Buck 8 Year

Coconut macaroon, creme de menthe, vanilla, cherry cobbler and peanut shells on the nose. The palate hits spicy, hot and tight with earthy mint, anise and leather, then slightly tangy fruit notes until ultimately settling into toasty notes of firewood, cocoa, and espresso bean. The finish is long and brings off-sweet notes of dark chocolate sea salt caramel. Really lightens up with an ice cube and tames the heat and sweet.

Brown Dog Cafe (Cincinnati 2016)

One the nose; notes typical of a young bourbon, despite being an 8 year, and most forward with caramel and hints of maple syrup. On the palette; spiciness that hits the tip of the tongue and slowly evolves around the sides and to the back of the throat. Some subtle tannins coming in, quickly overshadowed by a vanilla finish. Overall, tastes very young and a little sharp for a 90 proof, 8 year, bourbon. Easy to drink, however, the shelf price seems to be representative of the age and bottle branding but seems a tad high compared to the actual quality.