Horse Soldier Premium Straight Bourbon

Tastes like freedom

Sweet, spicy

I ended up with a bottle of Horse Soldier straight bourbon because a dear friend wanted a bottle of Blanton's for a family event. I had a couple in the liquor closet, so I offered one in trade for "any bourbon that has a maximum price of $60" because that's what I'd paid. I've got a pretty adventurous palate (finally got the spelling of this right), so what I got in return was less important than having fun tasting something new. Horse Soldier has a pretty interesting story, is distilled in Columbus OH and is bottled in Florida. As an Ohioan turned Floridian, it seemed right. I drink the whiskey and not the hype or the story, so here we go. Tasted neat from a glencairn and given a solid 10 minutes rest. This is the last pour from the bottle. The color is a bright tannin tea with orange highlights. A swirl shows thin sheeting and fast legs. The nose is carmelized sugar, cherry cough drops, vanilla and a note of acetone. No matter how many times I come to this bottle - even after being open for more than 4 months - this has an unappetizing nose. On the palate this whiskey isn't redeemed, but it's a bit better than its first impression. Its comes out sweet with a notable oaky, barrel note. Cornflakes with light brown sugar, slight cherry, and black pepper. It starts creamy and quickly moves to thin, leaving a lingering peppery fade on the lips and in the chest. It's not bad. Which brings me to the $60 price. Thats 25% more than Wild Turkey Rare Breed and this isn't in that class of quality. It's 25% more than Knob Creek single barrel and this isn't in that class of quality. It's 40% more than Old Grand Dad 114, and it's not as good. It's thrice the price of Evan Williams bottled in Bond, and I'd rather have the three. I rate based on a 2.5 being the exact middle of the bell curve. A competent, but nothing special, whiskey should score a 2.5 and most will land between 2.0 and 3.0, as does this bottle of Horse Soldier straight bourbon whiskey. At this price it should be better. At least it came with a cool story.

America

Tastes like freedom