This is the port finish section of my barrel finished bourbon bracket. This is a blind taste test of Isaac Bowman vs Breckenridge. The tasting of Breckenridge: The nose is so delicious. It’s got cherries, grape, raisin, vanilla, and cane sugar. While I do think sangria, I don’t only think sangria. I can pick those scents out individually, which to me is the mark of a good whiskey. Body hits first with caramel. Then the port hits hard, but in a good way. Mostly cherry and sugar, but the other nose flavors are there if you look. Finish shows off more of the underlying bourbon. There’s lemon and sweet fresh bread. Is a lemon scone a thing? It’s some sort of tart desert, and it’s fantastic. For me, Isaac Bowman won out, but it was close. IB capitalizes on more of the sweet tones in port in a magical way (AE does this too.) I’d claim Breckenridge does an equally good job but with the dry tones. Nose and body of Isaac Bowman won for me, but I’d probably give the finish to Breckenridge. Overall enjoyment of IB makes it the champ. I really like what Breckenridge did here. They marry good bourbon to the port finish, and it makes a solid product that tastes more like a work of art and less like an attempt to join a fad. It’s the most expensive port finish in this competition, but it’s worth the money at least once. Port finish summary: 1st - Isaac Bowman 2nd - Breckenridge 3rd - Angel’s Envy 4th - Boondocks Disclaimer: I bring up AE a lot, and usually in an unfavorable light by comparison. I wanted to take a second to say: I actually really like AE. I have limited releases from 4 different years, a bottle I personally filled at their distillery, a display stand made from a barrel stave, and a laser-etched glass all on its own shelf in my whiskey cave. Geez that was weird to type out. Used to be simply a man cave, but apparently I’m being honest with myself tonight and speaking harsh truths about what my basement has become. Point is: I respect AE a lot for what they have done and what they have inspired in the bourbon community, this whole current experiment I’m doing included. That said: when an underdog comes out and puts up numbers on a reigning champ, you can’t help but get excited. And that’s really what my AE remarks are all about. Isaac Bowman knocked my freaking socks off. It is the best port finished whiskey on the market. And now, this one comes exceedingly close to winning, beating AE for me in all the categories except cost and nostalgia. Dollar bills be damned, I’d probably keep this guy on my shelf. But as the most expensive 2nd place finisher in this competition, I probably won’t. Shelves are only so big, you know? EDIT: out of laziness and nothing else (didn’t want to juggle 3 glasses up a fight of stairs) I poured Angel’s Envy, Breckenridge, and Isaac Bowman into one glass. The result may be better than any of the drinks individually...