Cream of Kentucky 13 Year

Oak, bitter spices with ethanol, not particularly interesting

Bitter and savory- clove, cardamom, cinnamon stick, black pepper notes. Lingering burn in the finish- a little harsh for a 13 yr.

Black pepper, baking spices, forward flavors.

Unique flavors almost cream soda esque. Not a crazy barrel presence but I do like this!

Super smooth.

Aroma of tobacco, brown sugar, and vanilla. Flavor matches with the tobacco leading up front and finishing slightly sweet and very smooth. Body is a little thin. @aboutbeverages

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s kick this blind challenge off with the vial that has 4 dots on it. Perhaps the four dots are a reference towards a brand with a four in it like Four Roses or Four Gate, or it could just be some random code that was made up, but let’s crack this sample open and find out. The nose is rich and decadent that starts with freshly baked cornbread muffins that have honey drizzled on top then fruits of baked cinnamon apples and freshly picked black cherries followed by orange blossoms before a light Mexican spiced mocha that fades to badass high-end leather motorcycle jackets and old polished mahogany with light ethanol burn. The taste is medium mouthfeel that starts with freshly baked cornbread muffins then fruits of baked cinnamon apples and freshly picked black cherries before a medium bitterness mid palate overpowers before fading to cloves and light oak with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with Mexican spiced mocha, Granny Smith apple, orange zest, black cherries, cloves, leather and polished mahogany. This is definitely an older bourbon that has an incredibly rich nose with big and well-polished traditional bourbon flavors that has a lighter mouthfeel than I expected off the nose, but not thin either that starts with well-polished traditional bourbon flavors then veers toward a strange bitter flavor mid-palate that I can’t seem to place before fading to a very enjoyable finish back to those traditional bourbon flavors with Mexican chocolate spiced mocha. Overall this is a tasty bourbon that has a mild bitterness that throws the balance off for me causing me to lower my score, but I’d happily drink this anytime. So, is this a Four Roses or Four Gate? Drum roll please…. Nope! The slip clearly states that this bourbon is none other than Cream of Kentucky 13 year.