nose - nothing special, light vanilla and caramel, subtle baking spices palate - the body is much better than the nose. surprisingly pleasant and flavorful, sweet, bright, floral, vanilla cream; medium viscosity. tastes young but very drinkable finish - immaturity with a hint of harshness comes out at the end but not at all astringent, medium warmth on the finish Well-crafted overall at 101 proof. Beautiful bottle. Received this as gift so unable to speak about its value for the price but it is one that I would be proud to share with enthusiast friends
About this bottle
2022 marked the first year Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky released its first bourbon since the team restored the Old Taylor Distillery in 2014. Using a mash bill of 73% white corn, 10% rye, 17% malted barley, the bourbon was aged for 4 years and was bottled at 48.5% ABV without chill-filtration. There are 60 barrels in this 4th batch. (SRP $50)
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 6 parsed reviews.
Sweet on the nose but be ready for bite. When tasted at distillery, they advised us to take a sip and hold it for 30 seconds to allow your taste buds to open before swallowing. (It burns) The sips to follow start sweet with vanilla and fruit. It then ends with a nice even burn across your tongue that’s similar to tart fruit and oak.
Nose is simple some rye spice and sweetness. Flavor is smooth with some vanilla and rye spice as well. Young bourbon coming in at 4 years. Solid bottle
For 97 proof, was surprised at the lack of burn. Strong notes of vanilla. Smooth and balanced, but could have used more depth in the flavor profile.
Thin and hot. Inoffensive but not worth seeking out. A little underwhelming and not worth writing about. 2/5 Would drink this to be polite.
This is in my top 3 favorites under $100. Can’t wait to crack batches 5 & 6
Tastes like this
Same style and price bracket, best rated first.