Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon

When I spotted Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon on the shelf I knew I had to snag a bottle. This was a new to the market 99 proof Bourbon at a price point of $25 regular price. I had heard good things so I figured it was best to check it out for myself. The website touts a high rye mash bill which falls squarely in my wheelhouse. The aroma is filled with oak, cinnamon, caramel, brown sugar, and hints of black pepper. The flavor has a distinct spicy cinnamon, more toasted oak, and delicious caramel and brown sugar. The finish lasts with more caramel, black pepper, cinnamon, and very light oak which all fades fantastically into the aftertaste. It’s a fantastic bottle at an affordable price. Hopefully it’s overlooked for a very long time and will be readily available all the time. Snag yourself a bottle before people realize it’s out there and it becomes gone baby gone.

Wheat Penny Barrel Proof Bourbon Whiskey

A local ABC Board received the first Wheat Penny Barrel Proof Bourbon released in the country. I’m not sure why Cleveland Whiskey decided to send their 115 proof release to Youngsville ABC, but I figured why not snag a bottle when it drops on your doorstep. The price of admission was $56 so I decided to bring a bottle home. Before I opened the bottle some research yielded Cleveland Whiskey started as a company devoted to accelerated aging of Bourbon. I scoured the label for any indication of an age less than 4 years and came up empty. My bottle is Batch: 01 Bottle: 0629 and finishing woods are Black Cherry and Toasted Oak. The grist is 51% Corn, 45% Wheat, and 4% Malted Barley. The aroma was filled with sherry, cherries, and strong oak. Lurking not far behind was a strong presence of caramel and wafting alcohol aromatics and slight hints of pepper. The flavor had brown sugar, caramel, leather, oak, sherry, cherries, and light characteristics of black pepper. The finish was oak, cherries, and a substantial and lasting warming presence of alcohol. For some reason the flavor seemed just a little rough, but it didn’t seem young. The color was quite dark so I’m guessing the Bourbon spent time in the oak and then they ran it through the accelerated aging process with the black cherry wood. Perhaps over time the story of the Barrel Proof will emerge and we’ll learn exactly how it was created and how long it was aged. As I was taking the bottle out to recycling I happened to look at the stopper and saw it was what appeared to be a Wheat Penny. As you cannot reproduce currency I pried the penny out of the stopper and it was a 1958. I probably won’t run out for another bottle, but it was an interesting drop and I ended up with a collectible coin as a Cracker Jack prize!

Jim Beam Double Oak Twice Barreled Bourbon

Happened to see Jim Beam Double Oak was on sale at NCABC for $23 so I snagged a bottle. Wasn’t sure what to expect from an inexpensive 86 proof Bourbon, but figured why not give it a try. There was plenty on the shelf so I knew this was either a sleeper or something I should pass up. Lucky for me, most people turn up their nose on this daily drinker. The beautiful thing about this bottle is the lower alcohol which allows you to have a larger sample without paying a price. So let’s discuss what matters, how it tastes. The aroma has oak, sherry, caramel, and hints of black pepper. The flavor has a definite presence of oak with caramel, more black pepper, and a bit of leather. The finish has hints of alcohol and pepper with leather and oak, but the caramel fades pleasantly into the aftertaste. The bottom line is this is a budget friendly bottle for those who what a stronger presence of oak in their Bourbon. The alcohol is restrained and this is extremely easy to drink. I know at this price point I’ll find another bottle along the way and you should definitely give it a whirl. Of course there is no rush, people aren’t lining up to snag this drop. It’s their loss and your win!