Little Book Chapter 4: Lessons Honored

Okay, tasting for a 2nd time after sitting on the shelf for a month or so. I like it. It does have a burn, but not as bad as when first opened. It's very sweet, like brown sugar. Some peanut, coffee, and some woodiness. The longer you swish it in your mouth the hotter it gets, but it's pleasant.

Nose - peanut, dry vanilla and caramel, brown sugar, grape, apple, cherry, cola, dark chocolate, leather, sweet tobacco, grass, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - velvety peanut butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, rye spices, clove, cola, dark chocolate, sake, tobacco, salted caramel, thyme, moderate to high alcohol bite, finishing long with lingering peanut butter, rye spice, and tannic leather flavors. I really like this. There’s a weirdness to it that must be the brown rice bourbon. I wouldn’t buy a bottle of it, but I’m glad I was able to give it a try.

So I sat on this bottle a few weeks to let it open up, and I've now had it 3-4 times and i had a healthy amount the last time i had it. I also shared this with 4-5 other people so this bottle is WELL opened up vs most I'd expect (bar pours excluded) and yeah I got it pretty much right as it came out in kentucky. I think you can see the blend here on distillers but it's YOUNG and it's an odd blend to say the least. Nose - So on the nose we get a classic beam dusty nutty element, but it quickly turns to a rye fruity and spicy mix, but then finishes beam bourbon again. This very much reminds me of elements of a knob creek bourbon AND a rye and even gives me hints of bookers. It's odd as the sweetness is in the middle of the nosing and not up front or at the end. It's a bit floral and while in a way it's a mix of everything you expect it's just not "right"? Water teases out a nice apple cinnamon finish, not sure I saw that coming. Taste - So instantly the first impression is that this is SWEET. The second impression is that it is YOUNG. The last impression is that it is HOT. It's almost a buttery nutty honey upfront, there's apples and pears and then dusty corn, nuts, hay, oak, oak smoke, and a waxy ethanol/corn whisky finish. Water enhances a funky oak note I'd omitted before but now can't miss. There's a caramel and funky oak thing really all through this one. Candy corn. So I have to it to these guys for a unique whisky. The brown rice, the mix of younger bourbons and older (relatively speaking) rye is a new one for me. I'm torn at giving this a terrible score for being weird or giving it a decent score for being....well...weird. I'm at 2.0 as I think this is unique and I don't hate it. I just don't like it. For 130 bucks save your money for something else, go find a little book 3 which is way better bourbon or american whisky? Anyway, this is the first little book that I can't recommend. I however don't want to say it's a pass if you're super adventurous and have deep pockets for your whisky. But maybe try at a bar if possible? I know some places these sit and others like here they fly off the shelf.