Ezra Brooks 90 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Had a hard time enjoying this one neat. A little harsh and just straight sandalwood both in the nose and on the tongue. It took an ice cube to be able to find the underlying classic bourbon flavors (they are there!). At $14 it is what it is, better than most anything else at this price range.

Lately it seems I haven't wanted to do much contemplating or pondering of my whiskies, but rather to drink a cheap bourbon at about a 4:5 whiskey to Coke ratio. Well with all of the time off amid Covid-19 mania I've gotten just that opportunity. I picked up a 1.75L bottle of this Kentucky straight bourbon for a paltry $30. It's bottled at 45%ABV, chill filtered and a natural color of orange copper. Add in a 2 L of Coke and some ice and it's off to the races. Towards the end of the bottle I figured I better take a couple nights to give it the old glencairn treatment and see what's what. The nose begins with some dusty peanut shells, corn, rye and mint. There's lots of cinnamon, but more like cinnamon red hot candies, and butterscotch. Orange peel, a little brown sugar and vanilla. Charred oak and a bit of burnt marshmallows. A very faint banana pudding, almonds, cherries and peanut brittle. A fairly typical bourbon profile, but not really that of a quality one. The palate starts off as cinnamon, again more like the sugary red hots or even that of Fireball rather than the actual spice. Corn must and apples. Not like fresh apples, but more like apples that your kids have left out for a few hours and they're all brown and oxidized now. Charred oak, a touch spicy and dusty. At times there is an unpleasant acetone note, but thankfully this is not very often or long lasting. An artificial banana flavor, maraschino cherries and vanilla. A medium-light bodied mouthfeel that is on the thin side and mouthwatering. The finish is medium long with more of those dry apples, oak and vanilla. This is a very simple, young, and slightly rough bourbon, but that's kind of to be expected with a budget bourbon. Having said that, I would absolutely take the Evan Williams Black Label over this one in the budget bourbon category. It works fairly well when paired with Coke, but again, the EW does that even better, despite the lower ABV. The whiskey is worth a 2.5, maybe even a little lower, but the value will bump it to 2.75. Cheers

How did I not review this already? I will join the chorus, this is absolutely one of the best buys in bourbon. Bottom shelf pricing, but flavor approaching the top tier. It is everything a dependable bourbon should be: the corn sweetness balanced with the rye , some barrel char, a hint of old leather and a little brown sugar. At 90 proof it holds up well in cocktails, and is smooth enough to sip neat. No, not as complex as the true top tier bourbons; but, at 25% of the price, what reasonable person could argue.

Light. Solid flavor. Easy to drink. Slight bite.