Tastes

Mahogany color. The nose feels rich and viscous, with notes of butterscotch, fried plantains, allspice, lemon zest, chocolate covered orange peel and vanilla bean. The mouthfeel is warm and velvety. The palate is a continuation of the nose, with more butterscotch, chocolate covered orange peel, and allspice, along with burnt sugar, hazelnuts and oak tannins on the back end. The finish is fairly short and initially dominated by the burnt sugar and tannic oak, then transitioning to orange zest and ripe bananas.

Deep copper color. The nose has an array of tropical fruits with mango, papaya, pineapple, roasted plantains, along with banana taffy, pine needles, vanilla bean and salted caramel. The mouthfeel is heavy and hot. The palate is a continuation of the tropical fruit on the nose, along with a significant amount of toasted oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, cocoa powder, white pepper and sea salt, with faint notes of charcoal, turpentine and gasoline. The finish is long and hot, more tropical fruits and baking spices, promenant lingering notes of over-ripe bananas, cinnamon, vanilla bean, toasted oak, with notes of sea salt and gasoline that rise to the forefront as the other notes fade. Compared to the 8yr overproof, the proof is lower but this feels hotter. The tasting notes are similar, but this excites the palate a bit more. I'm getting somehow even more depth and complexity on this than the 8yr overproof or the Habitation Velier 10yr. I would definitely choose this Great House over the more expensive HV pick. Is it worth roughly 30% more $ than the standard 8yr overproof? Well, I know where I can get one more bottle of this, and I'm trying to come up with an excuse to tell my wife for making the trip.

Rich amber color. The nose has ripe bananas, vanilla bean, allspice, mango, pineapple, dried durian fruit, clarified butter, and a hint of cigar ash. Velvety mouthfeel. The palate has Bananas Foster (seared bananas, vanilla ice cream, caramel), mango, papaya, muscadine grapes, toasted cinnamon stick, toasted oak, white pepper, hints of black tea, grated ginger and menthol, with faint gasoline. The finish is long and hot, mildly drying with lingering tropical fruit and muscadine grapes, burnt sugar and toasted oak, a hint of coffee grounds, with subtle gasoline that grows in prominence as the other notes slowly fade. This is excellent, but beyond being mildly sweeter and having more oak influence it doesn't distinguish itself from the standard 8-year old overproof that's roughly half the price.

Gordon's Private Barrel 13 years old 50% John Dore 1 & 50% Vendome Ex-Bourbon 56.3% ABV Ruddy copper color. The nose is like a musty bourbon with lots of vanilla, caramel creams candy, ginger bread, cinnamon raisin oatmeal, and an old wooden wardrobe laden with mothballs. Heavy, syrupy mouthfeel. The palate has more vanilla bean and caramel candy up front, followed by a green grassy note, and ending with mild notes of medicinal honey, mothballs and gasoline. The finish is medium-long and dry with lots of oak and hints of vanilla extract, allspice, medicinal honey and gasoline. An ice cube really opens it up and softens some of the harsher notes, making it very enjoyable.

Sipping neat, on the nose I get banana taffy, ripe mango and papaya, cardamom-infused sugar syrup, coconut flesh and faint cantaloupe. On the palate, the tropical fruit melange is in the forefront, with hints of orange zest, sea salt and white pepper, and a faint mingling of an herbal/grassy note with gasoline. The finish is long and dry, with over-ripe bananas and tropical fruits somewhat masking the grassy gasoline note. This may not be a nightly sipper but I find it easy to drink neat and look forward to trying it in some cocktails.