Brian’s Larceny Barrel Proof B522 Review:
reviewed 28-September-2022
LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 BOURBON REVIEW:
From the nose to the palate and even a bit on the finish, Larceny Barrel Proof B522 (Larceny BP B522) has a strong alcohol presence. Herbal roasted corn blends with wheaty notes as do dark cherries and faint peaches. Dark baking elements of cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter mix with cocoa, vanilla, brown sugar, making for a delicious treat. BP B522 offers a medium long finish of dry, toasted oak and leather in a pleasant wave of warmth. Read on to learn more about this wheated barrel proof offering from Heaven Hill.
LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 BOURBON 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: 61.9% (123.8 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 18860
Availability: Tri-anual Limited Release
Batch: B522
▪”B” Second release of the year
▪”5″ Released in May
▪”22″ Released in 2022
Price: $64.95 USD (Idaho, 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:
Taken out of the newly opened bottle, 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 two Glencairns. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat as we prepared this review.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 NOSE:
Larceny BP B522 greets the nose with aggressively strong ethanol alcohol. While it takes time to acclimate, I can coax herbal roasted corn and wheaty grain. With careful concentration, fruit aromas abound … Dark cherries, unripe peaches, orange citrus, and mashed bananas. I am reminded of a freshly made Orange Julius from the shopping mall. Then come baking spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered green pepper mixed in melted butter, cocoa, and vanilla. The sweets build as buttery hard candy and burnt brown sugar caramel come together in dark hazelnut toffee. As I contemplate and continue to nose the confection, faint dry-seasoned oak fades into hazy and toasted smoky-sweetness, bounded in faint leather.
LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 PALATE:
As with other Larceny BP offerings, B522 gives the mouth a hot but herbal roasted corn and wheaty alcohol bite. I am always surprised at this, as the sensation is what I’ve come to expect from a ryed barrel proof bourbon not something with a wheated pedigree. Further sips bring cherry pipe tobacco then gingered peaches and cinnamoned prunes. There is pepper here too and some nutmeg sprinkled in brown butter and vanilla over crushed graham crackers. Sweetness comes as dark brown sugar, burnt caramel, and robust Grade B maple syrup. The aromas of dry seasoned and toasted oak along with notes of leather pass to the palate as well.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Larceny BP B522 gives the mouth and throat a rough and gritty workout. As I become accustomed to the sensation, my saliva makes the liquid viscous and oily but I still get quite a tickle on the tongue. The flora and fruit are well balanced with sweetness and wood having a touch more impact. As each sip is taken, a thick veil breaks into fat evenly spaced long clinging legs. Then inside the Glencairn a fine thin crown breaks into tiny dots which dribble slowly above a deep, dark, and rich mahogany pool.
LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 FINISH:
Larceny Barrel Proof B522 offers a medium long finish with a wave of warmth. The herbal roasted corn passes through as do dark fruits and baking spices. Ginger lingers, but the sweetness has faded into dark mocha, light vanilla, and toffee. The empty Glencairn is full of oak sawdust and faint alcohol drifts in and out. This is a nice but hot pour.
MY RATING: 89/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Like other Heaven Hill barrel proof offerings, I will always be on the lookout for the next Larceny BP when released.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 87/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other reviews from this brand, click Larceny.
WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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