Basil Hayden's Dark Rye

Nose: Port. Rich, nutty dessert wine, in any case. I want to say "fruity" but I'm having a hard time picking out specific fruit. I smell roasted peanuts...beneath that, some grape notes. The sweet, piney rye notes are there but you really have to dig for them. Water helps bring them out.

Taste: that wine flavour really settles in at the back of the tongue and makes it difficult to pick out other flavours. Some drying oak and a bit of spice are the only real indicators that you're drinking whiskey and not some super-fortified wine.

Finish: the port now comes charging over everything and gets even stronger into the finish.

Balance: as a whiskey, the balance is non-existent. The port dominates from nose to finish. I found that a bit of water or an ice cube helps cut through the wine and grant some semblance of balance. Overall, a puzzling, befuddling blend. Wines are usually used to enhance the spirits but that is not the case here.