Tastes

Nose: Roasted peanuts, Bit -O-honey candy , a hint of tobacco, oak, corn... Palate: peanut brittle, burnt sugar (like on top of a creme brûlée) not a bad experience, very oily mouth feel. Leaves the top of the tongue a little numb. Definitely get the proof coming through. Finish: Medium finish. Lingers for a few seconds, but the flavor finishes well before the burn on the back of the throat. Overall: It is a good pour... it gets boring though after the first pour. I look for different complexities, but keep getting the same flavor forward profile with no nuances. I expect more from a $100 bottle. I am not unhappy that I bought it, but I wouldn’t buy another for under $50. I have several <$50 bottles I have tried this year that bring more to the table.

Nose: Someone crafted a cherry and apple pie combination... and I am not even mad about it. Definitely an oak presence, some vanilla, Carmel, almond, hardly any astringency at all. Palate: more red fruits come through, coats the mouth very well, oak is forward. You can tell this has been in a barrel a long time. A slightly oily consistency, with an almost heavy cream like feel. Finish: beautiful for a bottled in bond. A true Kentucky hug. That lasts and lasts. I am new to bourbon and I admit that my palate is young and I need some experience of tasting other fine bourbons that are hard to find, but to this day this is hands down the best bourbon I have ever had. I would give this a 5 out of 5, but my hope is that there is something out there that can edge it out.

Nose: fresh baked yeast rolls with honey butter drizzled over them, cherries, leather, thick scent of oak, baking spices that are reminiscent of thanksgiving. If you go in close and take a deep breath you get quite a heavy ethanol burn on the nose. So much so I would say this is more than a 101 proof bourbon. Palate: bitter unsweetened chocolate hits me right away, the kind used in cooking purposes only. Reminds me of when I was a kid and I begged my mother for some unsweetened chocolate that she was using for baking... boy was that a shocker!! Oily and coats the mouth nicely, now getting cherries, black pepper, leather, tobacco, and a slight sweetness from honey. Very complex palate! Finish: long and complex... Wow!!! This really sticks with you. A lot of the same flavors keep circling back and punching me right in the back of the throat. One of the best finishes I have ever experienced with bourbon. Definitely drinks hotter than 101 proof. I would say this was more if not as much as some barrel proof bourbons. P.S. I waited to grade this until after I wrote the review. If I were to grade it initially after my first taste it would have been much lower, but now after letting it settle it is clearly one of my favorite offerings of 2020 after finishing my first dram, and this is a neck pour! Don’t sleep on this one. Give it a few minutes and take a couple of visits to capture all of the notes. Amazing bourbon! I will buy another if I can find it.

Nose: slight banana, oak, brown sugar, rye spice, cinnamon, clove, cardamom. A slight astringency in the nose. Palate: banana pudding, very ripe bananas with a little pungent smell to them, oak and rye spice, followed by baking spices. Mouth feel is nice... a little thin and a little oily. Not much ethanol burn as expected at this proof. Finish: lingered longer than I expected. A nice finish of oak and rye spice. I would consider buying another bottle, but it isn’t high on my radar at the cost.

Nose: pears, green apples, a little cherry, vanilla, baking spices. Very fruit forward! Palate: cherry, sour green apple, dark fruits, hint of vanilla and brown sugar, and then the baking spices finish. Not too complex on the palate. Quite boring really... Finish: Quick finish on this one leaves me confused on what to expect. But keep going back to see if it changes... same result though. Not a huge fan of this one and probably wouldn’t buy it again.

Nose: I had the neck pour a day earlier and it seemed to provide quite a bit of ethanol burn. Today I don’t get any of that. Subtle nose dark fruits, medjol dates, buttered pancakes and maple syrup. Palate: a medium body, not thick but not thin either. Coats the mouth well. More dark dried fruits, apricots and dates, oily nuts, walnuts, maple syrup, cream cheese frosting. Finish: Not a true Kentucky hug, but hey they claim it’s from California, and they are not big on hugging there. Finishes nice though a very well rounded bourbon. I will buy another as a backup.