2XO Oak Series French Oak

Color: Medium golden amber Nose: Sweet nose of maple? Molasses? Leather, apples, the faintest of alcohol whiffs. Palate (drank neat): The sweetness of the nose carries over to the palate on the very first sip, with a syrupy mouth feel. Very mild chest hug. There's a lot going on with this stuff. Spice, cooling mint, a bit of smoke, and something akin to "grape" hits on the back of the tongue. Yes — grape! Was not expecting that. Huh! I'd have thought this was one of those "Sherry" or "Port" cask expressions. The added element of the double oak is also very prevalent. Finish: Fairly long grainy, min slightly smokey, somewhat buttery, graham crackery finish. This was one of four bottles that I bought today with some gift cards I received for Christmas. The other three were bottles that I've had in my sights for a while. But this 2XO was a "game day decision' — with a little help from the reviewers here, of course. Color me impressed! 4.0 stars. But I could easily see this getting a bump in the future.

Nose: bitter oak nose, nutty Palette: up front similar to a castle and key, grainy, buttery, tannins buy watered down

Rich oak vanilla cinnamon nose with caramel and rye with notes of leather and oil, a rich vanilla and caramel body, oak and leather with maple syrup and soft cookies, a velvety silky smooth mouthfeel w/ a gentle spice, a smooth finish of vanilla, oak, & caramel, with sweet smooth nougat. Tasted neat.