Luca Mariano Single Barrel Select Bourbon Barrel Strength

Liquor City Uncorked pick, "Gallenstein's #2" Barrel No. 20 Contract distilled at Wilderness Trail Mashbill? 75% corn / 21% rye / 4% malted barley Bottled on 02-10-2023 Age - 7 years, 9 months, 24 days 57.25% abv; 114.5 proof Open 7 weeks Nose - Fruit Loops, Corn Pops, bubble gum, bananas, chalk, butterscotch, lemon custard, milk chocolate, light oak, and medium ethanol. Palate - Corn Pops with a menthol coating, fresh mineral water, old fashioned bubble gum, unripe bananas, sweet hay, cocoa powder, and saltwater taffy. Finish is long with a fresh minty pop, dry oak, the chalkiest Sweet Tarts imaginable, and medium ethanol. I went ahead and took the plunge at my new favorite local store with one of the many NDPs I've never seen or heard of until moving to Cincinnati. Liquor stores in KY are jam-packed with store picks from so many new NDPs that primarily source from MGP. Yet, I accidentally grabbed this bourbon because I loved the bottle design and the age statement. It's actually sourced from Kentucky. Initially, I presumed Barton based on the flavor profile. But apparently Luca Mariano has a longstanding contract to distill their own product within Wilderness Trail and are currently building their own distillery next door. This unmistakably has characteristics of Wilderness Trail with fresh cereal and chalky fruit notes. I like it better than the Wilderness Trail bourbons I've tried, but it's not as good as their cask strength rye. For me, these unique flavors work better with a higher rye mashbill. It's still good, easy to sip, but not a flavor profile I would drink for hours. At this price there are plenty of other bourbons I would buy. Apparently Liquor City will be getting a Luca Mariano Rye pick soon. That sounds more up my alley.