Stuff that is not available in Europe, part whatever. I picked this one up in Chicago two years ago, and decided it was high time to empty my bottle and write a review. This seems to be a thing with whiskies in my own collection. I write the reviews only right before having the last (often sizeable) dram of the bottle.

While this was on Whiskybase at the time, the one review that was there was good enough to consider buying it. I thought I had heard about the brand on social media and other bottlings by the brand were getting decent scores too. It sat with other brands on the top shelves at Binny’s, without going into the booze humidor / cage thingy that was also in the shop.

Setting me back some $ 140-ish (if memory serves), it wasn’t exactly cheap but my experience in getting upper echelon bourbon in Europe is that it starts way higher, and that’s before people know it’s good stuff.

Sniff:
Immensely rich with lots of oak, vanilla, pastry cream and a hint of mint in the background. Spices, toasted oak, quite rye heavy, I’d say.

Sip:
For a whisky at almost 60% it’s surprisingly gentle. A tad dry, with a lot of oak and warming vanilla. A kind of an apple pie thing too, with cinnamon and baked apple. Later on it veers towards dried tobacco leaves, very autumnal.

Swallow:
The finish is big and dry, not as sweet and syrupy. Quite long with the autumnal notes lasting longest. Baked and dried apple, cinnamon and dried leaves.

This is immensely soothing. Even though the ABV is up there, it didn’t feel hot and was dangerously drinkable. It’s very warming and autumnal, and wouldn’t be misplaced if I was sitting in a rocking chair on a porch somewhere. If I had a rocking chair or a porch, that is. A bummer it’s gone.

91/100