I.W. Harper 15 Year Bourbon

IWH15 NOSE: Rich and Varied. Tobacco, Leather, Glazed Donut, Oak, Streusel, and Grape Jelly. NEAT: Oak Dominated, but Little to No Bitter Tannins. Old Slightly Musty Oak, Leather, Cocoa Powder, Light Tingly Pepper Spice, Mint, Sawdust, and Straw. Smooth Drying Finish with little to no burn. Oak and Faint Cinnamon linger and coat the palate. SPLASH: Brown Sugar now dominates the nose. The Grape Jelly note from the nose moves to the palate and Fruit notes begin to mesh with the oakiness. VERDICT: This is "Library Bourbon". Designed to be sipped in an old leather chair, surrounded by antique wooden bookshelves filled with old first edition hardbacks. Perfectly Balanced. No bitterness and just the right amount of funk and good Tannins. Seems simple (but tasty) on the first pour, but subsequent samples reveal sweeter/fruitier notes underneath. I could nitpick about the lower proof, but I'm not sure that the lower proof doesn't help reduce the flaws I find in some super aged bourbons. I wish I would've taken a chance on this sooner.

The nose starts with a mix of light florals, powdered sugar dusted caramel with a milk cream center and dusty oak then milk chocolate peanut clusters followed by orange blossom, red grapes and Apple Jacks cereal that transitions to fresh spearmint leaf, leather and black tea leaves with light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin mouthfeel starting with a mix of light florals, peanut brittle and dusty oak then a moderate bitterness overpowers the flavors that slowly fades to a mocha followed by orange zest, red grapes and sour apple candy that transitions to fresh spearmint leaf, leather and bitter black tea with light ethanol burn. The finish is short that starts fruity then quickly begins to turn to a bitter black tea that dominates and climbs a staircase of bitterness until it finally fades away. This whiskey seems very familiar to a few stories I heard from some poor fools in the military. The story always began with the fool deciding to look for love in the worst possible location of a strip club. Alas, the stripper, who we shall call Harper, was very pretty and all too willing to play a love interest of the fool. Over a short time frame, Harper would get the poor fool so love struck that before the 12 month deployment a power of attorney over the fool’s finances would be signed. Over the course of the deployment, the fool wouldn’t get nearly the same loving emotional treatment as expected in the form of mail or email, but was sure that love would win the day upon returning. At the end of the long deployment, the fool who expected a loving embrace from Harper was unfortunately let down with no sight of Harper and later found that not only was Harper gone, but so was all the cash in the poor fool’s bank account. This whiskey is very much the same with its beautiful decanter and 15 year age statement that draws you in for a pour with a great start of sweets, florals, citrus and spices that fails to deliver the same experience on the taste and finishes with a bitter end. Don’t be a fool and fall for Harper’s beauty and instead take a modest looking Dickel 15 or fancier Resilient to get a 15 year old that’s not all looks and won’t leave you with a cash grab and bitter ending.

Nose: floral, Carmel, vanilla. Seriously the fresh crack on this bottle is fragrant. One of the best smelling bourbons I’ve ever encountered. Palate: 86 proof so it what I’d call a east sipper. Little to no burn. Light on the palate but very good flavor. It’s all here. Vanilla, Carmel, bit of Tabasco. It’s really tasty. Finish: light and gone too soon or I’d score it higher. Overall: it’s a solid 4 for me. It’s got all the classic bourbon taste with a fantastic nose. I wish I could get this at cask strength. That would be a treat.