Coopers' Craft Barrel Reserve 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Really nice taste with just enough bite to it.

CC Barrel Reserve *NOSE: Pours into the Glencairn a great dark copper color. Lots of Black Pepper Spice initially, but it fades with time to reveal Barrel Wood, Light Florals, Citrus, Burnt Brown Sugar, Vanilla, and Graham Cracker Crust. *NEAT: Very reminiscent of a Value Priced OF1910 or Woodford DO. Thick & Clingy mouthfeel. Big hit of Sweet Vanilla with Lots of Oak. Dark Chocolate, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon Oil, all backed by a Black Pepper Tingle. Just a hint of a Bitter Medicinal Note. Despite the 100proof, not much Heat on the finish with a nice Sweet Oak coating the palate, though the more it layers a slight bitterness creeps in. *SPLASH: At first, a couple drops of water had me concerned. It didn't affect the nose much, but the palate became Very Bitter on first taste. Luckily, this didn't last. The deeper sweetness was eventually replaced with lighter Melted Honey Butter. The mouthfeel gets even clingier. *VERDICT: After finishing my initial pour and nosing an empty glass that smells delightfully of unlit cigar and cinnamon, I was vacillating between a score of 3.75 and 4. Am I over rating it because I was so surprised by how much I liked it over the standard CC? It was surprisingly good, especially at the sale price of $29. The scoring of the barrel staves really has a positive effect. It was sweet and peppery and had a great clingy mouthfeel. An Oaky aftertaste that lasted long after I was done with it. It does get dinged just a tad by its adverse reaction to water (I didn't care for it on ice at all as it became bitter, bitter, bitter), but Neat it's as good as any BF product I've had. 4 Stars it is.