Johnny Drum Private Stock Bourbon

first try: on the nose it had something extra that twinged my nose more than just ethanol burn. sweet bourbon with a hint of wet dog or dusty corn or cooked apples. Hard to say. on the palate it was HOT to the point it distracted from other notes. maybe that was the cinnamon or its unrefined. idk. even let it sit to mellow but no. with water, i finally was able to get to the other notes and get the cooked apples which added a tartness. this was unlike any other bourbon and that's why i liked it even though it fought me the whole way. looking forward to trying again and see what ice will do. this wasn't the longest, smoothest ride but a rickety wooden coaster that was basic and scared you a little. does anyone else do a screw cap under wax? that cap was a pain to crack open.

Second go around. I feel like the body may be a little bit heavier and the legs just a little bit slower in the glass than I noticed before. Nose was again a bit dusty and astringent at first but opening up I do feel like I appreciate more cherries and leather. There may be a little bit of baked apple pie behind it as well. The palate definitely has some quick sweetness that is washed away with burn and a little toffee. Two drops of water does something to bring about maple pecan pancakes, but doesn’t do much to change the pallet. I really wanted to like this one. I have high hopes to find a wheated bourbon that isn’t such a pain in the ass to hunt down. Sadly I don’t think this is the one.

Stewed apples on the nose along with dried corn stalks. Extremely approachable for a 101 proof. Sweet on the lips even before ingesting. I've heard about this for quite some time and I'm super happy to have tasted this.