Lately I’ve been getting more and more into bourbon, the American Whisky of the East. The biggest problem I found with Bourbon was the lack of flavor spectrum that Scotch offers. Scotch is more in the Nose, which leads directly to the Palate and eventually to the dry down Finish. However, Bourbon seems to be all in the same narrow wave length of Nose, really Big in the Palate and back to descent in the Finish. That is my opinion solely, and I know many who would disagree, but this is how I see it. The biggest difference bourbon tends to be in its Alcohol Proof, which makes it more or less spicy.
Here we have a very interesting dram by a well renowned Distiller Four Roses. This barrel-strength Bourbon is Brent Elliott’s first limited edition release as master distiller. Brent Elliott, who assumed the post of master distiller in September 2015, personally hand-selected the 14-year-old OESK, one of the Distillery’s 10 unique Bourbon recipes.
Name: Four Roses Barrel Strength Elliott’s Select
Region: Kentucky
Proof: 107.4%
Nose: Honey, Sweet vanilla, Caramel Gooiness, some Fruits, Zesty oranges
Palate: Its very spicy, almost cinnamon and nutmeg like, with some gingerbread and butterscotch cake goodness. Two drops of water, open up the sweetness and let the vanilla and the caramel shine inside.
Finish: Its a good long finish, peppery, with some oak and smoke. Very light smoke but def distant in the background.
