Tastes

Nose - Campfire roasted marshmallow but quite fruity as well. Texture - TBH, kinda a let down after just experiencing the very similar OF 117 Series XXO. But it’s solid in its own right, full bodied and slightly oily. Flavors - Sweet, spicy and bright with more fruity notes. Cherry, blackberry, even some raspberry. It definitely has that Double Oak signature Werther’s Original caramel and butterscotch sweetness, and lots of woody, oaky goodness. I think I’m just surprised at how many fruit notes are able to shine through. Finish - All of those flavor notes continue all the way through to the end, but it is pleasantly and noticeably spicier than standard Double Oaked.

There’s quite a lot going on here with it being a four grain mash bill. Unfortunately, it’s hard to pull out what all that is because of the unpleasant and dominating funk that starts at the nose and continues all the way through the finish.

Simple and smooth and very enjoyable.

I was lucky enough to be at Old Forester for a tour on the day this was released. Not only was I able to purchase a few of these bottles, but the tour ended with a tasting of it alongside the regular 1910, the 1920, and the Signature 100. So this 117 XXO is the standard 1910, but aged in the second heavy-charred barrel for a full 24 months, rather than 9 months. Boy do those extra 15 months make a difference! The nose is beautiful. You can tell it’s gonna be a sweet “desert-y” drink, but not the kind of sweet that gives you a headache. Toffee/butterscotch hits first, followed by mellow and pleasing oak. Absolutely incredible mouthfeel! Lucious. Viscous. Buttery. Yummy. And the taste? Crème brûlée all day…with some dark cherry and molasses in there as well. It finishes so incredibly smooth, with zero burn and a nice little hint of OF’s signature bananas foster. This is quite an enjoyable expression. If you’re a fan of 1910, this is that, but matured and evolved.

One of the most solid ‘entry level’ bourbons out there.

Leather, orange zest, crème brûlée, oak. Great viscous mouthfeel, smooth finish. Sure wish this wasn’t impossible to find anymore.

Pretty sure this is just barrel-aged Windex.

Aromas of dusty, earthy oak, (almost as if it’s been sitting in a barrel for 15 years) along with honey and caramel, and a faint hint of grape cola. Cinnamon and baking spice hit the front of the tongue first, then give way to a rich sweet creaminess. More dry oak tannins towards the back of the mouth. Finishes with apple pie and vanilla ice cream, it’s as smooth as it is enjoyable. People want to knock it for having such a low proof for such a high age, but I think maybe we should just trust them in this one.

Overall takeaway from my first taste of the Van Winkle line up: Solid. Smooth. Satisfying. Like others have pointed out, the cinnamon hits first, both on the nose and on the palate. Not overpowering or overly spicy, but noticeably present. Next, what some have attributed as an ‘earthiness’, I translate as a note of tobacco, as in the kind of pipe tobacco I occasionally smoked back on college when I thought I was cool. (I wasn’t.) Only towards the end did I pick up on a nice cherry note, which helped to balance out the oakyness nicely. The finish is sweet and reminds you of it’s wheated mash bill, as it goes down effortlessly smooth. Is it some kind of magical elixir, deserving of its ludicrous scarcity and secondary price tag? Heavens no. But is it an incredibly solid, smooth, and satisfying example of what bourbon whiskey is suppose to be? You bet your ass it is.