Starlight Carl T. Huber's Single Barrel Bourbon Finished in Maple Syrup Barrels

Maple syrup

Nose: Nice mix of maple and more common spice notes Palate: sweet sugary notes from the get go with just a hint of baking spices coming through Finish: looong finish…. This is where the finishing really comes through and you get the full maple syrup experience This pour exceeded my expectations. Hard to improve upon some of Starlight’s standard offerings, but this finish hits just the right blend of sugar and spice

The Bourbon Enthusiast pick - barrel #22-2055-1, 105 Proof, aged 4 years: Opened three maple syrup barrel finished bourbons for Fall/Winter 2022 and this was my least favorite. My points of comparison were Taconic and Widow Jane. I just didn’t feel the bourbon held up as well as the other two and the maple really dominated. Fortunately, maple syrup is delicious and I finished the bottle. Some folks might want maple from front to back when they reach for a finished whiskey like this but I prefer the bourbon to come in strong at some point. Generally I still consider Starlight to be great at finishes but for my annual cold weather detour to maple syrup finish I’ll stick with one of the others.

Background - The Starlight Maple product is a blend of two different mashbills: the 3-grain mashbill (60% corn, 20% rye, 20% malted barley) and the 4-grain mashbill (51% corn, 20% rye, 20% malted barley, 9% wheat) in an unknown ratio. The result is then finished in maple syrup barrels. - Although it is technically a wheated bourbon, it is also high rye — the malted barley helps smooth and mellow that out. The sweetness here is far more subtle than a typical wheater [without rye]. Review - I'm drinking a Starlight Maple single barrel pick by The Party Source [1] with a 5 year age statement on the bottle. - Maple, toffee, brown sugar, milk chocolate / light cocoa, very light citrus note (orange / lemon / lemongrass), apple juice, pear juice, light nutty note, smooth and elegant overall, finish is long and very spicy, tannins are strong. Notes - This is my first experience with Starlight. While I like it, I'm also curious to try the unfinished juice as well as the various other finishes available (double oaked, rum finished, bordeaux finished, triple sec finished, VDN finished). [1]: https://thepartysource.com/Starlight%20Huber's%20Maple%20Syrup%20Finished%20Bourbon%20TPS%20Private%20Barrel

4.4 tons of maple on the nose. Pallet: maple, coffee, cocoa. Highly enjoyable