Wathen's Single Barrel Bourbon

I’ve had a bottle before but can’t remember it. It’s a nice change up pour. Not memorable but ok. light, kind, sip-able. Like the kid you graduated with but can’t remember his name. Yawn..... but pouring another.

Barrel number 3596, Bypass Liquors Nicholasville, KY (no longer in business) barrel pick, bottled on 05JUL2018. Every distillery that tries so hard to keep information from their customers about their products always have bad products or practices, and there is no changing my mind. That's why I haven't purchased this yet, and likely why I've seen it fluctuate in price at such an insane curve. Yes, the cheap price definitely played a role here, but the liquor store I found this in had the most excellent customer service that, not only was this an easy support buy, but I shall be back again and again for continued patronage. It's a calm nose at first, with a bit of nuttiness and perhaps a tad of maple, but further in I get a good punch of spice, equal parts cinnamon rye and medium quality ethanol. The color is decent, but the poor 8 year barrel can't stand up too much with all that extra water. The taste copies the above profile. I start with a pretty nice sweetness bomb, that includes some caramel syrup, a little bit of nuttiness, and some baked bread or other pastries that really pass through the other barrel notes. However, the finish turns harsh with rye cinnamon coming out of seemingly nowhere, and then an ethanol burn that travels through the nose like wasabi. You could play the single barrel card here and easily get away with saying how each barrel is tasting so different from each other, but the concept of finding a barrel of mystery bourbon and breaking it open to try to discover it's anatomy only sounds good for a few barrels on the individual level, not as a business. The quality here tastes even lower than $40, so I do not envy those that buy this without hesitation at higher prices (but am jealous of the business owners).

When you've lived in Kentucky all your life, it's hard to not know someone connected with the bourbon trade. Such is the case here as I was with a very good friend at the liquor store one day and he stated that he had gone to school with the Wathen family. On that alone I bought a bottle. The family and I tasted and critiqued it over the Thanksgiving holiday. We were also tasting Willet Family Reserve Rye (know those folks too), Bell Meade straight bourbon and Evan Williams 1783. Wathens wasn't the favorite but not at the bottom either. It's very good bourbon but compared very closely to the 1783 ($14). Pretty standard Heaven Hill stuff. A fairly significant difference in proof although not evident

Really like it. Smooth. Fruity.

Smooth. 94 proof but felt like it was less than 80. Brown sugar, pecans, oak. Quite good. Single Barrel selected by local liquor store.

Color: Caramel Nose - Leather, woody, pear, cereal grains, caramel, pepper, pecan Taste: Peanuts, pepper, oak, corn, molasses, dark fruit Finish: warm & short Mouthfeel: oily

Gift from Papa Dan

Warm sweet taste. Smooth drinker