Old Ezra 7 Year 101 Proof Bourbon

I had high hopes for this considering the buzz around the barrel proof version. This one is very thin with a wet cardboard finish that lingers. That off note doesn’t go away in old fashioned either. Skip it.

Nose: With this one I get orange peel, Oak, Corn, Brown Sugar, and a dose of ethanol. You definitely pick up on the Heaven Hill lineage in this Luxco product. Neat: Thick and clingy mouthfeel. Salty with dry roasted peanuts, citrus, maple syrup, and cinnamon. The finish is astringent with oak and black pepper. Splash: a few drops of water really bring the orange/citrus note to the front. It tones down the astringency, but really amps up the black pepper spice. 3 3/4 stars, but I'll round up. I liked this one, but believe that I prefer the drier, less spicy Ezra Brooks 90pf. This one is not available in NC, but I worked out a swap with someone for some Virgin 101 (rumored to be the same stuff, but I find it a little sweeter and less spicy). I think the Old Ezra Barrel Proof is supposed to get a wider distribution. I look forward to trying it.

Nose: 3.5 | vanilla, dust Palate: 3.75 | very nice mouthfeel; vanilla, oak, leather; easy drinker for the proof Finish: 3.5 | mid-length finish; oak and slight spice Price: 4 | another great value bourbon; sadly discontinued but will be replaced by Ezra Brooks 7 Year Barrel Strength Verdict: Bottle Great daily drinker. Hoping I can find a few more of these before they disappear forever...

Pretty dense flavor, very good value.

Old Ezra 101 aged for 7 years. As Luxco will most likely take over production of the Old Ezra label bourbon when their distillery comes online, and as that may very likely effect quality, I quickly snatched up a bottle of this I found on the sale rack at one of my locals. At an even ten spot this bottle is not just a find but a helluva deal! Right off the top this has the nose of a classic bourbon featuring the oak, vanilla, caramel sweetness that has come to define the genre. At 50.5% abv, it's impossible not to notice the pure strength of this juice, but make no mistake this is no young, green outsourced produce from some corn state, this is THE REAL DEAL from Heaven Hill. The classic bourbon notes are backed with hints of fruits and citrus with some leathers and almonds and nutmeg balanced in the sweet and burnt sugars, this is actually a far more complex offering than most reviews will credit it for, which may be a product of bias from an off sourced brand even if we know that source is a top quality one. I get and odd ginger and nut finish with no burn or notable heat even at the near bib strength, the oak and vanilla linger on to remind you again, this dram hails from the place bourbon was born and perfected. The rye-barley mash percentage works well to supplement just the right amount of spice to the sweet bourbon corn base, to yield a balance of tasty bourbon. Oddly this bourbon seems considerably better in every way than the Heaven Hill 6 year bottle in bond and reminds me of why I like Larceny but still wish it had more age on it, finding more of a Henry McKenna similarity than anything. Figuring I might use this for making sours and manhattans if it wasn't a good stand alone candidate, both uses it would no doubt serve well at, this turns out to be a find and if you see it below 15USD you have found yourself a nice deal to take home smiling. Cheers!