Barterhouse 20 Year Bourbon

For a 20 year old bourbon, it's surprisingly NOT an absolutely over-oaked mess. Though, to be clear, it's still quite heavy on the oak. Without looking up the source of this juice, I'm guessing it's the Buffalo Trace distillery, because it's got a bit of that cherry/apple pie flavour I associate with BT/Eagle Rare. A lot of vanilla here, some custard, sawdust, pencil shavings, cherry liqueur. Slight nuttiness, in particular an almost candied nuttiness. A bit of citrus, like a charred orange peel. Quite dry, with a touch of maple syrup. Slightly chalky aftertaste. And surprisingly hot and alcoholic tasting throughout, considering the ABV and the time it was given to mellow in barrels. On the one hand, it's a good-but-not-transcendent bourbon at a fairly high price. On the other hand, you're never going to find another 20 year old bourbon at this price-tag ($99 Canadian) or this easily available. So, ultimately a judgment call: personally, I'm not upset I made the purchase, and I'm glad to have tried a bourbon this old, but what it's ultimately revealed to me is what most distillers in the US have been saying for a long time: the current craze for hyper-aged stuff notwithstanding, bourbon *really* hits its sweet spot between about 8-and-12 years. Anything longer and you're looking at a bit of a gamble.

Sweet smooth dense on tongue. Delightful!