Henry McKenna 10 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon

Nose - Heavy caramel, vanilla and sweet corn. Taste - butter mint, corn, salt, and rye spice.

100 Proof drinks like a 130+ Stagg. I mean its a little hot ya'll. WHEW! Vanilla and dark fruit on the nose while golden, clear, and lightly viscous to the eye. The legs are decent but I wouldn't want to wake up next to them and they hint at a mouthfeel that should be a little bit thicker and satisfying than what this sipper delivers. However lets not be too critical. The taste is round and clean with a short and dry finish that is heavy on hot alcohol or black pepper, can't really say that dares you to breathe out of your nose. That finish would have my heart if I could trade the aggressive dryness for a little bit more complexity. But hey, for $25-$30 who are we kidding? There is nothing to complain about here. If I needed my training wheels off on an affordable bottled in bond whiskey I would give this out like candy. In the end, the enemy of good is great and at the end of the day this one is just a solid good... 81/100 or 3.6/5 however you want to look at it. Buy this and enjoy it. If you want another good for you, if not you wont be sorry for the experience.

Not one of my "Top Shelf" bourbons, however I had ones I did not like at this age and straight up. I can see adding something to it to mute its strong characteristics. At this price, I like to see my bourbons "standalone" on their own merits.