Van Brunt Stillhouse Campfire

Another trip to NYC this past week, and this time I had one open night without business dinners or other obligations.  Free time in Manhattan for me usually involves a lot of walking and exploring.    I've spent very little time exploring NYC's liquor stores (although Astor Wines and Liquors is a notable exception; I make a point of stopping in when I'm in the East Village), so I scoped out a handful of stores in the Chelsea/Grammercy area. One of the better stops was Bottlerocket Wines and Spirits, which had a nice selection of whiskeys of all types, including local represetatives such as Van Brunt Stillhouse and Kings County Distillery. I had yet to try anything from Van Brunt, although I have an unopened bottle of Van Brunt Bourbon I picked up in Brooklyn earlier this year.  Bottlerocket had a nice assortment of Van Brunt, including Campfire, which I hadn't previously heard of.  But "Campfire" sounded great on a cold night (even without its namesake from High West coming to mind), so I snapped up a 375 ml bottle. Subsequent research revealed the Campfire consists of of Van Brunt’s Peated Bourbon (60% corn, 20% wheat, 20% peated malt), Smoked Corn Whiskey (80% corn, 20% wheat aged in ex-boubon barrels), and Smoked Wheat Whiskey.  (All of which, save the smoked corn,  appear to be distillery-only offerings. Hopefully that will change).   The nose has smoke, oak, and corn, as well as a note of tequila lime, which made for a very unique profile overall.  The palate spotlights corn, smoke, and cherry.  It's quite tannic, but the palate overall is well balanced between the tannic notes and the bourbon flavors, and it's not at all dry.  The smoke is interesting - it pervades the palate without being sharp, and has a bit of a vegetal quality to it.  While the blend includes a bit of peated malt, the peat is not distinguishable. Overall, I found the Campfire to be very nice - complex, balanced, and unique. This is apparently a one time 2018 release, and I wish I had grabbed a second 375ml bottle.  But I still have the bourbon to crack open, and I hope to see more great offerings from Van Brundt in the future

This is a blend of their smoked corn, peated malt, and bourbon whiskey. Nose is lightly smokey, bourbon sweetness, and oak. Palate is well rounded, notes of cherry, corn dust, black pepper, and barrel spice. Lightly bittersweet finish, reminds me of dark cocoa nibs and coffee.