TASTING NOTE:
Nose: The nose exhibits some common malt whiskey traits of soft and creamy grains which I find very similar to Malt O’ Meal hot cereal. There’s a soft aroma of ripe orchard fruits, cherry blossoms and vanilla bean pods. The sweet scents on the nose are reminiscent of a mixture of honey and maple syrup. With so many fresh and sweet scents, one could conceivably think that this is younger than it actually is, let alone that the primary spirit here is a dark and heavy MGP bourbon. But there is an inviting layer of oak spice that shows off its unmistakably MGP-esque body.
Palate: A spicy pop of peppercorns and Vietnamese cinnamon comes to the front of the palate. It kind of surprises me for only 110 proof, but it does eventually settle down. A sweet Irish Whiskey malty-ness washes over my tongue throughout the whole dram. The taste of sweet apple cider mixed with the acidic tang of a little bit of apple cider vinegar gives this finished bourbon a quality that I can’t say I’ve ever experienced before in a whiskey, but it’s pleasant and does not detract from the experience. Baking cinnamon, clove and peppermint provide a powerful punch of flavor that brings you back around the heavy rye bourbon underneath. Speaking of the bourbon, there’s a decent amount of drying oak that mingles with all of the flavors that gives depth and richness to all of the other flavors on the palate.
Finish: Nancy Fraley said that they used some 20 year old bourbon barrels in this blend and it shows. The oak is reminiscent of licking the wall of an old barn. It’s not a bad trait at all, but it’s fun to see how much oak sticks around, giving it a rich aftertaste that lasts for minutes after the last sip. The tannins don’t stop there because there’s a lot of dried leather in the mix as well as a tiny amount of extremely dark chocolate that will occasionally pop up. I also get a sort of fried apple fritter donut aftertaste with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Overall, the sweetness from the nose and palate are turned down on the finish as the old, oaky bourbon gives your taste buds its final farewell
