Saint Cloud 7 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

This was our fourth taste of the evening and the highest proof. Hope this is a fair review as our first one was a stellar offering and I am always concerned as to whether my palate has been sufficiently cleansed after three. I, like @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington wonder about the source of this one. There is another off-beat pot still operation in KY. Copper and Kings distill brandy in pot stills. Might they have contract distilled this? Boone County is a pot still operation but not sure if they were actually distilling 7 years ago. This one is very grainy and hot on the nose. There are other fragrances looming but hard to get past the primary. Vanilla and caramel are there but not as much as would be expected from a seven year bourbon. The nose on this one vaguely reminds me of the Boone County 5 year I just tasted but with a hotter nose. The palate is once again very grainy, powered by hot rye new make. Hard to believe it's seven years old and I am having difficulty getting the hotness to pick out any flavors. This one is an enigma to me. Wonderful color and texture but the graininess overwhelms other properties. As you hold it in your mouth the heat dissipates and the finish bleeds to sweet oak. For me, it's got no balance and I expected something spectacular for my friends $150

123.3 proof local pick. Ethanol on the nose, very faint hint of caramel. Palate is the same, not a lot going on. Soapy. Slight caramel. Finish is the same. Not much happening. Residual soap and a little caramel. This was a sample from a friend in a sample bottle, possible the soap flavor came from that, but I received other samples and no others had the soapy taste.

Nice and oily, very pleasant smell and not 125 proof burn

To change things up, @Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington sent me a series of samples that have either shapes or some code on them to prevent me from being able to know what they are until after I’ve tasted them. Will I mistake a rye for bourbon or completely miss a finish, who knows, but I’m dying to find out so let’s continue this blind challenge with the vial that has a B7 on it. The nose is thick and rich starting with caramel pecan clusters covered in dark chocolate followed by fruits of grapefruit, pears and nectarines that transition to spices of dill, anise, cardamom, cloves, leather and antique polished oak with high ethanol burn. The taste is a viscous mouthfeel starting with caramel pecan clusters covered in dark chocolate followed by fruits of grapefruit, pears and nectarines that transition to a medium spice mid palate that slowly fades to spices of dill, anise, saffron, cardamom, cloves, leather and antique polished oak with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with dark chocolate orange, poached pears, dehydrated cherries, candied pecans, spearmint, anise, cardamom, cloves, leather and antique polished oak that linger for minutes. This is exactly the way I like my bourbon with those traditional bourbon notes, along with some different fruits and spices than normal that are turned up to a 10 with a viscous mouthfeel that maintains the same notes as the notes before a long lingering finish that once it fades brings me back in for another taste. Well this is gunning for a 5 for me, so time for a whiskey cage match. The first round was with Lux Row 12 year which was close, but the Lux Row came out ahead due to its better balance whereas the faults of this started to show with more of a spice on the mid-palate than the Lux Row 12 year. The second match was even closer with the Heaven’s Door 10 year Redbreast finish, but again that spice was the Achilles heel in the match that made it lose. Still this is an amazing whiskey that deserves a high score and I can’t wait to find out what this is. So Lex, what is this mystery whiskey that’s incredibly delicious but just shy of perfection………….. Saint Cloud 7 year “Pegasus”.

Nose: maple, anise, black fruits Taste: vanilla, maple, sweet tobacco, very long finish