Baker's Single Barrel High Rye Bourbon 7 Year

The mouthfeel is more on the lighter side. Some really nice muted sweetness on the palate and full of flavor and baking spices. Nice finish for a 107 proof.

Carmel, spice, smooth

Nose offers spruce, apple, light vanilla, cedar, allspice, and a hit of creme brûlée. Very traditional. Ethanol basically non-existent. Palate is full of barrel char and oak tannins. Additional notes of rye spice, black peppercorn, flan, peanut, cinnamon candy and mint. Hardly any mid-palate to speak of; literally races to the finish. For 7+ year age, there’s a heat here that I wouldn’t expect given the proof. Everything is a little disjointed. “Minty oak” is the predominant flavor which I don’t really dig. Long finish brings more barrel char, oak, cinnamon, mint, with a hint of ginger. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, but has a grainy sharpness that hits the sides of the tongue in a manner similar to hot sauce. Oof. I thought I would like this more than I did, but ultimately disappointing especially for an LE and given that I usually enjoy Bakers. At $74.99, this is a huge “nope” for me. Not terrible but pretty far from great.

4.0