Henry McKenna Single-Barrel Bottled-In Bond They say you can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. And like seeing an old friend, I never tire of Henry McKenna. I’ve picked it for a reason: it’s multidimensional and comfortable at the same time. It’s complex. It’s not high-maintenance: it doesn’t need an ice cube, or bitters, or simple syrup, or a fancy glass. Certainly not a fussy umbrella. It carries a certain gravitas. It’s no wallflower, and has something to say, but not on the lunatic fringe. There are no hard edges, unless you hit it hard—in which case it will hit back and you’ll be unceremoniously shown the door. Reciprocal respect. Old friends are well-known. The bottle is the same. The color is the same (mahogany consistent with its time spent in barrel). The mannerisms are the same. Like a friend’s occasional new haircut, there are subtle differences in flavor profile from one year, or one barrel, to another. This bottle shows lots of bourbon typicity in a not-gentle way: vanilla wafer, pomander, Cocoa Puffs cereal, a little barbecue sauce funk, apple cider, and chocolate-covered cherries. Juicy on the palate with more apple cider, more vanilla, and a nice Kentucky hug. Long finish with more vanilla wafer and Cocoa Puffs, along with the oak that makes that happen. For some time in this neck of the woods, Henry McKenna became hard to find, and when you did find it, the prices were inflated. I now see it regularly in the $60-65 range, which is a relative value. Would I buy it again? I already have; there are a few bottles in inventory. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. Tasted in a Glencairn glass (old friends oblige benevolent critique). 100-proof. 10-year age statement. Barrel #15163; barreled on 6/6/2013.