Butchertown
Reserve Casks Brandy
Copper Pot Distilled American Brandy
62% ABV (124 proof)
~$60 (sample provided)
Note: the description for "Butchertown" reads, in part, "non-chill filtered, no added boise (oak flavor or infusion), sugar, or caramel color."
Color: medium chestnut brown - it looks darker in the bottle because of the black label.
Smell: wow, really nice. First off, at 124 proof, it's super-approachable. Smooth as could be - you can get right up in there, unlike many overproof bourbons. There are certainly some barrel flavors coming across - vanilla and caramel most prominently. It doesn't smell overly woody; instead, it smells very soft and creamy. There's a slight hint of leather, and I may be imagining things but I also feel like I can smell the slightly fruity and musty eau de vie/new make influence undergirding everything.Taste: exactly what you'd expect, given the aroma. Balanced caramel and vanilla sweetness on entry before a little alcohol warmth brings a slight oak tingle to the midpalate. The finish brings back the sweetness again, and the finish lingers nicely with caramel and vanilla interspersed with leather and that same fruity mustiness from the nose.
Overall: really good, and definitely recommended. It's not whiskey, but if you like whiskey I'm sure you'll like this. There's no direct analogue for my palate as of yet (I don't drink a ton of Cognac or Armagnac), but it's much less wood-driven than most bourbons...in a stretch, I would say it most resembles a floral unpeated Scotch aged in ex-bourbon barrels, but it's singular. Lovely stuff.
