Ameireaganach Huddled Mashes No. 1

Young bourbon with some teeth, but very tasty. Heavy but nice notes of coconut and lighter but equally pleasant notes of vanilla and maybe a hint of leather on the back of the pallet. Glad I bought this on a whim.

I received a bottle of this as part of a whiskey exchange with folks from around the US. I was matched up with someone in Georgia, and this lovely bottle showed up....and I do say lovely intentionally, as this is an enjoyable dram with a lot of promise. The bad news first - this is pretty young. There's that jagged-edged mouthfeel and a certain lack of integration; a few more years to age would likely do wonders, but as it is, we get something young, brash, and a bit unbalanced. But, the good news is that what's here is pretty tasty. The kinds of flavors I would expect from an American single malt aged in new oak are all here - chocolate, HUGE coconut (quite creamy), vanilla, juicy dark fruit, spices. It's hard not to enjoy the combination. The mouthfeel, while about rough around the edges, is pleasantly full and lightly oily without being heavy. All in all, it's a fine whiskey that just needs a bit more time to grow into its potential...but once it does, it could well end up in the same camp as Stranahan's and Westland.