Smoky Quartz V5 Bourbon

Nose: Vanilla (almost cloying), corn, but an odd chemical note (is it rubber? varnish?) Palate: Oak, char, a little bit of vanilla towards the end of the palate Finish: A sweet but somewhat bitter finish, short to medium length As a New England native, I was excited to try something from Seabrook, NH. The Veteran owned distillery used a 100% corn mash and aged it for 16 months in 15-gallon white oak barrels- much smaller than the more commonly used 53-gallon. The smaller size allows for more contact with the wood and quicker aging. The process explains the end product: there's a lot of potential with its sweet profile but in it still shows a lot of youth and is rather unbalanced. I would like to see what a more mature version of this would yield.

Raw dough, young grains nose. Follows into palate. Dry. Light oak and vanilla bean.

Slight petey at the start then quickly mellows

Burnt caramel, hickory smoke, and roasted coffee on the nose. The palate is very sweet with some chocolate and mint notes that go well with each other.

Nice smoke notes. Smooth finish.

Sweet front of vanilla and molasses, followed by a spicy and floral finish of clove, anise, and maybe a touch of cardamom. Overall very rich and complex flavor while balanced, and enjoyable.

Definitely notes of spices on the front. Very flavorful. Tasted 2020 Batch 15 Bottle 1966