Rhetoric 22 Year Bourbon

Pure glory. Not too sweet or buttery. More spice and pepper and leather. The nose is fantastic. Finish is long and complex. Just opened the bottle!

As compared to the 21 year bottling this was a step up for me. Unlike the 21 year there were no flaws on the nose. The nose also added a welcome bit of cremation brûlée and faint allspice. The palate was equally thin to the 21 but with an enjoyable mouth coating quality. There was a pleasant balance of dry wood, toasted marshmallow, anise and a hint of apricot jam as well a pinch of cigar wrapper. This, unlike the 21 year, this I could drink all day. It’s well rounded and adds in a pleasant bit of spice and just a touch of fruit. The low proof leaves it with less burn than robitussin but also less of a finish. If it wasn’t over $100 you wouldn’t need the finish because you could sip it all day. Therein lies another kicker - aside from the novelty of tasting this bourbon as it ages the sticker shock makes it a little harder to swallow. In a world where 12-15 year old bourbons command between $80-300+ the value per year of age isn’t unreasonable despite lack of any real wow factor.