Background: This bourbon comes to us by way of Kentucky distillery Heaven Hill. This bourbon was aged for 12 year before being batched together at Barrel Proof and then bottled.
ABV: 66.7%
Nose: The nose on this is amazing, and despite the 66.7% content, I don’t get a huge blast of alcohol on the nose. The first scent that hits the nose, is Caramel, followed by a kind of sweet honey smell similar to toffee. It finishes with vanilla undertones that is also accompanied by a little bit of what I think is oak.
Palate: Up front, you get the initial burn from the alcohol. After that, the taste is a little thick on the palate but there is a lot going on here. The initial blast is that of Caramel which lingers on your palate. Underneath is the hints of vanilla and oak that I got on the nose. Add in the tiniest hint of spice and black pepper underneath there overall and excellent palate.
Finish: The finish is a warm and dry oakyness at first that is replaced by a mix of vanilla and caramel that lingers warmly on the back on your tongue for a medium length finish that is quite interesting and good.
Conclusion: I happened across this one day on the way home and immediately fell in love. Barrel proofs are my thing and this is a good one. It’s very easy to drink with great deep flavors inside of it thanks to the Barrel Proof. My only regret is not buying a 2nd bottle to bunker as I feel that, like the Stagg Jr., this is going to disappear quicker than I want it to. This is an excellent dram that I have not had any other Batches of and I look forward to picking up future releases. I also got it for MSRP at $50 so this has great value to boot.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect