Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels

Nose: gingerbread, fruit Palate: caramel apple Finish: rich, fruity Nice rich fruity bourbon

Nice port barrel finish

This is another example of how what works for Scotch cannot be universally applied to other whisky with the expectation of similar results (and vice versa). Nose is funky and musty, and reminds me of grape cool aid that sat outside for a day. Or maybe a baby’s bib, the day after they had grape juice. It grabs your attention, but not in a good way and toes the line of being off-putting. The palate is dominated by musty, wet wood from beginning to end; a heavy, vegetal, dirty flavor just overwhelms the smatter of plum and honey that would otherwise be quite nice. The finish reminds you that this is young, with a blast of hot and coarse ethanol that leaves the lips and tongue numb before fading to the now familiar musty, stale, grape cool aid. It was an experience, and I didn’t dump it, but I definitely won’t have it again.