Vape Train Australia Bourbon
ConcreteRiver
Disclaimer: I didn't pay for this, shoutout to Vape Train for sending this to me.
Setup: Recoil w/ flavor barrel, Dual 12 wrap 24g 3.5mm SS316 @.32 ohms. 60w power, 450F temp limit. Full Cotton Wicks.
Testing: Vape Train Bourbon, 1%, 4% and 8%, 60/40 VG/PG base, Steeped 24 days.
Flavor Description: Boozy heat on a thin, sweet bourbon.
The base here definitely reads as a bourbon. There's a fairly prominent sweetness to it that feels a lot like a sort of mass market bourbon level of sweetness. Tastes appropriately mellow and corn-ish. There's also a bit of oak in here. Not really overwhelmingly charred or intense, but enough to come across as an oak as opposed to a peat or any other kind of whiskey barrel. Light fruitiness, but it reads pretty accurate as that light, overripe funk from fermentation. Tastewise, pretty close to a low to mid-shelf bourbon.
There is also a boozy punch to the top end of this, and it feels reasonably accurate to a sweeter bourbon. Accurate hotter alcohol notes. They do seem to have calmed down a bit from mixing fresh, but still pretty solid for 3+ weeks of a steep. Not overwhelmingly boozy, but gets the point across pretty well.
Seems to have some textural issues. Like the other Vape Train boozes I've tried, it's a fairly thin vape. Most of the flavor here feels like it's in the top end, and without a heavier base that bourbon sweetness feels a bit sticky and thin. More like smelling bourbon than actually consuming it, but I mean, vaping and all.
Right off the bat, this doesn't really work like any of the other bourbons I've tried. It's thinner and boozier than the whole lot including TPA Kentucky Bourbon, FW Whiskey, and FLV Bourbon. Doesn't' feel like it's going to be an easy sub for anything. It's sweet like TPA Kentucky Bourbon but significantly less substantial. The Oak here isn't quite as aggressive as FLV Bourbon but it's pushing in that direction. And while it isn't as funky and almost meaty as FW Whiskey, it has some of those same weirdly savory qualities.
Off-Flavors: What's here tastes fine, but it doesn't really have a heavier, fuller base to the flavor. Feels thin and top heavy by itself.
Throat Hit: Moderate, but booze and all. Not unduly harsh for the general level of booziness.
Percentage testing: At 1%, at least with this kind of steep, I'm not getting much out of this. Slight booziness and a bit of sweetness. Nothing that really identifiably tastes like a whiskey.
At 4%, this is reading just a bit more like a whiskey. Still feels more like boozy top notes rather than a rich, robust full whiskey flavor. Light char, light sweetness, but really more just about that top-end booziness.
At 8%, this is definitely a little boozier, but still doesn't feel like a full whiskey flavor. A bit sweeter, and lightly fruity. Char seems about unchanged.
Vape Train suggests a pretty wide range for this: 1-5% mixed, and 5-9% solo. Just based on these tests, I'd be using this as an accent flavor around 3-4%. While it isn't unvapeable up higher, it doesn't really seem to be bring anything extra to the table at higher percentages.
Uses & Pairings: I'd call this a whiskey booster more than a discrete bourbon. Solo, there just isn't enough body here to convey a strong bourbon flavor.
Seems to pretty a natural fit with something like TPA Kentucky Bourbon which has that sweeter, heavier body but no distinct booziness to speak of. I'd use the Kentucky Bourbon as a base and just let this fill in some of the hotter booze notes in cocktail applications.
While the booziness here does lean bourbon, I don't think it's too oaky to use with other whiskeys like FA Whisky. Should do largely the same thing without turning that scotch base over to bourbon. VT does have a scotch whiskey flavor that I'll be testing later though, so it may not be your best option there.
If you did want to use this without whiskey backup, it could work for a lighter cocktail application like a (weaker tasting) whiskey and coke.
This wouldn't really be my choice for non-cocktail bourbon applications. Bourbon with creams, custards, and bakeries is generally more about the sweetness and body rather than any booziness. While this may end up being interesting with tobaccos, it's not going to really blend so much as add booze.
Second Opinions: Still pretty minimal.