Tastes

Cocoa and strawberry, oaky restrained lumberjack dessert bourbon.

Wood shavings, straw, cinnamon, rawpberry, chocolate.

Dried fruit, cocoa.

Fruity, mildly smoky, vanilla.

Bought this as a date vacation splurge. Bright nose with honey, vanilla, oak sawdust, nuts, cherry, peach—and naturally, corn and rye. Age shows up on the tongue as a soft, complex sip. The notes from the nose appear with cherry and apple playing a big role. Pecan and mild baking spices. Plenty going on, and i think there are more flavors to tease out. But if I didn’t know better i’d think it was a fruity bourbon. Cherry pie finish could be a bit longer. But very good. Does it justify the price point…which for me unfortunately was $10 over MSRP? As a pragmatist who can buy better whiskies for less, I’d be forced to say no. I want higher proof and more pronounced flavors for over $100. Whiskey adventurers with cash to burn may think differently.

Dusty nose with leather, oak and something herbal, vaguely like cilantro. Palate adds apricot and vanilla to the herbal backdrop of…coriander, the seeds of cilantro? The herbal note really takes over and tastes medicinal in a Mexican way. Medium finish with some peppery notes. A unique, unexpected sip. Good, if you like herbal whiskies. I’m left on the fence. This would be good with street tacos though. Naw, if I’m honest I’m a bit let down. I’ve had two other World Whiskey bottles and they were both great. After writing this, i found the 2025 Breaking Bourbon review with the steer head instead of the deputy star and concluded i’m drinking an entirely different batch than what they got back in March, which tasted completely different. What are these World Whiskey folks up to? And where did that original $40 price point go?