BULLEIT MESQUITE SMOKED MALT BOURBON *APPEARANCE: Color is a surprisingly light 1.3 Russet on the color chart. Takes a long time to form small slow moving droplets. *NOSE: The high malt content and the Mesquite smoke are obvious from the first sniff. Let it sit a bit more and notes of Pound Cake with sugar glaze, Vanilla, and Dry Dusty Rickhouse emerge. However, the Mesquite continues to dominate. *NEAT: Oh, wow. This starts SWEET with a heavy dose of Vanilla Buttercream Icing. Mid-palate brings Oak and Black Pepper. The backend is where the Mesquite shows up, and in a big way. Campfire Smoke, Ash, Barrel Tannins. Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Mesquite, and Ash coat and layer on the palate. It’s almost like eating burnt ends washed down with Bourbon. BIG KYHug glows in your chest. This is an intense Bourbon. *SPLASH: A little water and the sweetness turns to Cinnamon RedHots or Atomic Fireball. It either reduces the smoke and ash a little or my mouth is just becoming more accustomed to them. It doesn’t reduce the KYHug, but it does delay it a bit. *VERDICT: This is Bulleit’s first mashbill to contain no rye (65% Corn, 30% Mesquite Smoked Malted Barley, and 5% Malted Barley). This drinks similar to an Islay Whisky. That same clingy, ashy coating. The sweetness is much bolder and more upfront than a Peated Scotch, but the overall experience is very similar. Big Vanilla/Caramel/Cinnamon vs. Apple/Pear/Floral. It’s been a while since I’ve had High West’s Campfire (blend of bourbon, rye, and Peated Scotch). It may have been this good? I was expecting something akin to Pegleg Porker or Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke (both of which I really like), but what I got was punched in the face by a Campfire wrapped in a sweet velvet glove. If you’re a fan of Peated Scotch and Bourbon, this is a good combination. If you’ve never experienced a Peated Whisky, this may be a good jumping off point. I was pleasantly surprised by this one, and all props to Bulleit for stepping out of the box. I really like it. 4.25 Stars