Bull Run Straight Bourbon Whiskey Barrel Strength

Hint of apples

The nose isn't at all harsh. Worryingly, it has a light bubblegum note that indicates it's young and probably terrible. Wow, it smells so much like bubblegum. Strawberry and a hint of sweet raspberry come through along with a hint of wet (but not mildewed) cardboard. It smells like a good execution of young whiskey, but executing young whiskey well doesn't make it enjoyable to drink. There's something a little bit herbal and interesting as well as a bit of artificial syrupy caramel. The palate is light except for the proof. Fortunately, the grain underlying this whiskey is fairly good and adds some nice richness so that the proof has some more robustness and complexity, obscuring the surely painfully light and disjointed flavors that lie underneath. There isn't a whole lot going on here, but it isn't awful. It's kind of interesting in a young whiskey sense and it doesn't have and disgusting flavors overwhelming it (I mean aside from being young). There's no chalk, so that's a step up over Balcones Baby Blue. For better or for worse, this is super mild. Some nice barrel spice do make it through here, but the richness of the battle doesnt. There's a lot of cinnamon and then the bit of bubblegum, a lot of vanilla, and - surprisingly - some light caramel that had a mild mix of butterscotch.the finish is more fruity than bubblegum, but it's still light fruit light that first lick of a lollipop. Water brings out more herbal elements that tmake this more complex and interesting. It still has some problematic young characteristics, but it's kind of interesting in a way that works for a young whiskey. That combined with the barrel strength save this whiskey. The cedar that comes out with the added water is refreshing and intriguing. Sort of like Corsair Quinoa, I can see myself growing to appreciate this. Still, it's a fair bit of a novelty and is far from greatness. If it were cheap, it would be interesting to have a bottle of. If I were looking for a light whiskey for some reason, I'd give this serious consideration. At less than barrel strength, I don't see myself wanting to try more of this. Yeah, that high ABV corn flavor is good. The aging needs work, but the flavors aren't actively bad and the distillery didn't try to hide the youth under a cocktail of disgusting additives. Sure, it's hidden under the ABV, but that's a natural flavor that is easy to appreciate if the grain is good. That complexity really does come through a bit. That youthful sort of alcohol presence does too, so ehh. It's not at all a mess though. This might just be a 12, damnit. I'll give it that for now, but it could drop to 11 in the future. It's not all that bad, but it's really not what I'm looking for in bourbon. Given that Joseph Magnus used some light whiskey, I'd be interested to see this in a blend. Bubblegum be damned, it can have that 12! I could even bump it to a 13 in the future, but with its youth it will never be excellent.

Great MGP sourced bourbon.