Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels

Rating: 13/23 N: Leathery spice. A bit light, but nice. A little bit of that oloroso oil and faint touches of blackberry mixed with mild vanilla. Mild black pepper. Faint nice corn sweetness. This is a nice, decadent, mature nose. P: Spicy, peppery, moderate and light caramel, leather, a bit of oil. Very very faint hints of blackberry and plentiful vanilla. This is a nice, decadent nose, with some mature elements that make me think of Joseph Magnus. Possible faint hints of licorice. Lots of vanilla, spices, and leather. Decadent. A bit of clean water minerality, but it's mostly full and decadent. F: Vanilla, licorice, sweet water, lingering spices, leather. Maybe faint light caramel. - Conclusion - I'm really impressed by this! My first Bowman experience wasn't bad, but it wasn't that impressive. This is really good. It's like budget Joesph Magnus, which is a heck of a compliment. That leather flavor is so decadent and so hard to find. Belle Meade Cask Strength (19/23) is more rich and full than this, with plenty of more spices, but it doesn't have the same leather decadence and maturity. This is lighter and mellower, but it's sort of more hedonistic anyway. The more I compare them though, the more the minerality and lightness in this hit me though. They even hit me when I try this alongside Evan Williams 1783 (11/23). Actually, Russell's Reserve 10 (16/23) tastes fuller and more mature than this does. I'm very much enjoying the Russell's, but at the same time I'm loving the leather here. I'm feeling like this is a case of a great port finish on a mediocre bourbon. At the same time, this tastes more mature and complex than Uncle Nearest 1856 (15/23) does. This is an interesting one. This lacks the malty sweetness of the Uncle Nearest 1856 and has some more sulphur, but this is still quite good in comparison. I'm sure that this is surpassing an 11, but I don't think that it is reaching a 16, unfortunately. I was initially very impressed by this, but the more I sip it alongside other drams, the more I find this lacking. There's a fair amount of sulphur here that I didn't pick up at first. It's a bit off-putting, but it doesn't initially detract too much. The more I taste though, the more confident I become that even a 15 is a bit of a stretch for this. So it's in the 12 to 14 range. Side by side, Highland Park 12 (12/23) (weird choice to compare, but it felt right somehow) is more rich and complex, but has way more sulphur than this does. It's a tough comparison. Bringing Highland Park 16 Wings Of The Eagle (17/23) into the picture here, the sulphur here isn't all that extreme. Actually, the Wings Of The Eagle is a little higher in sulphur and I don't even think of it as sulphuric. This lacks the malty decadent sweetness, but it isn't at all as sulphuric and weird. I think it's pretty clear that this doesn't rise to the level of a 16, but it doesn't fall to the level of a 12 either. It's tough to position this one, but I'm thinking of a 14. I wanted to give it at least a 15 to match the Uncle Nearest, but I'm just finding this to be too generically acceptable without excelling for it to be quite a 15. I could believe a 15, but it certainly isn't a 16. Unfortunately, I liked this a lot at the beginning, but it gradually degraded, revealing serious flaws that I had to account for. If it weren't for that sulphur, I'd like this a lot better. I think that that needs to land on a 14. There's a lot to like here, but it's also flawed. Coming back to this, there's just an awful lot of lightness and minerality going on. I don't find it to be vastly superior to Evan Williams Bottled In Bond (11/23), nor do I find it to be on the level of Russell's Reserve 10. It's either a 13 or 14. I'm thinking a 13 because of that disappointing lightness. I really just wish that a bolder, sweeter spirit had been finished in the port casks. Thanks to @Milliardo for this sample. I had a lot of fun trying it :)

On the nose, proof and sweetness. Even though it is 92 proof, smells a litte more. You get that port tannic, sweet an fruity nose with now. A little dusty wheat smell. On the tongue, buttery is the best way to describe it. The sweet, mellow flavor of port is present all the way through giving way to the classic bourbon richness and heat. Rich stone fruit and caramel in the middle palate with some vanilla and wood. Slight tobacco notes. Towards the end, baking soice is prevalent. Warm and toasty. Its very smooth whoch almost giges it the impression of one dimensional but over a fee sips, the complexity comes out a bit. I do believe a bit more proof would add to the complexity, in my opinion. The sweetness may be a bit much for some, but a great late night or after dinner sipper for sure. Great with a cigar. Enough proof to shine through. Good balance, i enjoyed it as somethinf different than my typical.

This is another example of how what works for Scotch cannot be universally applied to other whisky with the expectation of similar results (and vice versa). Nose is funky and musty, and reminds me of grape cool aid that sat outside for a day. Or maybe a baby’s bib, the day after they had grape juice. It grabs your attention, but not in a good way and toes the line of being off-putting. The palate is dominated by musty, wet wood from beginning to end; a heavy, vegetal, dirty flavor just overwhelms the smatter of plum and honey that would otherwise be quite nice. The finish reminds you that this is young, with a blast of hot and coarse ethanol that leaves the lips and tongue numb before fading to the now familiar musty, stale, grape cool aid. It was an experience, and I didn’t dump it, but I definitely won’t have it again.

Notable amber hues in a tarnished brass body. Evenly spaced legs with an average stickiness on the glass Berries of all kind immediately jump out on the nose, first wave is ripe raspberries and juicy cherries. A tartness emerges that is reminiscent of dried cranberries. There's a rich toasty note in there too. Soft on the palate, with a pleasant warmth, it's lightly sweet, but more dominated by caramel and woody flavors. Well rounded to drink and has plenty to capture interest. A moderate finish, with trails that remind me of sitting on the floor and eating cinnamon caramels at my grandmother's house.

Nose: plum, raisins doesnt have a traditional bourbon smell at all Taste: caramel notes on taste along with raisin. Moderate finish where you can taste the port finish for sure. For $40 or so i would say this is one you could do some damage with! Its not overly complex but its got a unique taste to it. Ive seen it compared to angels envy and i can definitely see that. Very drinkable and for the price definitely worthy of a spot on your shelf when you are looking for something different

The port finish adds a lfruity character that falls on the lighter side- kind of like a pinot grigio wine. Not really any oak, but the carmelly corn character of a bourbon is there, bot not front and center. I get a lot of brine on this- almost like a Talisker storm scotch, but with the bourbon backbone. Maybe its just me. Its pleasant. Not really complex or challenging. Good to try, but not one i think i’ll reach for very often