Nose (10%): Roasted coffee beans. Brown sugar. That's a nice bit of punch. 8/10
Palate (20%): light maple syrup at the start, rich roasted barley at the mid-palate, ending with lovely toasty notes of coffee, chocolate, and light spice. 17/20
Finish (10%): rich lingering 50% cocoa chocolate. Barrel strength brings the heat, but not as bad as any other barrel strength I've had. 7/10
Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): That first sip will always have a kick, but you get used to it pretty quickly. By the third sip, this was easy, and that can be dangerous. Eventually, that sweet start hooks you, and that long, toasty finish is something to savor. 27/30
Retry on Ice (25%): Jesus, coffee, so much coffee. Not brewed coffee but coffee beans or over-concentrated cold brew. Chocolate-covered coffee beans. Very low cream/vanilla. Bitter. movie theatre raisinettes. Get this with some sambuca. A barspoon would be a cocktail in its own right. Dessert/digestive through and through. 22/25
Total Ranking: 86% Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill
Conclusion: I'm biased toward these spirits as they used to be my employer. I learned much as a bartender, bar manager, and tour guide there. Brian was our owner and was a great boss. Despite being a young single malt whiskey, there is little to no raw cracker flavor. This whiskey is big and punchy. It is so nuanced to have so few ingredients. It is young, but the heavy oak char of new American oak in a small cask gives that wood flavor in a shorter time. It does not have the same effect as 12 years in used oak, but it makes a great effort and becomes a sort of hybrid bourbon style aging but with single malt as a base. Support your small local business. These guys have a great team and great ideas.
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