Cask Strength
Kentucky Straight Bourbon "Whisky"
Batch No. 15-01
55.65% ABV (111.3 proof)
paid $31 for 375ml bottle (big one is $60)
Color: medium golden brown
Smell: I noticed sweetness (syrupy pancakes) as well as a bit of dusty oak. Very pleasant and smooth smelling...not much noticeable alcohol heat coming off, despite the high proof.
Taste: in keeping with the nose, for the most part. Straightforward sweetness upfront on a soft entry, with notes of caramel and vanilla. The transition brings in some cinnamon spice. Not kitchen cabinet cinnamon...candy cinnamon. Holding this whiskey (sorry...whisky) in your mouth is similar to popping a caramel cube candy and a stick of pre-chewed Big Red gum in there and chomping away. Pre-chewed because the cinnamon is there, but it's not "holy shit my mouth is on fire" present. The medium-length and slightly drying finish re-introduces that dusty oak element from the nose.Overall: it's good, but not deserving of the crazed hype in my opinion. What sets this apart is its drinkability: even at cask strength, this is very smooth-smelling and shockingly approachable on the palate without the need for water. If you like Maker's, you'll love this. My main gripe is that it's a little too simple. You get sweetness, a bit of cinnamon spice, and a bit of oak on the finish, but they're all disparate and short-lasting notes. From a NAS wheater, I should probably expect this, but I guess I was holding out hope that the cask strength proof would introduce/amplify the flavors to huge levels. All that said, this is a solid B bourbon and a decent value considering the proof. My non-bourbon drinking in-laws both loved a pour of it, which speaks to its broad appeal. As a whiskey/whisky geek, I would be really intrigued to taste this if it was aged in the neighborhood of 10-12 years instead of 6-ish.
