Broken Barrel Rare Americana

Friday night, tasting night. Pulled this out of the from the samples that aspire to get through. Broken Barrel is one that I am familiar with, until tonight. N: An immediate nose of musky, leather-bound, antiqued library books. As it opens, white grapes, corn meal, mixed with a generous amounts of vanilla bean extract. Time is rewarded to the nose. The aromas become richer and sweeter with the addition of root beer and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. P: The high proof anesthetizes the tongue. Dark caramel, butterscotch, white pepper are primarily the flavors. Leather and oak are in support of the primaries. W: With a healthy dose of water sweetens the pour pulling forward more butterscotch and focuses the peppery spiciness. F: An oaken, drying, spicy, finish with wisps of vanilla and cream. O: Admittedly until this pour I haven’t heard of this whiskey. The nose is quite inviting, rich and lures you into wanting to taste. The palate embodies the nose and expands it a bit further. A touch of water only improves the whiskey. Quite enjoyable. Thank you @soonershrink for the sample. [86/100][Tasted: 4/26/14]

This one appreciates some air to open up. Take a whiff and note the sauternes on the nose immediately, along with some heat from the high proof. Come back in 15 and find a hefty dose of caramel corn. The sweet wine seems to recede to the background. The palate brings an immediate dose of spice and charred oak. Honestly, too much. A little too rough with the spice, oak, and high proof. Let's see what happens with some water. Everything is toned down a little. The caramel corn from the nose has come back, and now I'm getting the sauternes again. I'm not sure how well it works though. The main thing it seems to add is more sourness, and it seems out of place. Overall, it's not bad, especially at the sale price of $35, but I'd not feel great about this at the regular price of $70. The nose is my favorite part, but it seems to go a little downhill from there. Update: this has been a slow but steady riser. Each new dram impresses me a little more. The nose is definitely the star of the show - it leaps out of the glass. The finish goes on and on, and the bittersweet spice and sour is different, but growing on me. Update 2: now nearing bottle kill, this is becoming less appealing. It's hot and unbalanced. There continues to be an interesting mix of flavors, but I'm seeing that it's not one that calls out to me very often. Dropping score. Curious how opinion of a bottle can change over the course of consuming.