Three Chord 12 Year Twelve Bar Reserve Barrel Proof

Fruity nose, strong alcohol. Depth of flavor, intense. Honey, caramel, wood, clove, turpentine. Cacao nibs linger. 11/21/20

Reviewing Batch 0001 of this product. Smooth, milky-textured bourbon with a punch of heat. Since I last reviewed this, I feel like the bourbon market has changed significantly, and It's hard to think of a better value in bourbon on paper: $66 for a 12-year-old, barrel proof, small batch (according to the website, batches are about 600 bottles at a time - which makes me guess around four barrel batches, so really small) bourbon. Of course, value on paper doesn't always equate to the best tastes. First, although this is barrel proof, it is a low barrel proof at 107. Second, this is sourced from Tennessee and Kentucky, before being blended and finished (using sound waves???) in Michigan. Leaving the sounds waves gimmick aside, there's still some Dickel that comes through, and that may be a deal breaker for many. Finally, the flavor just is not as complex as I might expect from something with this age and proof. It's a smooth drinker, but it's a little one note throughout. It lacks complexity. I get a good bit of dry peanut, with light notes of caramel and vanilla, finishing with some pleasant spice (that I also associate with Dickel products). I wrote that this was a caramel bomb in my last review, but I'm not getting that anymore. The overwhelming quality of this for me is smoothness in the front with a peppery finish in the back. Bottom line, I think it might be worth the price they're charging, and I think it's definitely worth a taste if you ever get a chance - especially if you don't mind Dickel and you like a brighter, less deep, less oaky, smooth drinker. This could benefit from deeper, richer notes, but it's still a fine smooth sipper. Side note, the low "barrel proof" also has me wondering if there is something else going on that we aren't being told about - the website says "We do not use water in the blending of Twelve Bar Reserve. In and out of the cask, Twelve Bar Reserve is the same 107 proof." Because it seems unlikely that the proof is the exact same going into and out of the casks unless the time period is short, and because there are a lot of ambiguous allusions to some type of secondary wood process with charring and integration using music: Is it possible that the sourced whiskey is watered down then re-barreled briefly? Would that allow them to get away with saying that it's barrel proof as far as the second barrel is concerned?

Decided to give this one a go to support home state distillers. At least the bottle looks cool so it has that going for it. Nose is very sweet almost like fresh pecan sticky buns. First sip is heavy on brown sugar and vanilla with a slight rye character. Surprisingly smooth for such a strong proof. Price is a bit too high on this one as it doesn't hold up against ECBP, but it is a nice entry from a newer distillery.

Definitely improved as it breathed!