Cream of Kentucky 13 Year

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.

I’ve never owned another bottle with such a split personality. Rich, creamy deliciousness up front, surprisingly bitter note on the back—a fatal flaw for a $140 bottle.

I'm liking this more and more every time I have it but that price tag is just not justified.

Nose: oak, cinnamon, peanut, honey, cherry, brown sugar. Taste: oak, cinnamon, peanut, cherry raisins. A bold bourbon with more spice than sweetness. I have Batch 5. It's solid but not worth nearly the price. I wouldn't pay more than $60 for another bottle.

Rating: 19/23 N: Big and bold, with lots of wood, vanilla, and smoke. It doesn't smell overly bitter though. Eventually, some spices come out in the rich cinnamon range predominantly and there's a little overlap with something faintly like coffee. There's not other complexity here, but it has this rich, old smell to it and the complexity is solid enough. The scents are at least not muddled. P: The flavor and proof hit me less than expected after that nose. It's rich with charred wood and mocha. I get a really nice sort of fruity vanilla richness in here too. It has an uncomplex but hedonistic character. There's also this sort of mature flavor that isn't quite musty coming out of the vanilla that carries a bit of a hit-or-miss bitterness that isn't quite like sucking on a spent vanilla bean. It's almost sort of organic, bordering on heavily toasted malted barley or something. It's kind of odd, but I like what it adds here. If someone wanted to label this flavor a flaw though, I wouldn't object to them making that call. F: Some bitter char lasts, blending into the remnants of the mocha. There's not much left of the spice, but I do get some vanilla richness underlying this from time to time. - Conclusion - This is really nicely hedonistic. There's surprisingly little bite here, but it tastes quite old and rich. The proof hits me more in the nose than on the tongue, probably due to the lowish spice level. It lacks the complexity of Elijah Craig B520, but this is no slouch. As for a rating, I wouldn't put this below an 18. I'm looking at an 18 to 19. This strikes me as comparable in quality to Wild Turkey Rare Breed, but older and less complex. It's a tricky comparison, but I'm low on options to side by side in this score range. I think I'll go with the 19 here, but it's borderline. This is sample B in an unlabeled set of 4. There are about 15 different bourbons and ryes that this could be. Looking through the list, the richness, smokiness and clear age lead me to think that this is likely Sam Houston 14. It could be one of the other older ones like Cream of Kentucky 13, Bomberger's Declaration (unlikely, considering how low the proof seems here), Barterhouse 20, or Rhetoric 25. This is a tough call to make because this is clearly a well-aged bourbon, and all of those are well-aged bourbons. And I haven't tried anything from any of those producers before. Elijah Craig Small Batch doesn't seem quite as proofy in comparison, but it's pretty close. I'm thinking Sam Houston is the most likely at its 49% ABV. - The Reveal - I'm just going to go ahead and state the the name "Cream of Kentucky" is deceptive here. I expect a sweet, rich, balanced, smooth bourbon with the name including the word "cream". This is a funky, off-beat thing. It's a rugged bourbon, not a refined one. Cream of Kentucky 13 was my second guess for this one, so the name didn't entirely deceive me, but I still find it to be a poor fit. Still, it's quite a nice bourbon. Thank you @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington for providing the sample.

Very good but hard to justify the price of this.