Age: 18-year

Proof: 127

Mash bill: 75/15/10

Tasting Notes: The nose is engulfing, as one might expect for an 18-year bourbon still hanging onto 127 proof. Deep and tightly packed, it begins to open with beautiful cigar box and warming tobacco notes, layered with thick leather and a buttery, sweet, antique oak.

The palate is traditional bourbon, reduced. There’s an abundance of heavy demerara syrup, cocoa powder, Big Red soda, sweet leather, and a wave of surprisingly balanced oak… and a lot of it. Gripping, dense, powerful. Underneath, a layer of blackberry syrup and a bit of dried fruit: cranberry and raisin.

The finish is bourbon-infused French silk pie, complete with dark chocolate shavings. Rich, slightly smoky, and continuing long with that sweet, antique oak. A sure bet.