Calumet Farm 15 Year Single Rack Black Bourbon

Neat. Neck pour. I keep telling myself to stop buying these old Barton’s but then they get good hype and I buy them anyway. I love the proof point on this year’s release but I also thought the 14 was a few steps below Sam Houston. So this feels like a risk. This nose is very balanced. The oak isn’t overwhelming. There is this lovely layer of oak, leather and tobacco. Depth of flavor behind those. Toasted almonds. Sea salt caramel. Cinnamon and clove. Red fruits - raspberry. Powdered sugar and fried dough. It’s very nice and dessert leaning. Mouth feel is creamy, definitely benefitting from this higher proof point. It’s initially lighter than you would expect. Lots of spiced vanilla. Mid palate brings a wide range of flavors, mirroring the nose. Oak, leather, tobacco come in waves. Red fruits really coming through, still going raspberries and not cherry. There is a red velvet cake with a nice buttercream. Those flavors consistently play through to the finish and hang for a medium length. This is a crushable bottle. It’s got depth but it’s also an easy sipper. I just did a quick side by side. This Calumet 15 is better than the Sam Houston I have. That oak, leather, tobacco on the Calumet with the higher proof just elevate it easily. Not blown away by it, it won’t be a top pour of 2021 but it’s a superior blend of the old Barton going around.