Rhetoric 24 Year Bourbon

Neat. Nose is very interesting. Deep oak, in some ways similar to a Woodford Double Oaked or 1910. It gives a charred marshmallow characteristic. Going deeper I get vanilla and caramelized banana. Super rich. Hint of mint and cinnamon. I could spend all day sniffing this on a cold day by a fire. Smooth, oily mouth feel. Really coats the tongue and mouth. Chocolate and maple on the tongue. On the swallow intense chocolate and oak. The oak really kicks you and I like it. Very tannic and drying immediately. Marshmallow and char come back and those vanilla really open up and linger on the legs. It’s so oily that the legs last quite awhile and you can feel it slowly running down your throat. The more it opens up and I adjust to it, the more the sugars and sweetness emerge over the oak elements. Let this open for 30 minutes and it gets better. I am impressed by this. The Wild Turkey 17 was the oldest bourbon I have tried before this. WT17 was a deeper experience but I really dig the sweetness coming from this as it opens up.

The nose opens with cedar, dry oak, vanilla, bread dough, leather and a touch of spearmint and clove. The palate is gentle and it as dry as expected as it is somewhat chewy, but full of vanilla and rich custard, cinnamon, pepper, dry oak and is somewhat leathery. The finish is medium long with a lingering spiciness that holds on while dry oak, vanilla and spearmint fade, while remaining rich. Not as overwhelming as you might think for it’s age, with the oak qualities kept well under control. The high corn content shines through with how sweet this bourbon is, but is nicely balanced and makes for an easy sipper.

A sample as part of the "Whiskey transfer program from dthom". I'm excited to try this but, as always, wary of the hype and ridiculous prices this stuff goes for. Nose: Holy toasted coconut Batman! Toasted coconut, dark sugars, candied pecans, vanilla, Flavor: More toasted caramelized nuts, creamy buttery mouthfeel with dark sugars, vanilla, more coconut, some cinnamon and anise. Almost like root beer candy. Finish: Cedar and dark wood sugars with some spice, long finish that gets more interesting as I wait. A little bit of peppermint and drying anise on the finish here. Wow this one is complex and interesting and delicious. A great whiskey if you can get it at MSRP but don't hold your breath. I've seen this for $500 which is not good value.

Nose: caramel, vanilla, some oak but the fruitiness overpowers it Palate: sweet with just enough oak to it. Elijah Craig 23 year has way more oak compared to this bourbon. Love it though! Very light and sweet. Finish: butterscotch and oak