Ezra Brooks "Ezra B." 12 Year Single Barrel Bourbon

[03.24.2016] Found this bottle in Chicago last year and have been saving it til I felt the urge (or Distiller reviewed it). Lost power tonight, so it seemed like a good time to go blind into a whiskey tasting. If I didn't know better, I would say this is a lower year version of a higher brand whiskey. If you drink the black label Ezra for anything (I drink it straight when I'm cleaning the bikes), you'll find this to be a real pleasure. Previous reviewers have ignored the fact that it's pretty hard to find affordable higher proof whiskey, and this fills that void at 99 proof. Smoothed out by barrel aging, this still has some of the raspiness of the Ezra B. buzz saw known to torment my liver in my younger years. Vanilla is strong, oak is subtle and very spicy/peppery finish. There's some brown sugar and caramel that emerges with patience but air never opens up a decent aroma. Good buy and a good whiskey to share but probably not something I'll keep in stock regularly.

The color is a dark amber that immediately leaves distinct legs on the glass. The nose starts with oak, nutmeg, brown sugar and a touch of char and fruit. The palate is full of creamy vanilla and oak and is somewhat oily and chewy, making its way to the corners of the mouth. There is a touch of black pepper providing some spiciness along with a touch of baking spices and burnt brown sugar following. The finish is medium and fades a bit too quickly with oak and the spiciness lingering before giving way to the creaminess which makes one last appearance before fading.

This was a standby for me back in college - a tough whiskey to scare off the weak ones when we went out for a night. This has a bit that comes with the higher proof that will pucker the face of many a young one. Mixes very well in my experience, but also is great on ice with cherries. It helps bring out the fruity subtleties that can otherwise be lost in the wash of corn grain alcohol and light barrel spice. Good buy that will separate a crowd.

This is not a bad bourbon, but there are much better ones out there. The nose has aromas of charred oak and vanilla, and it comes across as being more sweet than it is fruity. The palate is instead quite spicy, with generous doses of peppers and nutmeg complementing a nice vanilla flavor. The finish itself is largely forgettable, though nice, and has me jonesing for a better bourbon.

Like the McKenna 10yr I get a lot of alcohol on the nose, also some oak. This is the smoothest of the flight so far (ER10yr, McKenna 10yr before this). I wasn't sure how to describe the finish so I turned to the professional reviews. And I think I agree with a cinnamon and nutmeg finish, but it turns to a menthol towards the end which is a negative for me.

It has a truly beautiful, vanilla nose. One of the best noses of any bourbon. On the first sip it is very smooth, and has a pleasant burnt sugar note. However, it has ZERO finish, which left the sipping experience disappointing.