supermarkets can offer, and I thought I’d roll with it.
This entire time, by the way, my spellcheck refuses to acknowledge that ‘nog’ is a word on its own and I refuse to give them the honor of adding it to my dictionary. There’s enough fantasy terms in there already.
The nog on its own is… Thick. I mean it’s just thick, like almost gag-inducing. There’s no nose, and almost no flavor apart from sweet and artificial vanilla, but my GOD the body on this. It feels almost like there’s gelatin in here or something, I don’t know. But the taste is actually a bit less sweet than I remember Hood’s being, and the lack of nose might really let some of the whiskies do the leg work here. Whatever cuts the body the most might wind up being on top. Curious to see how this mixes with the whiskies, with that analysis.
Same rubric as before: 5 points each for taste, depth, and overall impression.
1-4 whiskey to nog ratio! For those curious I pour the nog first, then the whiskey, and then give it a stir with a barspoon to incorporate.
Get our lineup ready, get out our measuring tools… and remember.
Please nog responsibly.
Jim Beam. The nose here is 100% Beam. Just completely overwhelms the nog and leave little to the imagination. What’s weird is how much the nog’s actual flavor overwhelms the whiskey. You get some pepper and some bite from the Beam, but nothing much else until the finish where that prickle appears. Taste: 3/5. There’s some mixing happening, but again, not a lot, and the finish is a little jarring. 2/5. My thoughts are this are that it’s serviceable, I’m not angry at it, I’m just not very interested in it. 2/5 again for overall impression. Final Score: 7/15. Just not a lot, and what’s there isn’t the best.
Evan Williams. Alright so the first thing I smell is something vegetal, almost green bell pepper in nature. I don’t know what kind of witchcraft is at work but that’s not really something I want to get out of smelling whiskey and eggnog. There’s a little bit of cinnamon at work here, and some vanilla, but not much else. Upon actually tasting this, it’s like… imagine cracking black pepper into your eggnog. It’s harsh, prickly, and unpleasant. 1/5. Mixing wise we’re experiencing another clash in the glass, and the finish is mostly bitter from the whiskey and sticky from the nog. 1/5. Not impressed, very turned off. 1/5 overall impression. Final Score: 3/15. Bad, harsh, pepper, and sticky.
Maker’s Mark. Nose isn’t bad. Maker’s really sticks out of the glass, and since this nog didn’t have much to begin with, that means I’m mostly smelling Maker’s. Flavor is less than impressive. Something happened in this mix that robbed both the Maker’s and the nog of their sweetness. Up front there’s nothing, and then it quickly fades into a very bitter pepper. 1/5. Thinking on depth here is a bit of an irony, because it’s clear that they’ve mixed and it’s hard to taste them apart, but what is there is not just unpleasant. 1/5? I mean, they blended, they just didn’t blend into something tasty? Overall impression 1/5. Weird and bitter. Final Score: 3/5.
Bulleit. Alright the reigning champ (after one round). Nose is still mild as all hell, but there’s some spice and cinnamon here that’s not bad. Flavorwise (I refuse to give spellcheck this one), it’s not quite as tasty as Bulleit’s last outing. It’s not terrible but it’s also nothing special. There’s a weird metallic thing on the finish I don’t care for, either. Maybe it’s the nog, scores seem lower across the board. Anyway, taste gets a 2/5 from me. Bulleit does blend well into the nog, there’s not a lot of fighting here, but there’s nothing very interesting, either. 3/5. Overall impression is still underwhelmed. 2/5. Final Score: 7/15. Serviceable, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.
Wild Turkey 101. Very mild nose, some hints of whiskeyish things, but little else. Taste is actually rather pleasant. Some warm spice notes and cinnamon balance the nog’s mild sweetness, and the finish keeps things spicy without getting too bitter. 4/5. Depth is a noted blessing here, too. Last time, Wild Turkey added a bunch of richness to the nog, and here it does that too but in a way that rounds the nog out, that higher proof doing some heavy lifting, instead of making the entire mess too thick to drink. Balanced flavors, good weight, but still not the wild complexity of others. 4/5. Overall impression is that this is a tasty option, not stellar, but not something I’d readily turn down if offered. 4/5. Final score: 12/15. Tasty, rich, and complicated enough to not be boring.
Jack Daniel’s. There’s a paint thinner note on the nose that’s as appealing as it sounds. Upon tasting, I’m kind of angry at this working as well as it does. The Jack is present in a smoky, maple-y kind of way that shouldn’t taste as good as it does. But the nog flavor is there, accented by the flavors of Jack, and I’m forcing myself to be okay with it. 4/5. Depth is fine, too. The Jack cuts down the nog’s richness, adds spice and smoke to the finish, and plays well. You know it’s Jack Daniels in eggnog, and you taste them both, along with their combination. My only critique is the pepperiness on the finish which some might not enjoy as much. 4/5. Overall impression is a pleasant, unique blend of whiskey and eggnog, flavors that play well, and some notes that remind you of what’s in the glass. 5/5. Final Score: 13/15. I’m surprised.
Jack Daniels’ and Supermarket Eggnog- like the start of a bad country Christmas carol, but here we are this week, y’all. It’s not something I would automatically think of, and yet here we are. Another surprising victory for all the eggnog and whiskies. Again, it’s a whiskey that I didn’t care for on my own but had just the right things needed for the blending and therefore we must celebrate the new victor of this week’s Nog Off.
Still accepting name changes people, come on now.
One thing I am definitely considering doing now that we have a couple surprising wins under our belt is taking a look at how our whiskies are preforming overall. We saw this week how nobody got a perfect score, and Jack Daniel’s, even though the winner, underscored two previous whiskies. So now, at the end, the scores will hopefully show what’s the broadest-appeal of all the eggnog and whiskey blends. The current standing therefore is:
Wild Turkey 101, 26/30
Bulleit, 22/30
Jack Daniel’s, 20/30
Maker’s Mark, 15/30
Jim Beam, 15/30
Evan Williams, 6/30
Now we see that Wild Turkey 101 has scored the most points overall, most likely as a result of being second twice. Let’s see if it maintains that lead over the course of the entire contest, or if another will push it from its pedestal.
Next week we’ll look at dairy-free eggnog, making sure you’ve time to get it together before the holidays. If anyone has any suggestions for which brands to use, please let me know!
Nog on, y’all.