Recent discussion in a local whiskey Facebook group, Arizona Whiskey Community, on the subject of underrated bottles reminded me of this gem. Ezra Brooks comes from Lux Row Distillers, many times referred to as Luxco. At this time the label is widely believed to be sourced from Heaven Hill, though Luxco has not officially confirmed nor denied this. The label proclaims the bourbon is "charcoal mellowed," which is similar to Evan Williams' "charcoal filtered" language on their label. Unlike the Lincoln County Process for Tennessee Whiskey, the charcoal filtering here occurs before bottling instead of prior to barreling and aging. Lux Row officially opened their own distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky and filled the first barrel with their distillate on January 10th, 2018. Using a 43-foot custom copper still, they have the capacity to produce 3 million gallons per year. I've initially held off purchasing a bottle due to gimmicky language on the label: "aged the old fashioned way," what does that even imply?! After picking up and tasting my first bottle, this has convinced me not to judge whiskey simply based on dubious label language alone. Consequently, this bottle can also be blamed on me trying some subpar whiskey in search of the next affordable gem. Oak char on the nose with nuts, caramel, and hint of mint. On the palate there's oak, black cherry, almond toffee, and leather. Finish starts off sweet and ends with black pepper spice.