Young Carolina Bourbon Whiskey

I have a lot of disclaimers for this little guy. 1 - This is a gift from a good friend. Not the wiser but far less well endowed one, the other one. 2 - It has the word “Carolina” on the label. I mean... how can you not? Distilled in my college town of Columbia, SC. Go Cocks! 3 - Perhaps the most important disclaimer. I don’t much care for craft distilleries. I often hate the whiskey, I oftener hate the regional adulation of aforementioned shitty whiskey, and I oftenest hate the undeserved swagger on display by the companies who make aforementioned shitty whiskey. No I don’t want Journeyman in my old fashioned, and no, Cleveland, you haven’t used science to make in 2 months a comparable product to hundreds of years worth of Rick house management experience lovingly utilized on a barrel for over 4 years. All that said, I will try my hardest to be objective about this little guy, aged 8 months. The nose is shockingly complex. Initially, it reminds me a ton of a Magners pear cider, which is confusing. Sugar, tart, pear, fruity sweetness, sourness too, perfume, floral, latex. It’s all there, and aside from that industrial rubber thing on the back end of the nose, the nose is phenomenal. That perfume is intense. There’s a ton going on in this body too. There’s a creamy, thick mouth feel. There’s caramel, cane sugar, vanilla, hint of watermelon, lemon, brine, leather. Toasted marshmallows? I don’t understand how this body follows from that nose, but I don’t care. I appreciate them both, even if their union is a bit of a head scratcher. The finish is smoky? Wtf. This finish kind of reminds me of some low peat scotches I’ve had before. Insanely dry mouth feel, there’s a hint of baking spices, but it’s mostly like a spicy cigar. Dull but pleasant tongue buzz. I’ll be honest: I don’t love this finish, but I also don’t care for cigars. Could be a huge plus for many bourbon fans out there. Hot damn. I love the little hidden gems like this out there. This is simply good. I’ve tried it three times over three weeks, and it gets better as the bottle oxidizes. The flavors I don’t care as much for get minimized to the background over time, and what I’m left with is very complex and confusing. I don’t know how the hell they did some of this stuff at all, much less how they did it in 8 months. I’m impressed so far, and I’m insanely curious to see what these guys will do in the future. Edit: I have been told by my friend that this bottle is getting phased out for longer age statements. Kind of makes me sad, but I can’t hate them for trying to improve their brand. Additionally, I’ve been told these guys have had to close due to COVID. Truly hope they make it though to the other side.