Tastes

Second taste edit: it’s not as drinkable as i once thought. Not gonna bother having this again. Extremely malty and musty, and warming on the nose. Hints of mushy apple, too, which I could go without. The palate is simple. Butterscotch candy. It packs a lot of it too. The finish leaves a malty candy note (not malt balls, there’s no chocolate) for a little bit. I like it. I’d be interested in comparing it to Ballentine’s to be a potential budget blend of choice.

I split this with friends. $4 a piece. And I’m pissed about it. I could have spent that $4 on a Chick-Fil-a sandwich. Or a nice tube of toothpaste to wash this flavor out of my mouth. The nose is reminiscent of Hot Tamales, but then the peppers make their appearance. And everything goes to hell. The whiskey brings sweetness and the Tabasco brings spiciness, and that’s a big mistake. I can’t say that I’d rather jam a toothbrush up my urethra bristle-end-first, but it’s a close call. Like, I keep asking myself how 2020 could get worse than it’s been. And then this. Whoever lost a bet and had to produce this atrocity belongs in a padded cell, at least 180 miles from anyone who may get any funny ideas about perpetuating such a blight. The technical term for what this spirit did to me is “borked in the ding ding.”

I could hang out in the nose of this for a good while. Barley, copper and oak spice on the nose. This is what the Texas single malt should have been in the first place. It’s rich in toasted barley and heavy on oak. IMO too heavy in oak, but I can appreciate how much flavor it packs. The finish lasts a good while, featuring brown sugar.

This reminds me of Oban with freshness and citrus on the nose, especially orange peel. I picked out barley right away, and lo and behold, 10% barley in this bourbon. I think that’s high, but I’m not a bourbon expert. The finish is moderately long too. It’s got a small thread of anise, but it complements the citrus rather than detracts.

Second taste: The nose gives me alcohol and cherries. Dark, with the pits. Some nutty barrel spice in there as well. The palate begins with a beautiful display of fresh berries and then vanilla cream glides into earthy chocolate and oak. The midpalate also has some subtle smoke and coffee notes. The finish is fruity, long, and delicious. The final sip of the pour brought me back to the breakfast notes of the original Harbinger. This bourbon is all killer, no filler. First taste: On the nose, it’s noticeably more bright and fruity than the standard Harbinger barrel proof. Mixed berries greet me right away, underpinned by a bed of vanilla and caramel. Doesn’t smell too hot, not too much oak on the nose. On the palate, I get a good bit of heat up front, but as it dissipates, I’m met with more fresh berries, some floral character and a bready grainy finish. The mouthfeel is not quite as thick as other high proof Ironroot products, which is fine. The finish lingers for a mile. It feels like I mixed the mixed berry V8 V-fusion (the 100% juice kind, not that V8 Splash crap) with a sweet bourbon and a dash of toffee, and that’s what hangs out in my mouth for a while. Said plainly, it’s just dandy. I like it just as much, if not slightly more, than the original barrel proof.

This bourbon is rich, creamy, and it reminds me of Saturday morning. I get heavy cereal influence throughout the taste, starting with buttered pancake drizzled with maple syrup on the nose. The caramel underbelly characteristic of many bourbons is present here, but the rich mouthfeel makes it unique, and the high proof brings it to another level. The finish has a bit of hard candy and residual heat and lasts a good while.

The nose brings wood, chocolate and lavender. The palate is rich wheat, chocolate, clove and cola. Leather and tobacco come by as well.

Good smooth peated malt. Fruity and malty, not a whole lot of brine or oak. It’s bright and sweet, but still plenty peaty. It doesn’t have the campfire smoke that a Laphroaig has, and I appreciate that. Yummy.

Rich caramel and oak on the nose. Can’t see much of the port on the nose but on the palate, the wine influence is there. It’s got a slight jammy fruitiness that rounds out some of the harsher notes. Some nice cinnamon spice in the midpalate and...it’s tannic if you can believe that. The corn mustiness and sawdust is more subdued in this guy, yielding to the port. It’s sweet, spicy, thick and rich. I like it a good bit more than the small batch and single barrel, but not near as much as Balmorhea or the BPs I’ve had, so 4.25 is fair. Great with a few minutes of undisturbed oxidation before sipping.

Now this is something. It’s hot, but it’s so rich in flavor and complexity, it bursts straight through the ABV. Cherry, wood, cinnamon, leather, corn. Thick mouthfeel, rich flavor. Fantastic. One of the best high proof bourbons I’ve had.