Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength Bourbon

Warming spice yet easy drinker

Oak and Vanilla really overpowered this one. Enjoyable but there’s a reason it’s a rarer bottle that you can find at most places.

Rating: 11/23 Blind bourbon tasting time. N: Fairly rich, full, and sweet. Caramel corn, dusty and toasty wood, light peanut flavor, a blush of vanilla. I'm not getting any fruit here, but this seems sweet and hedonistic with decent complexity and a classic profile. Maybe faint bittersweet chocolate bordering on dark. P: Very toasty and dusty at first, then a wave of lighter flavor comes through. The proof is high and it's hot, but it's also under control. The corn drops out a bit and it's a little tarter than the nose suggested, but the corn is still there. The caramel is also a bit lighter than I'd expected, but there's still a vague semblance of caramel corn. I do taste a bit of alcohol, suggesting to me that despite that initial toasty, dusty wave, this probably isn't super old. I also get some minerals for a while. Despite the burn, I wouldn't say this is harsh. The alcohol leads into a sort of light, somewhat watery fruitiness - perhaps cherry combined with grapefruit? The fruit turns herbal for a bit, suggesting that this might have a decent amount of rye in its mash bill. The peanut flavor eventually makes an entrance and the toastiness returns, neither is a big player. Black pepper with possible ginger and clove. Maybe some cinnamon. That burn might be turning harsh. With a little water, I get more of that dusty, aged, faintly peanut flavor that I get from the likes of George Diickel Bottled in Bond and Resilient. Side by side though, it's apparent that both of them are richer and more mature than this is, as well as less hot. F: Largely it's the burn that I get here. Some bitter herbs at first with some of that cherry and undercooked caramel sweetness. Also a bit of grapefruit for a long time with some kind of dry wood underlying it at points. Maybe some clove. Wild Turkey 101 (from the neck) (14) tastes richer, older, smoother, more balanced, and more refined than this does. This makes me think of Rabbit Hole Cavehill a bit with its lightness and harshness. The toasty nose tells me that this will likely be really good when it's older, but right now it seems too young. I'm guessing 2-5 years. Old Tub (14) is richer and fuller with a better profile than this has. Actually, side by side, this is pretty competitive with my bottle of Rabbit Hole Cavehill (10). I would take my bottle of Buffalo Trace (12-13) over this, though probably not by a very large margin. This is hotter than the Rabbit Hole, but it has that same lightness that the Buffalo Trace does, while also having the youthfulness of Benchmark Old No. 8 (10). This is a tough decision, but considering everything here, I'm looking at a 10 to 11 with the faint chance of a 12. I'm leaning toward that 10. I don't know; I might have underrated the Rabbit Hole. Rather, it might have improved with all of the air it's been getting (I hear that happens). It can have an 11. Another one I'd been wanting to try. Thanks for this one too, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington !

Oak and a lot of grain on the nose. Pleasant, but not very memorable. A lot of oaky spice on the body. The heat comes at full force and was a bit overpowering for me. Dark cherries and spice on the finish. It adds a layer of complexity for me but not enough to move this pour out of the ‘mediocre’ category. In all, not a bad pour but at the $50-60 price point it would not be high on my list. There’s a lot more flavor, complexity, and yes, “smoothness” to be found in that 115-125 proof range. OF 1920, Larceny BP, and some ECBP to name a few..

This is definitely a pour where you get the heat of the alcohol both on the nose and palate, but is one I thoroughly enjoy. It has a lot of sweet, rich fruity notes mixed with barrel spices and I’ll often get a nutty quality.