Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength Bourbon

This is really enjoyable for sipping, even at its high proof. Thick texture and loads of your common bourbon flavors. There is a long burn, but it never overwhelms the flavors. Really good pour and a great price

Back a few years ago, I discovered this bourbon's forebear, the Old Ezra 7 Year standard bottling, which continues to be a heck of a bargain. When I heard that they were releasing a barrel strength version, my excitement was visceral...and became nearly uncontrollable when folks like Fred Minnick started singing its glories. At long last, it made it to Wisconsin...and I snapped up the first bottle I found. It's as good as I'd hoped. The nose is the Platonic form of bourbon nose - loads of baking spice, baked cherry, vanilla, caramel, black pepper, leather. There's a little nose hair-tweaking heat, but it's not an overly boozy nose for the abv. If the nose is good, the taste is even better. This is what bourbon is supposed to be - rich, coating, buttery, positively exploding with character. You want spices? You got it. Vanilla? Yup. Caramel? It practically oozes out of your mouth. Woody, leathery notes? Just enough to lend some complexity without hitting you over the head. Nuttiness? Present. It's like pecan pie in a glass. The finish lasts a nice, long while, too. This is good. Damn good. So damn good. And, for $40-ish a bottle? Get out of town.

Sweet vanilla, savory fig and rich caramel. Nice spice and heat. Long finish that hovers on the tastebuds for a while. Very nice.

The nose is mostly oak, leather, toffee, peanuts, very little ethanol. Peanuts become more prevalent with time in the glass. The palate is fairly thin and dry. Lots of oak followed by leather. Caramel and smoke try to break through, but stay in the background. Again, really no warmth except for the transition to the finish. The finish has leather, caramel, smoke, all in a really nice balance. A little warm. Everything lingers for a long while. Really nice finish.