Ironroot Harbinger (115 Proof)

Nose - toffee, dusty corn, deep floral notes, sweet dough, grass, Turkish delight, vanilla, lemon, orange, berry, black pepper, candy corn, rose, buttered popcorn, dry oak, nutmeg, clove, earthy mint, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - lemon, tangerine, berry, rich floral notes, toffee, vanilla, grass, cocoa, marshmallow, black pepper, clay, mint, sour oak, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttered popcorn, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with deep citrus, floral, mint, and baking spice flavors. Ironroot Republic flew onto my radar after I tasted an amazing single cask bottling by Lost Lantern a few months back. Around the same time, I discovered that this Harbinger release was awarded “World’s Best Bourbon” by the World Whiskies Awards in 2020. After chuckling about the name of the award, as bourbon can only be produced in America, I set out to track it down. This proved difficult until recently, as some small amount of distribution has made it to the east coast. So is this the world’s best bourbon? No. But it’s pretty good. Ironroot produces some really interesting aromas and flavors out of what is essentially corn whiskey. Ironroot products seem to always have this really nice, deep floral quality, and this is no exception. There’s also a doughy attribute, not completely unlike Garrison Brothers’. Finally, I dug deep and found a powdery rose flavored Turkish delight note. The palate isn’t quite as good as the nose. Many of the aromas transfer over, but there’s an insidious sourness in the experience that holds it back from greatness. Overall, this is good whiskey that’s priced right at $50 a bottle, but it’s extremely far from being “the best.” Tomorrow, I’ll review the new single cask Ironroot release, which is significantly better than this.

The first ever Texas bourbon I bought. Great corn based whiskey with lots of vibrant sweet corn, finishing with a calm but present warming heat.