Larceny Bourbon Review Archives – Whiskey for the Ages

Larceny Barrel Proof B522

Posted on 10-October-202210-October-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

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.}

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WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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Larceny Barrel Proof B522 Review

Posted on 10-October-202210-October-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Larceny Barrel Proof B522 Review

Original review written September 28, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Unfortunately, my least favorite of the Larceny Barrel Proof bunch. It’s on the simpler side with traditional bourbon warmth being the only major offering here. 75/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
– Classification: Wheated Bourbon
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: Corn=68%; Wheat=20%; Barley=12%
– Casks: Char #3
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– ABV: 61.9% (123.8 proof)
– Price: $64.95 USD in 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.” of Old Fitzgerald Distillate.” – Heaven Hill Distillery

For more information, visit heavenhill.com

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the spirit neat with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian. Sister, Elora also enjoyed this pour with us.

Check out Brian’s review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

This is bourbon to have when you’re preoccupied. I imagine sitting perhaps in a music studio, surrounded by sound and ultimate focus is being channeled. This bourbon will keep the fire alive in the gut while not distracting you from the task at hand. It’s a coal powered locomotive machine of determination.

Photo by Caught In Joy on Unsplash

NOSE:

Classic Heaven Hill pepper greets the nose first, followed by a dark molasses, chocolate, and seasoned fig. Along with them is a dark maple syrup, drizzled over the top of a sweet, fluffy waffle. They all meld together well and even though this is high proof, I can really dig into the glass with an inhale, not feeling too afraid about the burn. I can find oak as well, but I think a fresh evergreen pine really lies at the heart of the wood foundation for this bourbon. There’s a bite of freshness all while being consistently soft and unaggressive. Despite the initial inhale of Heaven Hill pepper, this nose really stands out from its distillery peers, carrying dark sweet notes with it. It’s refreshing and original, and I’m looking forward to the sip of this one.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: Perhaps my favorite aspect of this bourbon, it’s raspy and settles nicely across the palate.
– Balance: Uniform in the way that there isn’t a hero here.
– Visual: Mahogany in color, this left small droplets in a haphazard crown.

– Taste: I can hold this impossibly long on the palate without feeling the burn nearly at all. And while the nose had offered many complex aromas, I’m finding initial impressions of the flavor to be a little lackluster. There’s a yeasty essence and certainly grain, but beyond this, it feels a bit plain. The alcohol grows from the chest – well beyond the ability to taste anything new, but present enough to give a hug. I keep searching and searching but all I am really met with is traditional bourbon heat. These are not flavors I am accustomed to finding in a Larceny Barrel Proof, and I find myself disappointed. If I want a deep and warm pour, I’ll reach for this, but it does not offer the complexity I have come to expect of these BP’s.

A Kentucky chew unfortunately doesn’t evoke any other flavors beyond a deeper oak. The alcohol penetrates the tongue like needles – tightly compacted to make the burn more akin to a limb falling asleep than alcohol burn.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium. The warmth is there, and it grows in intensity the longer I sit with this.
– Between Sips: Empty of extra flavors. Really only left with bourbon warmth.

– No More: This, regretfully, didn’t change the further I get into the glass. I wanted to find more flavors, and I traditionally love Larceny Barrel Proof’s for their complex, fruity flavors. They just never appeared in this bourbon.

The empty Glencairn is a beautiful oak sawdust – full of warmth and the Heaven Hill stamp I’ve been hunting for in this bourbon. Why couldn’t this be here earlier?

WORTH THE PRICE?

For $65, I’ll just say it – I’d rather buy Old Forester 1920. The bourbon warmth is the highlight of this Barrel Proof, but beyond that, I’m hitting a wall of simplicity. For $65, even in a growing price market in bourbon, I need a bit more complexity in my pour. This batch isn’t quite worth it for me.

LARCENY BARREL PROOF B522 REVIEW RATING: 75/100

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Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Review

Posted on 04-July-202204-July-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Hannah’s Larceny Barrel Proof A122 Review

Original review written June 29, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Maybe heavier on the earth and wood than other Larceny Barrel Proof’s, this one is still worth the buy – just treat it entirely as a new experience. 91/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
– Classification: Wheated Bourbon
– Age: nas (Heaven Hill states batches will contain six- to eight-year-old bourbon)
– Mash Bill: Corn=68%; Wheat=20%; Malted Barley=12%
– Casks: Char #3
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– ABV: 62.2% (124.4 proof)
– Price: $59.95 USD in Idaho in May 2022

For more information, visit heavenhill.com

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

This bourbon screams autumn to me – with the leaves found on the nose to the simply rich and earthy darkness of the overall palate. It’s something I imagine enjoying when the weather turns, and it’s misty outside with the raked leaves soaking in the moisture. The bourbon exacerbates the clean that comes from a changing season, while digging deep into the earth to reflect the fall season. Being almost 125 proof, this keeps you warm in that crisp air all the while.

Photo by Daniel Frank on Unsplash

NOSE:

Roasted grain, caramel, and cinnamon cross the nose first, hitting all sorts of flavor profiles. There’re also sweet marshmallows just on the verge of burning to a bitterness. Strangely, there’s a musty, earthy quality here as well, like a soaked pile of leaves in the fall. It’s a bit dirty, but it’s simultaneously fresh. Oak sawdust and a warm alcohol tingle, act as a solid foundation, but otherwise, this nose isn’t particularly complex. It’s dark with sweet, earthy tones – unlike other Larceny Barrel Proof’s I’ve had, but this one is still intriguing all the same.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: Viscous. There’s texture here, but it swirls around on the palate pleasantly.
– Balance: Unexpected. Not necessarily bad, but this is heavy on the earth and wood tones, with only a little fruit and sugar to brighten it. I don’t mind it, though I am used to better balances coming from Larceny BP’s.
– Visual: Terracotta pot in color, this falls from a faint crown in long, evenly spaced legs. Once gone, that faint crown lingers and lingers.

– Taste: Grain and straw offer something to chew on the first sip with soaked wood chips and apricots following behind. The apricot is pureed into almost a jam consistency with sugar included. It makes for a sweeter, yet more diluted apricot flavor overall. Mixed with the stone fruit is honey, sweetening it further while also providing a different, yet equally appropriate kind of base, to the traditional oak. Despite these sugary flavors, this bourbon is actually quite musty and earthy. It’s dark in the way that I can taste the influence of the char on not just the barrel, but also the wheat. It has age on it, which imparts a richness and dare I say – a self-awareness. This bourbon just has character.

The alcohol is present, but I don’t find it overly aggressive. The heat sits primarily at the back of the palate and doesn’t seem inclined to hug – just hang out. When I partake in a Kentucky chew, the alcohol remains mild, poking a bit more. It allows me to find some darker fruits here like cherries, but they are fleeting. Overall, the chew is a fun exercise to this bourbon.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Long. It’s been several minutes since I’ve had a sip, yet the warmth continues to sit at the back of my throat, and I do have some aftertaste lingering for a while as well.
– Between Sips: The wheat grain is the most distinguishable between sips, being musty like the rest of the palate while also acting as a grounding point overall for the bourbon.

– No More: This stays consistent throughout the glass, with the finish growing longer and longer after each sip. It’s decent, but it is unlike any of the other Larceny Barrel Proof’s we have had to date. I’m excited for the newness and simultaneously missing the characteristics I’ve come to define Larceny BP’s with.

The empty Glencairn is the warmest aspect of this nose, with the oak being fresh and punchy. And I can even find the grain here as well, proving this bourbon to be consistent all through to the end.

WORTH THE PRICE?

When it comes to anything barrel proof, I’ll always step up to buy and try. If you like the other Larceny’s and still want to hunt for this one, I think it’s worth the price of $60, but don’t expect the fruits that you may have tasted in the other offerings. A122 has its own story, and it’s best to let it stretch its legs without putting expectations on it, beyond having a richer, deeper “How-is-this-Larceny” profile. I’d buy again, but I’d sooner buy another batch of Larceny BP if available. (Remember – I like my fruits.)

LARCENY BARREL PROOF A122 REVIEW RATING: 91/100

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