Rating: 19/23
N: Sweet, but restrained. Kind of musty, but not overwhelming. A bit of caramel, a bit of fruit (big on the orange, with maybe a dash of cherry and hint of lemon), a bit of dry spice with some minerals coming out of the must. I get a dry, slightly floral, herbal scent that makes me think rye. It's very complex, but not insanely bold. It makes me think of Corsair Grainiac in that regard, but sweeter with more emphasis on careful blending of different barrels rather than use of different grains. Between the two, this does have the bolder nose.
P: Very balanced with some nice complexity. It's initially dry with mineral notes, but then the wood with must rolls in before being overtaken by the sweet fruit and caramel with sweet spices (mainly cinnamon, with a faint hint of nutmeg) that give way to dry herbal spice as it heads toward the finish. There's a hint of smoke in the middle, but it's far from overwhelming. The wood comes across as mature but not super bold, much like in Russell's Reserve 10.
These flavors here are less lively and vibrant than those in Corsair Grainiac. This definitely tastes more mature and refined with a more traditional (albeit still fun) profile, but it doesn't have the same punchy complexity or fullness. Really digging into this, I do get all sorts of subtle flavors coming out.
In terms of its subdued presence, this reminds me a lot of a nicely oxidized bottle of Russell's Reserve 10. I like the core Wild Turkey funkiness of the Russell's Reserve, but the complexity here is certainly greater and the interesting fruity flavors (I'm betting from a cognac cask) really enhance this tremendously. This has a bit more of a Blanton's mellowness in it, but it is certainly more complex (and I would argue also more balanced).
F: The finish is pretty dry. There are hints of fruit and caramel, but it's mostly just kind of a clean rye with a hint of floral or mineral and a dash of wood. This is the part that I am the least enthusiastic about by far.
- Conclusion -
This is some really good stuff! It's one of the best bourbons out there.
It feels low proof (like 45% or less), but it isn't really that low. It's higher proof than Corsair Grainiac, but also less full and with less presence. That's a bit odd and I think hurts this bourbon, but it's still quite excellent. The richness here does in large part help to compensate for the underwhelming fullness, but that's only rich in comparison with Corsair Grainiac, which isn't saying much. Between the two, I'd take the Corsair.
On the other hand, I'd easily take this over Blanton's.
Getting a little further afield, I think that this might be a hair better than Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8.
I put the Wild Turkey at a solid 18 and sometimes 19. The Corsair is a 21 to 22. Therefore, this is going to be a 19 or 20. I'm landing on a 19 because I feel like this is closer in quality to the Wild Turkey than to the Corsair, but I can definitely imagine myself raising this up to a 20.
Thanks
@pkingmartin for the sample of this!