drlewis
Reviewed
January 8, 2020 (edited February 12, 2020)
Caramel and vanilla and sweet grain on the nose. Thick viscous mouthfeel, rich, with sweet grain and fruit (maybe banana bread, but emphasis on the bread/grain part), and a little oak in the mouth. Sweet turns to spicy grassy rye finish, dry and warm, but not too hot. Will open up with a little ice or cold water. Not overly complex, oaky or smoky, but that's not a bad thing.
I like barrel proof whiskeys, and this is a good one. Jim Murray's Whisky Bible named this the 2020 World Whisky (meaning all categories) of the Year. An over-shoot? Maybe, but worth arguing. Distiller's lead taster probably underscored this, yet Distiller readers seem to agree. As I've sipped this over several days it's grown on me and I'd put it in the top tier of full proof bourbons I've had in the last year. This is an elegant drink.