Hillrock Solera Aged Bourbon

This is a great gift bourbon. It's delicious and super smooth. It's not a daily drinker, but with the unique taste It's a treat. The bottle looks and feels cool too. Again, a great gift.

Tasted at room temperature / Denver & Liely Whisky glass / no water or ice added. 92.6 proof. Note: this bottle has been in my collection and open for a long time. Likely 2 years or more. I'm sure this will affect the tasting to some degree. The nose has pear, cherry, and vanilla, and a little alcohol to it. Quite pleasant overall. Worth nosing a few times to get the full experience. The aromas definitely triggered my taste buds. Funny side note, when I first nosed this and tried to identify the first word that came to mind, it was "bourbon." As in - the bourbon characteristics you get from a bourbon infused maple syrup, or bourbon ice cream, bourbon coffee, etc. It's what bourbon smells like when it is the flavoring ingredient in something else. On the palate, this shows a little more "young whiskey" than I was expecting based on the nose. Orange, cinnamon, vanilla and a little hint of a ginger-like bite... Maybe it's the rye influencing this? It's interesting that this is very subtle on the palate without being boring. In fact, it's somewhat complex. The only other whiskey I remember coming across as this subtle yet still clearly layered and complex was Elmer T. Lee. These don't taste alike, but the layering is similar. For all this, I can't say I'm in love with the flavor. It's good. It's interesting. It's not great. Young is forward. The finish is pleasant and floral. It lasts. Getting a little vanilla, orange or orange zest in the finish that I wasn't really expecting.

Single barrel aged in cognac barrels

Smells very oaky & spicy. Smoooth and clean taste that carries nicely in the finish.