Lazy River Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Not the worst. Definitely needs water.

I have a friend who has a wife, who is kind of famous (infamous?) for not following through on doing what she says she will. It's kind of a running gag that can end in anything from laughs to eye rolls and heavy sighs, or outright frustration and arguments. After sending her to Total Wine with a mission to bring back either Green Spot and Redbreast 12 (you never know which will be in stock these days....) we were shocked to find this as her haul. How did Lazy River Bourbon take the place of our beloved Green Spot or Redbreast 12?! (This is why you don't ask for help at Total Wine unless you know exactly what bottle you are looking for. Because if you agree to their help, they will direct you to some "Spirits Direct" drivel they claim is exactly like the thing you are asking for, except its almost guaranteed to be anything but and overpriced for what it is. The plus side of visiting Total Wine is that if you do find what you're looking for, it's usually a few dollars cheaper than anywhere else.) So, since Lazy River Bourbon is what we're stuck with, let's see how it fairs.... Well, some internet sleuthing reveals next to nothing about this bourbon. It's distilled in Kentucky, and bottled in Fairfield, CA at 45% ABV. Frank-Lin Distillers doesn't even list it on their product page - what gives? It used to be aged for 4 years but Distiller lists it as NAS so that doesn't give me a lot of hope. My friend's wife paid $30. Was it $30 too much? Nose: The ethanol burn is overpowering and overshadows the sweet corn and vanilla hiding underneath. I let this sit for awhile but its still sharp. The corn has transitioned into corn bread and cold, vanilla-infused marshmallows intended for making rice krispies treats except they sat too long. Little bit of muddled spice. Unlike the two Irish drams I mentioned previously, there's a lot of heat, little balance, and no fruitiness or other facet to be found. Palate: Thankfully not as much heat as I was fearing. Mouthfeel is a bit softer than I was expecting - low rye mash bill, and perhaps some wheat? I don't know of any distillers with wheat in their mash bills that would offload this though, so I'm going with low rye. It has a cheap, toffee sweetness (I'm calling it cheap because it doesn't have the rich, decadent, buttery sweetness I'd like to see in toffee). There's something off-putting in the midpalate that reminds me of really raw peanuts. Not the musty peanut shells I've tasted in Beam products, but something greener or under-ripe. There's a quick pulse of spice but it's not the duration or intensity I'd like to see, and an utter lack of fruitiness or other flavor profile . Simply put, this is sweet, vanilla heat with a bit of barrel and spice. Finish: Medium length, with lots of heat on the return. The sweetness lingers, along with woody astringency and some barrel char. Verdict: This is not terrible, and it certainly wasn't $30 burned, but to be honest, this is pretty lackluster bourbon. Excessive heat and devoid of complexity or character. I imagine this would be perfectly acceptable to sip in the summer time with an ice cube, but I don't think it would stand up to mixing and I'm bored with it neat. I'm glad it's 45% ABV, because any lower and you might not be able to tell what you're drinking. I'm torn between a 3.0 (it's pretty average, 75+) and 2.75 (it's also pretty boring, <75) so I'm going with a 3.0 and 74 because I don't think it rises to the level of the other drams I've rated 75+. This puts it at roughly the same score as Balcones Baby Blue - a quality dram for what it is but something I'd get bored of quickly. 3.0 ~ 74 ~ Average

Honey aroma. Sweet honey finish.

Nose: vanilla ethanol Body: light Palate: oaky, char, vanilla Finish light medium Note: light ok really smooth not very robust