NULU Toasted Barrel (Justin's House of Bourbon)

So far I’m 0 for 2 - let’s see if we can make it 0 for 3…. Bourbon. This is bourbon. Golden amber in color. On the nose - loads of sweet corn, oak, and spice. There is a very nice vanilla element mingling with old oak, cardamom, pepper and banana bread. There is a bit of dusty cherry as well. The aroma is really a treat. Nothing off putting, no obvious flaws. Leans toward the richly sweet but complex-enough profile of a 9-12 year kentucky bourbon. Guesses? This leans heavily toward the Beam profile. The vanilla/banana bread with pralines makes me think Knob Creek whereas the dusty cherry note reminds me of old Bakers. The rye is certainly there. Bits of clove, cardamom, black tea, nutmeg and tobacco. This really has a wonderful spice profile to it. Rich, full, spicy, sweet and hot but not offensive. Buttery texture on the back of the palate. Quite a bit of wood but not in an astringent or tannic way. It’s close but doesn’t go into varnish territory. Not especially dusty - could see 14 years. The finish finish is a bit like thanksgiving - allspice, toasted cinnamon, baked apples, something a bit savory. Brown sugar, browned butter, tobacco. This a random thought, but this could also be a beefed up Blanton’s. Why? The tobacco note and slightly-sour-apple note. Also @pkingmartin likes nice things and has good fortune - so a Blanton’s Gold wouldn’t surprise me at all. This isn’t hot enough to be SFTB, which I dont recall being as interesting as this. Nosing the empty glass yields a very big, funky tobacco note that has me leaning more BT than beam… let’s go BT, possibly mashbill 2 - but it would be the best mashbill 2 I’ve ever had. Oh the shame… the shame. I’ve hated on this label since it’s inception. Who needs another 5-6y MGP that someone mucks around with a secondary finish and floods the shelves with?? Wax poetic aside this really was quite nice. I’ll hand it to MGP (presumably their 30+ percent rye) for the vast spice profile. The toasted barrel gives that lovely vanilla and the whole thing ties together beautifully. Also worth nothing that of their many experiments this one won favor with Justin’s - so I expect it will be good (anyone that charges $500 for a flight of Pappy has a reputation to uphold after all). If Justin’s has more of these I’d honestly go for it, whereas I would previously been a snob and missed out. Ideally these would go for $50-60 but no idea what this one cost. Thanks to @pkingmartin for keeping me humble!!

Nose - french toast, syrup, and cedar. After a little time in the glass a dusty coca picks up Palate - Sweet, maple syrup, butter and a slight toasted flavor Finish - Long.... The butter keeps cranking and the syrup and cedar keep going. Overall this store pick rivals anything out there. It doesn't have the brown sugar burn of a stagg jr or ECBP. It has its own flavor profile that showcases the toasted finish and proof combination.