"Original 107 Brand"
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
53.5% ABV (107 proof)
paid $25
Color: medium brown with some burnt orange tint
Smell: rich but smooth, with a lot of maple syrup sweetness prominent, along with some dark berry fruit in the background. Also some alcohol/solvent heat in the form of funiture polish - this doesn't hide its 107 proof nature.
Taste: hot upfront - solventy. The maple syrup tries to take over, but the whiskey is thin on the tongue and just stays hot. There's a cinnamon and oak spiciness that comes in slightly during the transition, but it's jarring. The finish is short and stays hot.Overall: really not a huge fan of this: C/C+. It smells much better than it tastes - the maple syrup sweetness and smooth richness give a slight hint of what makes the Van Winkle profile so appealing. That said, it falls apart on the palate for me and is a bad mixture of thin, hot, and turpentine. In this wheated category, I would highly recommend Maker's Cask Strength and Rebel Yell Small Batch Reserve over it.
