Widow Jane 12 Year Straight Bourbon

Widow Jane 10 was awesome. So what will an extra two years, 4% ABV, and make it a single barrel release do? Quick stats: Barrel#: 19103; Bottle#: 81; Year Bottled: 2017. Let's get into it. Nose: Apple, caramel, brown sugar, cocoa, fudge, toffee, and leather. Ginger, clove, and nutmeg. Orange peel and tobacco smoke. Maybe some raisin and plum. Vanilla. Rye notes; rye bread liquorish with a touch of dill. No ethanol, but there is cinnamon heat. Strong oak presence. Great nose. Palate: Caramel and vanilla. Tobacco smoke, black pepper, black tea. Caramelized apple, apple cider, and brown sugar. A maple note. Rye bread and dill. New car leather and rich oak. Honey and green tea. Cherry cola. Nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon. Awesome. Finish: Apple, brown sugar, and leather. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and dill spice. Tobacco and barrel smoke. Solid. Medium-to-long. Solid. Stacks up to the 10, of which I'm a big fan. The spirit of the profile is similar, as you'd expect of virgin oak-aged MGP distillate; yet, it manages to distinguish itself from the 10, let alone the rest of MGP distillate-based whiskies. It's absolutely delicious. Your mileage may vary. At a sale price of $73, I find this is well worth it. That's significantly cheaper than I normally see it. Maybe I got a good barrel, at a ridiculously low price. But based on what I've got here--combined with my experience with the standard 10-year--I'm all in with Widow Jane's brand. Can't wait to see what they can do with their own distillate. 4.75/5.

One of the smoothest bourbons I have ever had. Heat on your throat but by no means harsh. Complex notes keep you sipping more and the higher ABV gets you where you want to go.