Review #106 Type: bourbon Proof: 46.5% Comments: NAS, matured in new American oak barrels, bottle originating from barrel no. 3362 Tasted after: first up Appearance (no score): Tawny color. Swirling reveals a thin line sticking to the side of the glass, legs are slow to form. Nose: 16/20 Honey, orange peel, and molasses are most prevalent. After some time resting and additional nosing, there’s hints of pink bubble gum, cinnamon, and vanilla as well. Palate: 28/40 The mouthfeel is a bit watery, and the flavors here are somewhat muted. There’s a little oak spice, some vanilla, red apple skins, and a bit of honey. It’s one of those drams where you think to yourself, “there’s multiple flavors at work here, but they’re all so dull, nothing stands out”. Really digging in reveals additional very subtle flavors of charcoal, rye spice, and leather. Finish: 31/40 Medium finish. Oak and rye spice kick in immediately, here’s the flavor punch I’ve been waiting for! As these subside, vanilla becomes more prominent, interwoven with cinnamon and orange peel. The cinnamon prevails throughout to the end, morphing almost into black pepper as it fades. Very flavorful, but not so complex. With Water: A few drops of water adds some additional orange zest to the nose, and a light drizzle of caramel is now present on the palate. Total: 75/100 Final thoughts: This is a bourbon whiskey that smells and tastes just like you’d expect a good bourbon to smell and taste. So if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck… well then I guess it’s a good bourbon. But it’s only good. Around the US, there’s a tremendous clamor and excitement for this stuff, it’s on allocation in control states (such as where I live) and everywhere else unbelievable price gouging is at work. When a buddy of mine scooped this bottle, he had to reach out to the state department of liquor control and request information about when allocations were being dispatched, then mark his calendar and camp out at a store a couple hours in advance of the delivery. It’s a decent value when you can find it at the state controlled price of $65, but the amount of effort that goes into procuring a bottle is ridiculous. This is a round about way of saying that in my humble opinion, it’s not worth the hype or inflated prices you often see it selling for, as there’s much better bourbons out there that are easier to find and better quality. I truly believe the hype is all around the bottle and the pewter horses on the cork that people like to collect (and not drink, which is a travesty!) I enjoyed partaking in the first half this bottle with my friend after he was able to scoop it, and have fond memories of that evening. I’m also very grateful he left it for me to shelve in my library, but I don’t think I’ll be going out of my way to replace it once I’ve finished it off. Price: gift Would recommend: maybe Would buy: no Scoring Legend: 96-100: The perfect dram, absolutely exceptional, nectar of the gods, I will savor this bottle and make it last, 5 stars. 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky, 4.75 stars. 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product, 4.5 stars. 80-84: Quite good, very enjoyable to drink, but doesn’t wow me, 4.25 stars. 75-79: Good, enjoyable but ultimately flawed, unlikely to purchase again, 4 stars. 70-74: A solid dram, but wouldn't go out of my way to get it, 3.75 stars. 55-69: Drinkable, 3.5-2.75 stars. Below 55: Suitable for cooking or direct contribution to the kitchen sink drain, 2.5 stars or less.