ContemplativeFox
Old Carter 13 Year Kentucky Bourbon Single Barrel #98 (2020 Release)
Bourbon — Kentucky , USA
Reviewed
June 24, 2021 (edited June 25, 2021)
Rating: 19/23
N: Nutty and sweet. Maybe hazelnuts with caramel sauce. It smells like a delicious dessert. After giving it a little time, some wood starts coming out. It's blends in nicely, adding complexity and maturity. The wood brings with it vanilla and spices (ginger, cinnamon, and clove). I get hints of milk chocolate at times too. The complexity, balance, and decadence are all really on-point. It smells very nicely matured.
P: Big and bold with richness and fullness. Tons of spice (clove, cinnamon, and pepper) up front, checked by some a little sweet but undercooked caramel. There's a clear layer of wood that's a bit louder than I'd expected and really comes out toward the middle of the palate. Hints of milk chocolate are around, but they never become very strong. Some tartness starts coming out, bringing in bitter orange peel.
I never quite get a char flavor out of the wood - it's more just a lot of wood with cloves and heat. I get surprisingly little nuttiness in the palate - and what I do get is mixed with some minerals and sour mash. The complexity here is nice, but the balance is a bit off.
A few drops of water bring out some more oily funky must and mellows the heat substantially. It becomes richer and a tad sweeter, with maybe a bit more nuttiness (though maybe it's just more toastiness). Adding more water actually somehow increases the burn substantially.
Side by side with Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve, I get a bit of a caramel molasses rum flavor from this. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 also tastes like dessert in comparison.
F: Wood and spice. A bit of tartness with a hint of orange peel, but that's about it. A bit more going on in the finish would be really nice.
- Conclusion -
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21) crushes this in terms of complexity. This is definitely not as good of a bourbon.
Would I take this over Wild Turkey 116.8 (18) or Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve (19)? It's a tough call. This is tasty with some bold, mature flavors, but it's not super complex and the heat is borderline overwhelming. I briefly had this up at a 20, but now I'm thinking it's more of an 18 or 19. I'll give it the 19.
Thanks to @pkingmartin for the sample :)
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