Breckenridge Distillers High Proof Blend

American whiskey tasting evening, Sydney, 21 September 18. Whiskey #3 Nose: Oak, caramel toffee, treacle, raisins, soft musk – a powerfully hefty and fragrant nose. There’s a thread of resinous honey that keeps surfacing and just a hint of wintergreen. Very nice. Palate: A warm, sweet and spicy arrival that has a powerful heat from the spices, tannins and alcohol. However, it never veers towards being burning. As it develops, a lot of deep fruity flavours appear – plums, dates, raisins and currents – and a nice vanilla note becomes apparent. The addition of water brings out some orange but also makes the palate a little flat. The high proof is carrying all the flavor and once it is diluted even a little it loses its punch. Not that the flavor changes that much, it just loses heft, and you miss it. I recommend taking this one neat. Finish: Medium/long. There is a rich but soft sweet-spice character that slowly fades away. This is a well-made, pleasant whiskey. I’m not exactly sure what “blended” means in this case, but I believe it is a re-racked bourbon finished in port casks, and you can certainly sense the presence of a wine cask at play. There is a buttery, fruity quality to it and it is very smooth, but certainly not lacking character. This particular whiskey was not available for purchase on the night as the bottle was donated by a friend of the tasting presenter. It seems to sell for around US$60 which means it would probably be about AUS$120 and at that price it is OK value, but outclassed by other similarly priced bourbons. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars)

Day No.14 There must be something to the Rocky Mountain water cause this was well rounded. The enticing aroma had warm vanilla and cinnamon. The taste was a similar impression, but with an added flair of dried fruit and toasted grain. The aforementioned high proof was quite smooth overall allowing one to enjoy the pour without the assistance of water or ice. At least IMHO. Solid overall. It had me wanting more.

An elegant, High Proof Blended Bourbon by Breckenridge Distillery in Colorado bottled at 52.5% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with notes of grains, wood, nuts, dried fruits, herbs & spices; while a rich & delicate life adds notes of malted barley, butter caramel, toasted almond paste & vanilla sugar; that led to a quick & balanced death with hints of oak, coffee & dark chocolate.

A nice high proof bourbon with a sweet undertone. Due to the concentration I would recommend adding water and letting it sit for about ten minutes before drinking (I prefer things neat so I’m not sure what would be ideal for those who prefer ice). The second serving is usually better than the first. I just finished my inaugural bottle and would buy another.

NOTE: I did not drink this, I drank the Reserve Blend”. Placing the review here because the Reserve Blend wasn’t available on the app. If I could give a brand new drinker a bourbon to sample, this might be it. It had a nice round flavor profile and tasted like corn bread. Easy finish.

Pick up raisin, vanilla, caramel and rye notes on the nose. Sweetness of butterscotch and vanilla stick out on the front of the palate. Mid-palate features more spice adjacent notes with cinnamon and pepper. An easy finish with oak notes that lasts a medium to long length.