Very Old Barton 100 Proof Bourbon

Little sugar at first then some leather, pepper, and tobacco. Finished hot and burns for a bit. Splash of water mellows it out. I like this one for $25.

Sugary rye and almost spearmint on the nose, caramel and young oak on the palate, long KY hug spiced finish. If 4 Roses and Makers had a kid.

More like "Somewhat Old Barton". This bottle is a little tough to come by in the Chicago burbs sometimes, so I was excited to find some at Binny's and give it a try. Overall this was rock solid for a 100-proofer under $20, but not my favorite. For the same price, I still prefer Evan Williams BIB in just about every way, or I'd rather just spend an extra few bucks on Wild Turkey 101 or Old Grand Dad Bonded. Not a bad buy at all though for some cheap bourbon! Good mixer!

Since it has become a challenge to find “good” bourbons I jumped down to the bottom shelf and bought Very Old Barton (VOB) for 3 reasons: it’s owned by Sazerac who also owns Buffalo Trace distillery, expert rating is 86, and low risk at only $28 for 1.75L. Did a tasting of VOB and 1792 since both are typically available, and IMO have similar profiles. VOB is rather subdue for 100 proof bourbon, has less of a spicy kick, less smoke, less sweetness, and less caramel flavor than 1792. Adding drops of water to both bourbons provides more depth, smoother finish and opens up the flavor. Surprised to say VOB is almost as good as 1792 and at 40% less $ it’s a bargain. Try it as Old Fashioned w/ maple syrup, angostura, and orange- it’s pretty damn good!

Revisiting a 1.75 that's been open for about 10 months and is half full. Tasted neat from a glencairn. Not my first for the night, so I'm not going to get fancy with this review as my nose is a bit off from alergies and my palate has enjoyed some EC earlier. That said... Neat this is better than my first pour. The nose still has a bit of an ethanol element, but otherwise I'm getting cherries, vanilla and wood. Love that sweet introduction on the sip. Nice mouthfeel, creamy and rich. Short finish, light pepper, fair rye influence but not out of balance at all. I MIGHT like this better than Evan Williams bottled-in-bond. I'll have to do a sbs. Its not embarrassed by the Elijah Craig, either. I did a quick SBS and I'll take this all day every day over BT. I've drunk most of this bottle as Manhattans with two shakes of Angostura and a 3:1 mix with Cocchi Americano. It's a winner in that role. A very, very good mixer. I'm seeing that it can hold its own when served neat, too. Good stuff. I wish I could find something like a steady supply here in FL...