Tag: Brian Dawson

Larceny Barrel Proof C922

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Larceny Barrel Proof C922 Review:

reviewed 19-September-2023

LARCENY BARREL PROOF C922 BOURBON REVIEW:

Larceny Barrel Proof C922 (Larceny C922) surprises with minimal alcohol presence despite its high ABV. I sense warm sherry notes in its balanced aroma and flavors of dark berries, vanilla, brown sugar, woody caramel, and Bit ‘o Honey candy. And while the spice car of cinnamon, ginger, black pepper lags behind, barrel tannins, weathered oak timbers, barrel spice, and burnt oak notes, affirm its earthy character. This interesting and broody pour would be welcome on a blustery winter’s evening, inside by a roaring fire.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF C922 VITAL STATS:

Category: Barrel Proof Wheated Bourbon
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Mashbill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Barley
Barrel Char: #3
Age: nas (Heaven Hill states batches contain six to eight year old bourbon)
Entry Barrel Proof: 125
ABV: 63.3% (126.6 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 18860
Fair Price: $101.76 (BoozApp, September 2023)
Price: $64.95 USD (Idaho, 2022)
Distillery Release Date: September 2022
Availability: Limited, Tri-annual Batch Release
Batch: C922
▪”C” Third (last) release of the year
▪”9″ Released in September
▪”22″ of the year 2022

The Larceny line of Bourbon is the modern heir of our historic wheated mashbill, known behind-the-scenes at our distillery as “O.F.D.” or Old Fitzgerald Distillate.

Learn more at Heaven Hill Distillery.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

On Day 19 of the 2023 30 Bourbons in 30 Days Challenge, the first one and a half ounces mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating the pours, four once review amounts went into a Glencairn and a Weck. After posting on social media, my daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as I prepared this review. About 30 minutes had gone by before my first sip.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF C922 NOSE:

The initial sip of Larceny C922 surprises with its minimal alcohol presence, despite its 63+ ABV. Instead, it offers a gentle and warm sherry note, accompanied by an array of blossoms and herbs. With additional nosing, dark berries, caramel-dipped apple slices, pluots, and figs emerge, along with hints of allspice, nutmeg, and white pepper. As the aromas unfold, notes of crisp gingerbread, subtle vanilla, brown sugar, woody caramel, and a touch of Bit ‘o Honey candy introduce a rich sweetness. Crushed peanuts, weathered oak timbers, and burnt oak notes, coupled with a hint of freshly tooled leather, contribute to a charred and earthy complexity.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF C922 PALATE:

In the mouth, Larceny C922 reveals some similarities but introduces a new new elements as well. With the first sips, there’s a pronounced alcohol bite and a strong, hot burn. After the initial roughness subsides, I discern notes of herbal roasted corn and in the sips which follow, I taste a deep, plum and fig-like darkness. As I reflect on the flavor, it conjures a blend of red raisins, prune, cinnamon, ginger, and black pepper, accented by hints of bitter dark chocolate. Additional dark sweets, including Bit ‘o Honey candy, nearly burnt brown sugar, and chocolate-dipped bitter walnut toffee, reinforce my impressions. As I taste on, the presence of barrel tannins, weathered oak timbers, toasted wood, and char, which were detected on the nose, contribute to the C922’s overall earthy theme.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
As noted above, Larceny C922 is balanced in its dark fruit and sweet but dark sugary notes but C922 is a bit faint on the flora and heavy on woody notes. Each sip can be challenging to hold, being quite prickly on the gums and rough on the tongue, but I tend to like an aggressive bourbon. Once I become accustomed to the burn, the pour is buttery, then becomes viscous the longer it is held as saliva does its job. Between sips, a thin broken crown with a few clinging droplets forms and when tilting the glass for a drink, thin, fast falling legs drain the extra back to the mahogany colored pool.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF C922 FINISH

Larceny Barrel Proof C922 delivers an exceptionally long and lingering finish which warms the throat and esophagus. I detect the presence of dark berries, stone fruit, and fig, as well as the spices of cinnamon, ginger, and pepper previously noted on the nose and palate. Sensations of burnt brown sugar and toffee remain prominent, along with the distinct characteristics of barrel tannins, heavily seasoned oak, barrel spice, and char. In the empty Glencairn glass, the remnants of old leather and sawdust affirm the earthy nature of this pour.

MY RATING: 89/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 89/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click Larceny.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Larceny Barrel Proof C922
Larceny Barrel Proof C922

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Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch Review:

reviewed 18-September-2023

HORSE SOLDIER SIGNATURE SMALL BATCH BOURBON REVIEW:

Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch (Horse Soldier Signature) greets with an aroma of faint ethanol, herbal, roasted corn, and faint wheat. There is a dark fruit leather snack which passes through to the palate in the flavors of currants, dark stone fruit, and soft prunes sprinkled with cinnamon, powder ginger, and a couple dashes of black pepper.
Then come vanilla and dark pecan toffee. And again, like I sensed on the nose, I taste the effects of dry seasoned oak, hazy and smoky sweet char along with traces of musty leather. The balance in fruits, sweets, spice, and wood are sound and the finish is long, throat warming and reminiscent of the aromas and flavors.

HORSE SOLDIER SIGNATURE SMALL BATCH VITAL STATS:
Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch

Category: Sourced, Small Batch Wheated Bourbon
Region: St. Petersburg, FL
Distillery*: American Freedom Distillery
*Distilled by and stored in Ohio at Middle West Spirits
Mash Bill: 70% corn (yellow dent), 20% wheat (soft red winter), 10% malted barley
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: nas
ABV: 47.5% (95 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 26576
Fair Price: $88.10 (BoozApp, September 2023)
Price: $69.95 (Idaho, Summer 2023)

HORSE SOLDIER SIGNATURE BOURBON BACKSTORY

Immediately following [the 9/11] attacks on our nation, the USA responded with a daring insertion of small teams of Green Berets into northern Afghanistan. The Northern Alliance successfully overthrew Mazar-i-Sharif, a Taliban stronghold, with the support of these brave men. This region’s inhospitable, mountainous terrain made efforts and enemy engagements on wild Afghan horses a necessity for one Special Operations team (ODA595). Nicknamed the “Horse Soldiers”, all these brave men are honored today by America’s Response Monument overlooking “Ground Zero” in New York City. [In addition,] our bottles … are molded with World Trade Center steel.

— American Freedom Distillery

Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch

*Website notes include the following statement:
“Due to federal alcohol regulations we must leverage a third party partner for fulfilment.”
Partner Distillery: Middle West Spirits in Columbus, OH

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

By alternating the pours, I added about four ounces into a Glencairn and a Weck. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat while I prepared this review, drinking from the Glencairn.

HORSE SOLDIER SIGNATURE SMALL BATCH NOSE:

In Horse Soldier Signature’s warming aroma of faint ethanol, I sense herbal, roasted corn, and faint wheat. Deeper draws pick out dark berry nectar, a trace of cherry, currant, and prune mixed with allspice, ginger, and white pepper, pressed into a dark fruit leather snack. Delights of yeasty wheat bread, and light vanilla infused orange sponge cake are here as well. These treats and baked goods compete for attention with brown sugar, slightly burnt caramel, and nutty pecan toffee. As I continue to breath in, dry, seasoned oak and hazy char add musty and earthy depth.

HORSE SOLDIER SIGNATURE SMALL BATCH PALATE:

The first sip of Horse Soldier Signature offeres a warm mild bite. Like on the nose I taste roasted corn and with careful consideration, wheat. In the next sips I find currants, dark stone fruit, and soft prunes sprinkled with cinnamon, powder ginger, and a couple dashes of black pepper. Then come light vanilla and sweet brown sugar, dark caramel, dark pecan toffee. And again, like I sensed on the nose, I taste the effects of dry seasoned oak, hazy and smoky sweet char along with traces of musty leather.

Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Horse Soldier Signature is a well blended and balanced bourbon in its fruits, sweets, spice, and wood. In my mouth I get a mild tongue tickle and each sip becomes quite oily the longer it is held. In the glass, a thin inverted crown with small clinging droplets hangs above the tawny-colored pool while thin, fast draining legs transport the liquid left after a sip, back to the bowl.

HORSE SOLDIER SIGNATURE SMALL BATCH FINISH

Horse Soldier Small Batch gives a long throat warming, wheaty, soft and mellow finish. As I swallow, I sense barrel tannins, the sweetness of corn and the memory of dark prunes. On the back of the palate and in my throat, I feel cinnamon, ginger, and pepper along with dark vanilla, deep brown sugar caramel and dark toffee dipped in milk chocolate. As the sweets fade, dry seasoned oak, and hazy, smoky sweet char drift in. And when the last sip is taken, the empty Glencairn smells of fresh cut oak planks and the inside of an empty Whoppers box.

MY RATING: 90/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 90/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click American Freedom Distillery.

REVIEW BACKSTORY:

During the summer of 2023, our local whiskey club held a two month long blind taste-off where 24 of us each donated a bottle by pouring samples into 1 oz Boston Rounds. The prepared samples were dispersed and over 24 days we attempted to identify what we were drinking.

On Day 7 of the competition, Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch came up. Until then, I had not had it before and as I sipped, I got close on the proof but couldn’t tell it was a wheater. I didn’t care for the sample. The group’s concensus was similar. Of course none of us knew what it was until after the big reveal.

My opinion changed while preparing this review and I don’t know what altered my opinion … Maybe it was because I knew what it was, maybe the bigger review portion in the glass made the difference, or maybe it was because I just came off a week of Elijah Craig Barrel Proofs and other offerings from Heaven Hill as I participated in the 30 Bourbons in 30 Days Challenge.

Whatever the cause … like it and I think our readers might too. Go get a bottle and see for yourself (and maybe another for the bunker).

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch
Horse Soldier Signature Small Batch

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Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond

Posted on by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Review:

reviewed 17-September-2023

HEAVEN HILL BOTTLED-IN-BOND BOURBON REVIEW:

Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond (HH BiB) is one of the most peculiar bourbons I have had opportunity to enjoy. This is not to say there is anything wrong with it, in fact in my opinion, it is a solid “B” performer. What makes it unusual is its aroma, palate and finish are like looking into a mirror. No single element outshines the other. It is unlikely I will seek it out, but should one become available and I’m trying to build relationships with a particular Liquor Store’s staff, I wouldn’t say no to adding another to the bunker.

HEAVEN HILL BOTTLED-IN-BOND VITAL STATS:
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond

Category: Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
Region: Bardstown, KY
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
Barrel Char: #3
Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: 7 Years
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
Fair Price: $71.36 (BoozApp, August 2023)
Paid: $49.95 (Oregon, Spring 2023)
No unique batch or bottle number identifiers

“This Kentucky Bourbon pays tribute to the earliest days of the Distillery’s history when in 1939 it released Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond. The namesake brand quickly became the number-one-selling Bourbon whiskey in the state of Kentucky. Still today, the craftsmanship poured into this bottle by the same founding family meets the exacting standards first set forth in the Bottled-in-Bond act of 1897.”

Learn more at Heaven Hill Distillery.

ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:

By alternating pours, I added about four ounces into a Glencairn and a Weck. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat while I prepared this review.

HEAVEN HILL BOTTLED-IN-BOND NOSE:

When first brought to my nose I sense warm, herbal, roasted corn bathing in mild ethanol. In another waft, dried fruits of apricot, currants, and raisin though few, seem freshened with a squeeze of acidic citrus. Breathing in HH BiB, I smell classic spices of cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and rye which blend with nearly caramelized, light vanilla infused simple syrup, with hint of dark molasses drizzled over bitter hazelnuts. Though the wood does not dominate the pour, there is enough dry seasoned oak and little hazy toasted wood along with a touch of earthy leather treat the senses.

HEAVEN HILL BOTTLED-IN-BOND PALATE:

The flavors in HH BiB, nearly mimic what I sensed on the nose. Warm herbal, roasted corn dance on the tongue with currants and raisins and now a bit of bitter and acidic citrus. Though I cannot tell what the fruit is, I taste cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and rye blended in a jar of red berry jam. The sugary sweetness is somewhat diminished but I do still find rich vanilla in soft caramelizing simple syrup topped over hazelnuts as well. And under it all, there’s the dry seasoned oak and hazy toasted wood I’ve come to expect from Heaven Hill.

Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
HH BiB is a simple but well balanced bourbon. No single component outshines the other, to the degree some might deem this a simple pour. The first sips give the tongue a manageable tickle but the liquid is creamy and becomes oily the longer it is held. As the glass is swirled, a thick and solid crown is formed, then clinging droplets break and quickly fall. After each sip, thin medium legs break from the veil transporting the liquid back to the dark carrot colored pool.

HEAVEN HILL BOTTLED-IN-BOND FINISH

I could have almost cut and pasted my notes for the warm medium-long finish of HH BiB from the remarks above. In the mouth and on the tongue I sense roasted corn, currants, raisin and the bitter acidity of citrus zest. An aftertaste of cinnamon, pepper, and rye pairs nicely with sensations of vanilla simple syrup and slightly bitter hazelnuts. As each sip fades away, dry seasoned oak and hazy toasted wood remind me of the pour’s balance. And when the last dram is downed, swept dry oak sawdust piles waft from the empty Glencairn.

MY RATING: 85/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 85/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click Heaven Hill Distillery.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond
Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond

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