Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B523

LARCENY BARREL PROOF SHOWDOWN: 2023 Larceny Barrel Proof A123 Larceny Barrel Proof B523 Larceny Barrel Proof C923 Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve yet to review. Getting closer! Larceny Barrel Proof is a wheated bourbon distilled by Heaven Hill and was first launched in January 2020. It is the Barrel Proof version of HH’s already-extant Larceny, which was launched in 2012 and is bottled at 92 proof. LBP is released three times per year and uses the same naming convention as HH’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (i.e., A123, etc.; A, B, C for each release; 1, 5, 9 for Jan., May, Sep.; 23 for 2023). According to the company’s website, the mashbill is consistent at 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. LBP is essentially a wheated complement to ECBP, which uses a more traditional bourbon mashbill that employs rye in place of the wheat. Larceny Barrel Proof A123 Color is a clear and dark mahogany, near to either Pantone 153 and 160 (Pantone has an odd system of increments; there are numerous far lighter shades between 153 and 160). Intense and fruity nose shows brown sugar, stewed cinnamon apples, buttered scones with raspberry jam, café Cubano, and noticeable alcohol. Very rich and sweet on the palate, with a lightly creamy viscosity that envelops your tongue with its warm brown-sugar sweetness. After tasting the C923, I get a distinct peanut brittle as well. The café Cubano reappears on the finish with a touch of its espresso bitterness, as well as some char and vanilla. There is some lingering heat, but this is barrel-proof bourbon—not a cocktail with a little pink umbrella in it. The A123 is very good; but I’m taking my foot off the pedal a bit from my review of it on 10/5/23 (comparing it to ECBP A123). Tasting it now against the LBP B523 and C923, my position is somewhat lower than it was, but still above the community’s 4.05 rating. It has a complex nose, but the heat is just a little out of balance. Still, it’s a great value: each release of Larceny Barrel Proof can typically be found for about $70. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. 125.8 proof. NAS on bottle, but 6-8 years according to the Heaven Hill website. Larceny Barrel Proof B523 Clear mahogany color is indistinguishable from the A123, aligning with 153 or 160 on the Pantone chart. The initial impression is cocoa powder, oiled leather, pancakes and maple syrup, sweet pipe tobacco, Luxardo cherries, and a sweetness that reminds me of the pudin de pan that I had recently at a Colombian restaurant, which had raisins and flan-like caramelized sugar. There’s also a little barbecue-sauce tang. Like the A123, there is a mouthcoating creaminess with corn-pudding sweetness and cinnamon, and just the right combination of woody oak and vanilla on the finish, with a little residual heat. The B523’s nose is more reticent than the January release; it’s not as flamboyant and has a sense of sophistication and smoothness that is suggestive of a little more aging. The proof is virtually identical to the A123, but the heat is better integrated. At a price of around $70, it’s a great value. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 124.4 proof. NAS on bottle, but 6-8 years according to the Heaven Hill website. Larceny Barrel Proof C923 Same clear mahogany Pantone 153/160 color as the A123 and B523. This nose is different: there’s almost an umami richness with buttered English muffins with strawberry jam, warm banana bread, pomander, chocolate fudge, toffee, vanilla, and even a touch of saline. The same light glycerin mouthfeel as the A123 and B523 appears on the palate, with bananas flambé and its accompanying caramelized -sugar bitterness. There are some drying leathery notes on the finish, and the vanilla lingers. The C923 is exceptional. I could nose it all night. And it’s the smoothest drinking of the bunch. Strangely, the community rating of 3.88 is the lowest of the 2023 releases (yet only 6 ratings prior to this one). As with each of these LBP releases, the $70 retail price is fantastic value in today’s market. Would I buy the C923 again? Yes. I’ll be looking for more. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. 126.4 proof. NAS on bottle, but 6-8 years according to the Heaven Hill website. Full disclosure: I have a sweet tooth, and “sweet” is the word that captures the essence of these 2023 releases. They have more similarities than differences, and have a comforting blanket-like warmth along with that amazing (but not cloying) sweetness and intensity. Each is very similar in terms of proof, ranging from 124.4 to 126.4. The A123 displays youthful intensity; the B523 comes across as having more age; and the C923 combines the best of both, marrying the robust and the sophisticated, and further differentiates itself with its savory aspects. The scuttlebutt seems to be that the Larceny Barrel Proof series is getting better. I’m not nearly as familiar with them as I am with their Elijah Craig Barrel Proof siblings, but surely the “getting better” can’t keep going much longer, because each of these is already very good. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Meh.

4.25+

While this batch wasn't as good as C922, this is still an excellent batch. The nose is sweet oak, spice, and cinnamon. The palate has the typical Heavan Hill oak profile, followed by sweet wheat notes with cinnamon, vanilla, and some caramel. It finishes reminding me of oaky, maple, pancakes. So far, for the price, these Larceny barrel proof batches are ceetainly worth the price.