Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Lots of black pepper, caramel, and a bit of vanilla with a lingering oak and pepper finish.

2021 / 2022 Neat. Nothing wrong nor off here but nothing striking, unique, nor better than just average. 5.0 - Near perfect, outstanding. A truly special spirit with a naturally exceptional balance, complexity, and power. An example that immediately sets itself apart from others in the category. Highest Recommendation. 4.5 - Amazing, will always try to have a bottle of this. An excellent spirit with exceptional balance and rare and complex flavors. An example that stands out against its peers. Highly Recommended. 4.0 - Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the spirit keeping it here. An accomplished spirit with good balance, strong character, and good complexity. Recommended 3.5 - Good, quite enjoyable to drink. A perfectly well-made spirit which provides an enjoyable drinking experience. Worth checking out. Above average. 3.0 - Solid, wouldn't go out of my way to get it. Average. 2.5 - Meh, still drinkable if free but do not buy. // Below 2 – avoid, not good

Faint nose of cardboard, tobacco, corn, with cherry and vanilla deep down. On the palate brown sugar, peach and vanilla.

Got a little suckered into this by the Total Wine rep who was clearly interested in clearing shelf space. Told it was Bardstown Bourbon product, the rye mashbill (not the whetaed Bottled-in-Bond that seems to drive the people crazy), but neither confirming nor having tried the Origin series, I can’t compare. I can say this is somewhat average, maybe even bland, to musty/funky, with a mild corn nose and finish that is best described as “non-existent-to-vanishing”. But it’s certainly good enough as a mixer, or a “I don’t wanna drink the good stuff tonight, but then this is here, too,” or a bourbon-on-ice if I’m with someone who just likes “a goddamn drink, I don’t give a rat’s ass, I don’t give a RAT’s ass!” It’s that kind of bottle. No regrets, outside of budgetary opprtunity cost, but it’s definitely not a repeat buy. Side bar: I otherwise like BBC fusion quite a bit.

Light smell but with some spice and sweetness. Oaky with slight sweetness and some spice. After it sits for a minute the profile changes a little. Pretty well balanced. A few different flavors. Not bad.