Rhetoric 25 Year Bourbon

This is pretty decent but if I’m being honest it’s not worth the hunt/price. I’ve had far younger bottles that were faaaarrr smoother.

Oak, allspice up front with a lingering pepper and vanilla finish. Up there with Pappy in terms of flavor and drink experience. A bit overwhelming and complex. but let it breath and add a dash of ice to open it up.

One of the best tasting bourbons I have EVER had. For my palette, I will take it over van winkle bourbon any day regardless of year. (And yes, I’ve had pappy 23 at a whisky tasting event.) Complex is usually not a word used to describe bourbon, but this is the exception. This noses as dark dried fruit, like figs and cherries with allspice and oak in the background. A deep rich scent that reaches into your sinuses and tickles your brain. The taste up front is smooth and sweet with the spiciest of the rye coming through that first swallow. As it hits the back of your tongue, ghosts from 25 years in the barrel rise up, letting sample a variety of oak tones as it fades into a slight sweetness and after tones of vanilla. An amazing sip of history that will be remembered long after the bottle runs dry.

I had the good fortune of purchasing a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20 2016 when I got into this hobby two years ago. This is the closest I have come to that experience. When I first cracked the bottle I was not too impressed. A week later, and wow; it's really impressive. If you like oaky, complex bourbon get a bottle. You won't be disappointed.

Alcohol, brown sugar, baking spices and maple on the nose. This initially has lots of heat and alcohol, but at 91 proof....this is likely the 25 years of oak shining through. A little water lets the maple syrup flavor, spice and cinnamon/ nutmeg flavors come out. This is not a Bourbon for everyone, but it is a interesting try. For the money, there are better Bourbons on the market....but there is some history in this bottle with the Bernheim distilling and Stitzel-Weller storage. As the purported final bottling of this series, this bottle shows what 25 years in a barrel can do in comparison to the prior bottlings - as this one seemed oakier. An interesting comparison is a taste test between this bottle and Entrapment (25 years in Canada, which was sweeter and less oak forward).

Sweet with notes of honey, cinnamon, and maple. Smooth