washeewashee_reviews
Van Winkle Special Reserve Lot "B" 12 Year
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
November 28, 2017 (edited December 23, 2017)
2017 Release Reviewed
Nose - Very sweet/fruity nose, strawberry hard candies, hint of Werther's, butterscotch, milk chocolate.
Taste - Sweet and lightly drying mouthfeel, strawberry hard candies, hint of sweet cinnamon red hot heat, butterscotch, vanilla caramels, lightly bitter oak tail.
Finish - Lingering cinnamon sweet heat, fruity strawberry/cherry candies, lingering lightly fruity bitterness, oaky fruity/floral vanilla.
Score - 92/100
Final Thoughts - I absolutely loved the nose on this one as it was almost zero alcohol burn and was just pure vanilla fruity sweet. Once it hits the palate, it delivers most of what you get in the nose but also introduces a cinnamon spice component. Sadly I don't get as much chocolate on the palate as I would've liked but you can't win them all. The finish is medium long in that the sweet cinnamon fruitiness lingers a bit and fades to this kind of weird bitter/green/sapling oak. Overall this has been better than most of the "Weller" line that I've had to date and I guess I can see why as this is one of the "cherry picked" barrels, but didn't quite make the cut to be Pappy. Overall very tasty and if it can be found at or around retail, I'd say go for it.
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