hansmootho
Saint Cloud 7 Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
February 18, 2021 (edited January 3, 2022)
Well here we have an interesting find. Marketing did its job on this one for sure with a great minimalist bottle. The price is a bit steep here though so the contents have a high bar to contend with. Let's see how it goes.....
Nose is damn fine to be honest. Vanilla in droves, a bit of caramel thrown in, and a hint of brown sugar to round it off. So we are off to a good start here, but again at this price it should be damn fine!
First sip is full on flavor. The caramel and vanilla notes are strong here followed immediately by a cinnamon burn. There is almost a pecan or peanut sticky bun thing going on here with a toasted nuttiness laced with sugared icing. The interesting thing I am finding is the burn is mostly on the front end with an almost soft butter toffee finish.
Overall this is pretty spectacular. At $100 a bottle I might even hit 5 stars, but as we get close to the $200 mark you have to blow me away to get a full rating. Still I would love to have this one on the shelf to share with friends on special occasions. If you can afford it don't pass one up.
169.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@hansmootho I judged this too quickly. It’s become much spicier and leaves behind an almost chalk-like mouthfeel. It reminds me of Wild Turkey but the pot still remark leaves me guessing.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I am thinking you may be right. There are some large variation on reviews. I understand some differences in barrels, but hearing your take makes me think twice about taking my chances on another bottle. Hopefully yours opens a little better and it isn't a complete waste!
@hansmootho I think you got the better barrel! I’ll have to see if mine evolves with time
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Mine says Oceanus. Did you crack yours? What did you think?
@hansmootho managed to find a “Midas” and “Pegasus” 7y at 122 proof under $100 so couldn’t help myself. Do you happen to know which mythological bottle you wound up with?
@hansmootho I feel like magic happens around 11-13y in the barrel in KY. Seems like 6-8 is a magic number in TX. The 6-8 year range can be dang good though and I consistently enjoy Bookers. That said, I’m seeing NDP 12-13y bottles popping up close to $300 which is just nuts. Makes $150 +/- sound like a steal!
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington - I was back and forth on buying it, but glad I did in the end. They also have a 13 year that I'd like to try, but not sure I want to pay that entry price!
Sounds lovely. When a pricey bottle hits all the right notes it’s a win. Seems like a gamble anymore, but one that paid off this time!