So, I got this whisky in a weird way. The Barrel Baron is a Dutch bottler and I applaud more limited edition Bourbon being available in The Netherland. It was made available through a web shop after all pre-sales had been handled. I managed to snag one, but for some reason things went a bit strange.

Initially, as far as I remember, and keep in mind that it might just be my limited research and investigation being the culprit here, the website didn’t state the size of the bottle. Getting a 50cl one when expecting 70cl is a bit of a bummer, from a ‘price per liter’ point of view.

Also, I noticed only after ordering that I didn’t check correctly, but the main ABV mentioned was 52.5% or something. Apparently that was the cask filling strength or something, because the bottling itself is at 45%, and while it was there, you had to look for it.

So, with it not being the bourbon that I expected it to be, I tried cancelling the order but didn’t hear back from the shop in ages. Then, after several weeks the bottle suddenly just showed up. Not entirely un-understandable, but annoying nonetheless.

Hopefully the booze is good, right?

Sniff:
Fresh oak, cigars and a bit of glue. There’s a slightly roasty sweetness behind it. Not exactly popcorn, but something similar. Interestingly, it is quite light on the nose. A very clean distillate.

Sip:
The palate packs more of a punch than I expected at 45%. There’s quite some peppery heat happening, as well as dry oak and a note of tobacco. Some corn, popcorn indeed. Tree bark, acorns, some maple syrup too.

Swallow:
The finish is long and continues with the combination of popcorn, oak and pepper. It’s quite dry, not entirely surprising. A hint of almond and maple syrup close it out.

While all the flavors seem to be there, I just can’t shake the feeling that this is a rather boring Bourbon. It’s not bad, although I could have done without the glue note on the nose. It just doesn’t seem to be a dram I’ll remember in a week’s time. It’s slightly thin, and due to the peppery note on the palate a bit too hot for said thin-ness.

81/100