Heaven's Door Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Heaven's Door Straight Bourbon Whiskey (This apparently has taken the place of the "Tennessee Bourbon Straight Bourbon Whiskey") Great Looking Bottle Design. This one clocks in at 92 proof vs the TN Bourbon's 90. Label states "Minimum 6 Years Old". *NOSE: On the initial Cork Pop, my first thought was "This is Dickel", but a few minutes of air and that dissipates. There is an initial Savoriness. Very Dry in character. Dry Grass, Dry Wood Spice, Dry Brown Sugar, Vanilla Coke, Tart Apple Cider, and Cinnamon Stick. The longer you nose it, the more you can flesh out of it. *NEAT: Interesting. My first thought was "This tastes like Dickel if Dickel made a High Rye Recipe. Very Clingy and Coating. Oak Forward with lots of Barrel Spice. A Sharp Spikiness. Dry Corn, Vanilla, Maple, Fruit Cocktail Syrup, Lots of Black Pepper Tingle, and a Surge of Tannins. As the Tannins fade you get a Dry Medium Length Finish with a nice heat blooming in the chest. Great Coating of Tingly Wood Spice and Vanilla layer the entire palate and intensify with each sip. I love how it's an entire mouth experience. Tongue, Gums, Cheeks, and the Roof of your mouth all get in on the action. *SPLASH: A few drops of water reduced some of the Spice and countered a little of the Ruggedness. I wouldn't go so far as to say it made it "Smooth", but if the spikiness is an issue for you, a little water should do the trick. Gets a little sweeter as Toasted Marshmallow shows up. *VERDICT: Another surprise! I was expecting less from what is essentially their entry level offering. I was a little skeptical of the $50 price tag for what I assumed was 6 year old Dickel, but decided to give it a shot. Glad I did. My first thought was the reason they dropped the Tennessee from the name was that this was Dickel blended with High Rye MGP. However, after some research, their website states (and I assume they are being honest) "Distilled and aged its entire life in Tennessee, this whiskey is non-chill filtered to preserve its mature flavors. The result is smooth and lasting with notes of vanilla and baking spices layered over a bed of toasted oak". I also learned that the mashbill on the previous incarnation was only 70% Corn/30% Secondary Grain which would exclude Dickel, unless they have been producing a second mashbill for NDP Customers. If this is something other than Dickel, I'd love to know the distiller so I can try some of their stuff too. The plot thickens! Either way, a celebrity whiskey that lives up to the hype. 4.25

Sweet nose, vanilla, spice, and dry leather. Initial taste is sweet with a big hit of vanilla, caramel, and sweet corn/butterscotch. Quickly transitions to strong tannins, barrel flavors, and some alcohol heat. Big buzzing pepper on the cheeks and roof with an astringent oak on the tongue. The finish is decidedly bitter that is long lasting with what tastes like the vegetal note of a stripped cob. Not smooth but certainly not harsh as any the alcohol notes are mostly covered by the body.

Rich full nose of toasted oak, vanilla whiskey bourbon, with notes of leather, oil, and baking spice/cinnamon, robust smooth body, toasted oak, vanilla and baking spice/cinnamon and perhaps nutmeg, a smooth velvet mouthfeel with a gentle cinnamon burn, followed by a smooth fulfilling vanilla and toasted oak finish. Tasted neat in a sampler glass.

Nose: peanut butter, oak, candy corn Palate: candy, like rock candy. No definitive flavor but sugar. Third sip and toasted marshmallow comes through Finish: cinnamon and spice, peanut butter, caramel After this one sat for about 10 mins it opened up to more flavors both on the nose and on the palate

Caramel and a tinge of pepper on the nose. Body heavy in caramel and butterscotch. Nice oaky flavor, smooth finish. Very rich body, creamy. Kind of get hints of peanuts/peanut butter. Does well in an old fashioned or neat. Nice bourbon!

Nose: typical caramel sweetness, dried cherry, some alcohol, vanilla Palate: sticky/creamy, sweet, ginger, those cherry notes carried over from nose Aftertaste: bitterness, pungent, dark chocolate, simple.