Rare Breed
Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
56.4% ABV (112. 8 proof)
paid $38
Color: light golden brown
Smell: definitely on the spicy/racy side of bourbon. Lots of cinnamon on the initial whiff, along with peanuts. There's also some vanilla sweetness, toasty oak, and a little mint. Really nice, and very approachable at barrel proof.
Taste: big honey sweetness upfront, and then it goes to spicetown really quickly on the midpalate with the cinnamon Red Hots candy and peanuts from the nose. It's intensely flavorful but also surprisingly smooth, considering the proof. The finish brings in a little toasty oak and slight throat warmth, but there's also a pleasing residual sweetness with a little bit of mint. Really like this.Overall: very solid "A" for me, and in my opinion one of the best deals in whiskey assuming you can get it under $40. Highly recommended. I'm eager to eventually set up a series of blind tastings, and my guess is that this will beat out some of the limited release/impossible-to-find bourbons.
