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– Distillery: Sourced and unpublished (believed to be Heaven Hill)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– Mash Bill: unpublished (supposedly 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye)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– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished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
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.
Click 92/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
WHISKEY TRAITS AND FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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