Iron Smoke Straight Bourbon

Banana wheat spice bread

Smokey, you can really taste the barrel on this one.

Definitely pick up the smoke but it covers the bourbon complexity

Applewood

I spied the Iron Smoke Straight Bourbon in the minatures display at Total Wine, and...why not? This is rumored to be a four grain bourbon (Iron Smoke doesn't disclose the mashbill, but I found the four grain info elsewhere on the Internet, so it must be true), but it comes across as almost completely corn based.     The nose is sweet - caramel and butterscotch, with some pecan nuttiness. The palate starts corn and vanilla, before getting pulled under by a wave of ethanol.  Mid-palate, there's are some subtle notes of mint and grass.  Then the ethanol returns, slow fading to butterscotch.  About five seconds into the finish, the ethanol fully disappears and there is a nice and slightly complex sweetness left.  Although it's not a particularly strong whiskey at 40% ABV, the ethanol on the palate is disproportionate to the remaining flavors. Jim Murray allegedly loves this whiskey (https://bit.ly/2PxobFZ), but it didn't grab me. I often like young spirits - if they're not too harsh, they can have a nice flavor profile (albeit not particularly complex), while being a bit edgy.  In this case, however, I'm partial to the argument that more time in the barrel might do wonders.  As it stands now, I'd recommend several other whiskeys over the Iron Smoke if you're looking for a younger corn bourbon.  Hudson Baby Bourbon and Balcones Baby Blue, just to name two.