Nose: Fresh toast, right from the toaster but not burnt. Thick honey, demerara sugars, french vanilla and roasted chocolate covered peanuts. All bourbon on the nose so far until pleasantly light natured barley pokes his head through like Jack Nicholson in The Shining. But their is nothing terrifying about the fresh straw and light grains that hold the funk which possesses an almost green, seed like quality. Raisin, cranberry, vanilla nougat, yellow corn, scone batter and some french toast with a healthy dose of powdered sugar. Tons of breakfast like qualities on this nose – like the inside of a breakfast cereal box filled with cereal grains smothered with a large dollop of honey drizzled all over. Underneath the breakfast is freshly cut oak lumber, but not in the green sense, more youthful again which is interesting considering how heavily charred we all know these barrels were. Through some final whiffs this nose delivered some personal nostalgia, and appropriately so with Thanksgiving around the corner. My grandmother who passed away about 4 years ago comes back to me as I nose this and i’m reminded of spending much of my younger days with her and her best friend while picking out roasted mixed nuts that were never in short supply on the coffee table for guests (and a gluttonous grandson) out of this old, dark well polished mahogany serving bowl: walnuts, cashews, pecans, almonds and peanuts doused in finely grated sugar. I can still remember wiggling my grubby little fingers through that never half empty bowl, looking for the best nuts, roasted to perfection. Peanut brittle says a quiet farewell. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Palate: Spices from the moment this hits your tongue but they stay in check never taking off or overwhelming your palate; cinnamon and wood spices. As the nose implied, you can tell this whiskey was aged in heavily charred barrels. Brown sugars, white corn, nutty with a light but pleasant funk which displays itself in more the synthetic sense, almost plastic, but its subtle and you must listen for it like a whisper in the wind. Mid palate brings a layer of barrel char, cocoa, blonde coffee and honey dripping off the tip of your tongue which then turns to oak and burnt sugars with a pinch of black pepper sprinkled on top. Big maple syrup, and some acetone in the form of furnish polish. Overall playful and chewy – love this youthful barley. Delicately toasted oak spices round things off. Really good stuff. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Finish: Medium-long in length. Final kick shows sweet cinnamon spices that fade semi quick. Barrel char, vanilla, chocolate, caramel, dark coffee, more burnt sugars, black pepper and char from the breakfast toast that started us out on the nose. Light acetone notes persist and oak tannins from the barrel cling to your tongue for dear life. Lastly are reminders of the nut shells that you also had with the toast, more in the form of chestnut along with some wet musty bramble and burnt matchbook. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Bourbon and House Rating: 90 _______________________________________________ www.bourbonandhouse.com