Belle Meade Sour Mash Straight Bourbon

After letting it breathe, it became even better.

Thanks to @GeologyJack for giving a generous pour , I actually was able to do a bit of an experiment with this as well as having it the standard way. I had half of it with a few drops of water. Aroma is pretty good...circus caramel corn. Taste is a bit oaky, which I translated to a pretty decent age (maybe 5-9?). But has again that caramel corn sweetness. It’s a great bourbon to share with friends and family—-just don’t go expecting a hard punch of power like Elijah Craig BP, or complexity like a Four Roses LESB. It’s fairly one dimensional but it does it well. Now the fun part. I was making saffron cheesecake today, and I took some of the base for an experiment with the second half of the pour. I made a bit of saffron liquer ( honey, vanilla, cinnamon, saffron, peppercorn in water ) and mixed it as 3 / 1 ratio bourbon / saffron. Wow. Talk about complexity! I got a layer of sweetness from the saffron on top of the bourbon’s inherent sweetness, but a different type from the saffron. The saffron added almost an herbal sweetness, as opposed to the sugary sweetness from the corn base in bourbon. And this was then tempered by the cinnamon and peppercorn heat. I need to replicate that small batch 1 ounce experiment to a larger batch when friends are over.

Found this about 5 years ago while in Nashville. I love it! Interesting story if you take the time to look it up. Very easy drinking and also good if you infuse it with peach per their website. Great neat or on the rocks! When in Nashville be sure to take the distillery tour and learn more of the history.

Aroma: Very fruity (kiwi, lychee, apple) Placement: lips, tip, sides Body: Good body Tasting notes: black pepper, cherry, basil, wood, fruit Finish: Sour