Old Ezra 7 Year Old Barrel Strength Bourbon Review Archives

Brian’s Old Ezra 7 Yr Barrel Strength Review:

written on 02-November- 2019

OLD EZRA 7 YEAR BARREL STRENGTH REVIEW:

I stumbled across a bottle Old Ezra 07 Year Old Barrel Strength (OE7YO) while searching for other limited release bourbons. What a find – I only wish I could source more. It is a salivary gland workout. The nose is a sweet brown sugar bomb, but all manner of flavours abound on the palate. It is a warming winter bourbon with a pleasant bite with plenty of heat all the way through its lingering finish. Super value at MSRP … buy, Buy BUY!

OLD EZRA 7 YEAR BARREL STRENGTH VITAL STATS:

– Region: Kentucky
– Category: Small Batch Bourbon
– Distillery: Sourced and unpublished (believed to be Heaven Hill)
– Bottler: Luxco (LuxRow Distillers)
– Mash Bill: unpublished (supposedly 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye)
– Cask: New Charred Oak
– Age: 7 Years Old
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 58.5 (Proof: 117)
– Purchase Price: $41.95 USD in Idaho

https://luxco.com/

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, I shared the juice neat from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

I detected no alcohol burn on the nose. Huge amounts of rich brown sugar in all its forms treat the olfactory receptors: brown sugared pastry, sugar coated Teddy Grahams, and rich vanilla ice cream melted by hot and buttery brown sugar caramel. Deep draws pull dried corn husks, fresh yellow gourmet raisins, berry syrup and allspice. There are also faint hints of honeycomb infused maple syrup, but in the end this juice smells earthy, simple and gentle with just a touch of leather and nearly hidden toasted pine.

PALATE:

Oh my! In the mouth, there is a quick bite followed by a gentle but growing and welcomed heat. OE7YO plays on the tongue like spicy raisin fruit leather drug though black pepper and rye and with a good swish and chew, warm gingerbread cookies come in to visit. The vanilla, brown sugar and leather detected on the nose are still there but greatly subdued. It sips nice and every so often, candied cinnamon coated almonds and dusty old oak sneak in.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
OE7YO is a riot of well balanced flavours. Each sip begs another, but always with a controlled simmer of heat. This juice is big, full and oily in the mouth and gives the throat a nice tickle as it slides down. In the Glencairn, long quick dropping legs fall back into the burnt amber bourbon reservoir.

FINISH:

Old Ezra 07 Year Old Barrel Strength finishes exceptionally long and lingers with a little heat, just the way I like it. There is a faint aftertaste of cinnamon infused pine cones, nutmeg and pumpkin. When the burnt amber nectar is gone, heavy old oak barrel char wafts from the Glencairn.

MY RATING: 92/100

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

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WHISKEY TRAITS AND FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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Original review written on November 3, 2019

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

While I have not known Old Ezra for long, he’s got my respect. This bourbon has everything I look for in a whiskey and my only complaint is that the bottle isn’t bottomless. 94/100

VITALS:

– Made in: Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: sourced and undisclosed (believed to be Heaven Hill according to internet sources)
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Small Batch
– Age: 7 yrs.
– Mash Bill: undisclosed; supposedly Corn=78%; Malted Barley=12%; Rye=10%
– Casks: Undisclosed char
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– ABV: 58.5% (117 proof)
– Price: $41.95 USD in Idaho

Visit luxco.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

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

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

We’ve all seen the old, classic Frosty the Snowman cartoon. I acknowledge the ridiculousness, but the warmth our protagonist, Karen, feels from the overwhelming, welcoming embrace of the poinsettia greenhouse filled with pinks and oranges could not be more identical to how this spirit makes you feel.

Photo by Priss Enri on Unsplash

NOSE:

The ethanol burn comes in strong at first on the nose mixed with a simple syrup that could be due to a potential high corn concentration. I can also detect a brown sugar element in the sense that it is very condensed and in its more “blocky” state.

For spice, it isn’t aggressive, but is comparable to allspice, perhaps with a heavier hand in the ginger aspect of it. Not too much fruit on the nose, but if I was pressured, I’d say a shy raspberry or dark cherry could be hiding in the back.

It’s only slightly similar in the nose to the Hudson Baby Bourbon nose in the old, musty component. But this old must is much more pleasant, and it improves as the glass and alcohol warm. Who doesn’t love that?

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: Tingly and big.
– Balance: Just yes. That is all.
– Visual: Burnt amber in color (in other words, very dark). No real legs, but a few drops that cling a bit.

– Taste: The alcohol is certainly there initially, but it melts into this delicious cherry to coat the mouth. Where that cherry came from, I have no idea, but I am not about to look a gift barrel in the mouth ;). In all seriousness, cherries on the palate for a flavor profile has always been one of my favorites, so this bourbon was a sheer joy and treat to sip.

With a Kentucky chew, black pepper and rye come forward and give this bourbon a very pleasant bite. That allspice is still there, which just makes for a complex sip that keeps me going back for me.

There’s also a good deal of seasoned oak here, a very welcome flavor in the palate. I do always love it when I don’t have to wait for the empty glass for the oak to come in.

More fruit continues to develop the further I go. There’s even a stone fruit – perhaps peach – that mixes so well with the alcohol bite, I feel like I’m consuming pop rocks in a peach bellini from Johnny Carino’s, even down to the sugar syrup. You are absolutely correct in your thinking: that’s weird. But can you really tell me you’re not intrigued? Spoilers, it’s a good combo.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Exceptionally long. Those pop rocks and accompanying warmth stick around, and I’m a happy cupcake for it.

– No More: First off, let me say that when the glass IS empty, it’s a dreadful, sad feeling. But there is a resurgence of the allspice that overtakes any black pepper and rye that was there originally, and that keeps even the last few sips interesting and certainly keeps you coming back.

I recommend Kentucky chewing this one all the way. Yes, it keeps the salivary glands from getting a break, but I promise it’s worth it given how this bourbon drinks. Doing this will give you the best, warmest and safest Kentucky hug you’ll ever get.

While the fruits do fall away towards the end, the admiration for this spirit doesn’t. What a fantastic drink.

The empty Glencairn is fresh cut oak – warm and spicy in all the right ways.

WORTH THE PRICE?

Great value

RATING: 94/100

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