MrWizard's Ramblings

Another day, more bourbons to try. Some special some fairly common. Most will be high proof I think.

Barton/1792 Full Proof. Jackson’s Wine SP. 125 proof
Always bottled at 62.5% abv this is a single cask #3201 pick from Jackson’s Wine & Spirits. Originally priced at $45 according to the remains of the price label. Woody funk on the nose with cherries and wet tobacco. Palate is quite forward with alcohol but past that are more cherries, cola, woody, spicy and all sort of interesting flavors float up over and over again. Aftertaste lasts for quite a while and now that alcohol is mostly gone past the palate it is an absolute explosion of spices and bourbon flavors typical to 1792 line. This is not as sweet as Heaven Hill, not cinnamony like Beam, nor it is a cherry bomb like a lot of Buffalo Trace products. Yet it seems to take just a tad from everyone and combine it into something… interesting and uniquely self. The alcohol is a bit too much though even for a relatively tame proof, compared to say Bookers or Knob Creek that are very drinkable at the same proof point. A few drops of water lowers the burn and don’t seem to act too adversely on the overall flavor, perhaps making it a tad woodier. One of the few cases in bourbon where few drops of water are surprisingly welcome.
Score: B (B+ water)

Smoke Wagon Unfiltered/Uncut, 57.31% abv
Small batch regular release of cask proof Smoke Wagon MGP from sometime in 2020. The nose is musky MGP reminding me strong of Plumpjack’s SAOS pick previously reviewed here: https://www.aerin.or … y:entry200729-002755. The palate? About same as Plumpjack SAOS pick. Really really good, but basically MPG SAOS. Perhaps slightly older version due to higher wood influence. Aftertaste is an amalgamation of MGP spices, sweets and more wood. Not nearly as overwhelmingly woody compared to Joseph Magnus 13, not really all that sweet or ‘raw’ compared to some of the 5 year old SAOS picks but something in between. Overall I like this, though a full disclaimer here, I generally like MGP profile. Perhaps a touch too much wood is working against it for minor minus.
Score: B+

Ironroot Harbinger STR BRB, HBS Pick,133 Proof
A 100% Texas corn pick from Houston Bourbon Society, whom I have to admit got a pretty solid palate for good picks of those that I’ve tried in the past thanks to a group’s mole insider. Nose got singeing alcohol with more wood than I’d usually want to deal with but, at that proof it works due to flavor intensity to offset the fire, mint and apricots, lots of dried apricots. Sadly, mint and apricots mostly fade over time leaving woody spice notes to revel in. I wish it stayed fruity… but spicy woodiness is still not bad. The palate is interesting, mint and anise in the back, nutty caramel corn and wood notes in the front, it makes for quite a complete package. Reasonably long aftertaste of warm anise and woody spiciness rounds it out. Overall really good, though the proof is few points too high for me. With couple drops of water the burn is mostly gone and creamy, woody texture emerges with almost no loss of flavor. While I’m not willing to equate this to ECBP (frankly because it is NOT the same)… there are some similarities, in particular the high level of caramel and wood notes on the profile. I find this to be just as woody, but somewhat dryer and having some solidly different secondary flavors in comparison. To be fair, if one is a fan of ECBP this distillery bottlings are well worth checking out, but of course single cask disclaimer firmly applies here. While this does get a solid (wow) factor from me, the minty note isn’t something that I personally enjoy in large quantities. Aside from the mint, there’s really not much to criticize.
Score: A-

Belle Meade 11 y/o MGP, 40 mo finish in 1940s brandy casks. 112.14 proof
Data above is from the sample label, no special information given aside from that. A special treat to myself and hopefully last MGP review I will write at least for the foreseeable future. Internet suggests that this is a Belle Mead Brandy Cask special release from 2019 bottled at 118.8 proof. Nose is full of dark chocolate notes, dark leather, like an old but well cared for leather jacket. The palate is mouth-watering and frankly amazing. It’s almost savory initially and then switches over to sherry-like syrup flavor and consistency in the secondary notes. Aftertaste is all chocolate, oak and spices gently fading for a long time. This strongly reminds me of ~30 y/o Cardinat Armagnac from 1984 which was so oaked that it tasted almost sherried and I loved it for that. With the disclaimer that this isn’t for everyone as it’s sorta like a woody sherried and surprisingly tame MGP… It’s real good. Perhaps just a tad of a wood bomb yet it’s not tannic, this is seriously delicious. It does have a weird note that I’m not quite able to place, perhaps a bit of sulfur, on the primary palate profile that briefly interrupts the experience mid-way and once past it, the amazing flavors come back.
Score: A-
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Scoring Breakdown: https://www.aerin.or … age=scores_breakdown