Boone County Eighteen33 Straight Bourbon 10 Year

This was an impulse buy at my local Kroger and turned into one of my better decisions. I didn’t know anything about this bottle when I picked it up. The bottle itself is intriguing: the label is an eye-catching blue and orange with an old-time style script proclaiming its name and the year that William and John Snyder founded their distillery on the banks of the Ohio in northern Kentucky: Eighteen 33. There is a great story on the label about the hard work and sacrifice of those early distillers and it concludes with the phrase, “Made by Ghosts”. With all that I’d probably like it even if the whiskey was mediocre. Fortunately, it’s much better than that. Boone County Eighteen 33 straight bourbon whiskey is a ten year old distillate produced by MGP. There is a great story out there from the founders of this distillery about how they came across these 1000 barrels of whiskey that they purchased to sell while their distillery gets up and running but I’ll be damned if I can find it now to provide the link. Oh well, on to the tasting. This whiskey is derived from a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. It’s bottled at a respectable 45.4% ABV. It’s a gorgeous dark amber in the glass and forms long, slow developing legs when given a spin. The nose is a beautiful sweet bomb of buttery caramel, brown sugar, a hint of vanilla, and light cinnamon. It’s a Cinnabon sweet roll in a glass. In the mouth it’s more of the same: butterscotch and warm baking spices with hints of tobacco and leather. Considering it’s 10 year age, there is very little oak; just that amazing sweet roll. If sweet whiskey is not your thing you might want to think twice about this dram. But the rest of us will just keep enjoying. The rye kicks in in the finish with cinnamon and pepper. It’s nice and warm and leaves you wanting more. This was $65 locally. At that price it’s definitely at the top of my bourbon price range. But I have to say I’m not disappointed. This is one of the better bourbons I’ve had lately and I’m glad took a chance on it. I will probably replace it when it’s gone, it’s that good. 4/5 even considering the price. Cheers!

The nose is vibrant with oak and citrus, there is plenty of brown sugar sweetness with hints of vanilla immediately following. As it breathes, the citrus quickly takes over while being balanced by oak. It is very fresh and bright, certainly does not imply that it is a decade old. The palate is gentle and full of oak. It doesn't coat the mouth, but rather stays to where to put it. In those places, it becomes chewy which really brings out the citrus. Vanilla and brown sugar round it out in the background, but overall keeps this rather simple. Simple isn't a bad thing as long as it is done right. This is done right, but you might expect a bit more oak for its age and proof. A great, full bodied sipper, but a bit more complexity would be nice. The finish is medium and while the mouth stays tingling for a bit, the flavors quickly fade. First the sweetness, then the spice. Oak is the dominant after taste, but overall the need for more depth holds this back a bit,

About $35 for the 375ml “Snyder’s Flask” 12 year at the gift shop of Boone County Distilling Co. Color: Dark Orange/Auburn Nose: a truly wonderful bouquet- toffee and I think some slight chocolate, caramel and vanilla, honey, slight ethanol, some oak at the end Palate: tobacco and leather, toffee and caramel, ethanol, honey and vanilla on the finish (short) with a slight cinnamon linger Boone County knew what they were doing when they picked this mash bill and these MGP barrels. Although I felt like the experience was a little short, there is a tiny remnant of sweet tobacco to remind to take another sip.

12 year store pick, Prav Saraff, 113.52 proof. What a great nose. Sweet caramel, oak. That carries over to the palate, with a nice earthy note mixed in. Slight acidic kick, with baking spice. Doughy. This is delicious. 8/24/18 12 year store pick, Modern Liquors, 114.40 proof. Muted nose initially, but what's there is good. After a while it opens up with caramel, maybe a hint of sour fruit. On the palate, tastes like cola. Warmth lingers in the chest. 8/24/18 12 year store pick, Gordon's, 121.88 proof. Smells sweet and oaky. Some fresh linen. On the plate, a flash of spice. Sweet oak throughout. Warm. 8/24/18

A nice dark-reddish copper color. This one has a really nice nose. Dark fruit, wood spice and sweet corn dominate an intense aroma that has my expectations high. The flavor profile is not as intense as the nose would suggest, but still quite nice. A soft mouthfeel is supported by vanilla, oak and the same sweet fruit profile I was nosing. This one is best without water as it dilutes an already-balanced, lower ABV (46%) bourbon. 3.95.

Just tried this new offering from Boone County KY Distillers and it's not a bad pour. Aged 10 Years, or so it says on the bottle, a bit of a bite at the start with a rather smooth finish. Has a little bit of a spicy flavor similar to Basil Hayden, just not as pronounced. I feel it is somewhat over priced as I paid just over $55 for 750ml. My understanding this offering came available December 2015. I feel this is a $35-$40 Bourbon