Hancock's President's Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon

Smoke, wood, oak

Unfortunately this bourbon is the black sheep of the BT family, and is not widely available in any way. I actually enjoy this quite a lot, and believe it’s much closer to its siblings, ETL or Blanton’s which get quite a bit of praise.

Previously, on Hancock’s. Liquor barn barrel pick. Yada yada yada. Hard to say what to make of the barrel pick concept when comparing to a generic single barrel. Because every barrel is a barrel pick, right? Whoever chose this particular barrel did a better job than Liquor Barn. And I don’t mean that as a knock on LB, because I liked that pick. But I freakin love this one. Everything that I like in the LB pick is magnified here. When I go back and forth (again, for science), the Liquor Barn barrel pick is bland. On this guy I get immense green apple on the nose. It’s awesome. Body is a quick hit of tart green apple, carrying though on the finish with an additional bit of citrus zest. Phenomenal. I will say that this one has a heavier burn on the backend, making the LB pick smoother. However, I’d trade that smoothness all day long for the flavor punch that this dram brings.

Thanks to Liquor Barn for this barrel pick. I haven’t had the standard yet, but after this pick, I look forward to it. The overall thesis statement for this bourbon is its ease to drink. Low astringency on the nose, oily mouth feel on the body, and next to no heat on the finish. It’s a very smooth bourbon. There’s a bit of caramel on the nose. This transitions into a caramel apple body, and the tart really kicks in on the finish for true, sour green apple. I’ve had sweet apple and green apple, but never in the same drink before. Very interesting, and one of my favorites.

Apple blantons

The nose is the best part. Sweet apple wafted up when I opened the bottle. Reminiscent of an apple jolly rancher. End of the nose reminds me of my favorite blend of pipe tobacco. Sweetness continues onto the palate. Finished with a little burn but didn’t last long enough. Thin mouthfeel. Favorite part was the nose.