The “Old Guy Crew” at IHOP have been given me a hard time over the past several months once they found out I’m out here on Distiller saying I’ve become a “whiskey snob”. As a result they have given me some less than desirable bottles recently (Old Crow, Yukon Jack) or bourbons that they thought I wouldn’t like or appreciate, well they were seriously wrong this time. Maybe it’s just me but up to this point I found wheated bourbon to be somewhat predictable and kinda boring, however this one was different and I was delightfully surprised. Probably the most recognized wheated bourbon on the market is MM, well there’s a bit more to this one and I’m not talking about the small bump in proofing. Heaven Hill has done a good job here in producing a wheated bourbon that can cast its own shadow. The flavor profile is more outspoken than MM, apricot and soft honey on the nose, baking spices with butterscotch sweetness balancing the body and I picked up a slight aniseed as well, cinnamon and light maple finishes it off moderately. The body and mouth feel isn’t as rich and full as I’d like but it had far more to offer as far as the flavor profile was concerned. Wheated bourbon, has it completely changed my perception? Not yet, but this one was good enough to try another wheater 👍🏼. ...I’ll play their game, maybe next I’ll tell them I don’t like Scotch. (truth is I can’t afford a good Scotch, then again neither can they LOL).