Baker's Single Barrel Bourbon 13 Year

Nose is full of brown sugar, pine, barrel char, molasses, vanilla bean, custard, oak, clove, stone fruit, and leather. Very complex. Ethanol nearly nonexistent. Palate differs from the nose in the sense that much more traditional vanilla/caramel/cinnamon notes are prevalent, which is in no way a bad thing. Also more barrel char, almond butter, black cherry, peanut, and clove. Long smooth finish is where things really become elevated with a slow morph into creme brûlée, soft, sweet oak, charcoal, black pepper, tobacco, mint, and a delightful hint of raspberry. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with just a hint of graininess. My tongue wanted full bodied and silky; I guess you can’t have everything. Overall a delightful whiskey with no major flaws, and a nice example of “highly aged” bourbon. I paid $149.99 which isn’t crazy over retail but yet still pretty pricy. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Would I run out and buy it again for that price? Almost certainly not. Hard to rate since 4.0 = rebuy status for me but I can’t say that this is a sub 4.0 whiskey. I’m going to not factor in price on this rating. 4.25

I have tried the 2024 release from two different barrels. One barrel was at a restaurant and I would give it a 4.5. I then bought a bottle at the liquor store and I would give that one a 4.1 or 4.25. My bottle was not quite as rich and decadent. Both bottles had a “just right“ amount of Oak. My bottle is a bit drier than the restaurant pour. Neither bottle had the typical Beam peanut character that can sometimes be too much. For me that is a big positive. Overall, this is a wonderful sipping bourbon with no negative characteristics. *** Highly recommend ***

Smooth as silk, does not feel 107 proof. Dangerous. A fantastic drink