The fun part about this little project I've put together is, I get to look at my selection and come back to some bottles I haven't really tried in a while. Despite having all these bottles to choose from I really don't drink at the house all that often (or at all really) The result is I have a bunch of bottles with a couple tastes taken out of them and don't try them again for a couple of years. That's the case with today's bourbon. I remember seeing this really interesting looking bottle and thinking, eh, it's under 30 bucks let's give it a try. That bottle was Ezra Brooks Single Barrel.
The picture here isn't the best, but visually, this bottle is one of my favorites. This label is from Luxco out of St Louis. Luxco can sometimes bring about some controversy because they don't actually distill anything. They source all their juice. I for one don't care as long as the stuff tastes good. In this case, the whiskey comes from Heaven Hill.
Alright, let's talk about this whiskey.
I bought this for something like 28 bucks but think it can get as high as 35 depending on where you get it. The color is light amber and the proof is 99. It's aged 12 years. I have to think 12 years old from Heaven Hill, it could be stuff that didn't make the cute for Elijah Craig, but who knows.
THE NOSE: The nose on this is great. Very sweet. I'm hit right away with Vanilla, Carmel and brown sugar. I can also pick up on the corn in this one, but it's mostly sweet.
TASTE: This one pulls a fast one on you. The nose is very sweet, but the palate isn't. It's very dry an oaky. Also, eh corny. I can really taste the corn. There is a punch of spice too. You really don't get a lot of sweet notes on the palate. The finish is long, the flavor lingers for a while.
THE VERDICT: I actually really like this bourbon, it just confuses the senses a bit. You are expecting something really nice and sweet from the nose, and the palate really doesn't have any of that. It is similar to Elijah Craig, but has a little more burn to it. If you want something that looks good on the shelf, but also has a pretty good taste at a lower price, this is a good one. For a single barrel option, it's not bad. If you like Heaven Hill stuff like Elijah Craig or Evan Williams Single Barrel, you will enjoy this one. You can also find this one quite a bit. I may not pay 35 if you see it priced that way, but if it's around 27, what the hell, it's a pretty good pour.
