Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B523

LARCENY BARREL PROOF SHOWDOWN: 2023 Larceny Barrel Proof A123 Larceny Barrel Proof B523 Larceny Barrel Proof C923 Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve yet to review. Getting closer! Larceny Barrel Proof is a wheated bourbon distilled by Heaven Hill and was first launched in January 2020. It is the Barrel Proof version of HH’s already-extant Larceny, which was launched in 2012 and is bottled at 92 proof. LBP is released three times per year and uses the same naming convention as HH’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (i.e., A123, etc.; A, B, C for each release; 1, 5, 9 for Jan., May, Sep.; 23 for 2023). According to the company’s website, the mashbill is consistent at 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. LBP is essentially a wheated complement to ECBP, which uses a more traditional bourbon mashbill that employs rye in place of the wheat. Larceny Barrel Proof A123 Color is a clear and dark mahogany, near to either Pantone 153 and 160 (Pantone has an odd system of increments; there are numerous far lighter shades between 153 and 160). Intense and fruity nose shows brown sugar, stewed cinnamon apples, buttered scones with raspberry jam, café Cubano, and noticeable alcohol. Very rich and sweet on the palate, with a lightly creamy viscosity that envelops your tongue with its warm brown-sugar sweetness. After tasting the C923, I get a distinct peanut brittle as well. The café Cubano reappears on the finish with a touch of its espresso bitterness, as well as some char and vanilla. There is some lingering heat, but this is barrel-proof bourbon—not a cocktail with a little pink umbrella in it. The A123 is very good; but I’m taking my foot off the pedal a bit from my review of it on 10/5/23 (comparing it to ECBP A123). Tasting it now against the LBP B523 and C923, my position is somewhat lower than it was, but still above the community’s 4.05 rating. It has a complex nose, but the heat is just a little out of balance. Still, it’s a great value: each release of Larceny Barrel Proof can typically be found for about $70. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. 125.8 proof. NAS on bottle, but 6-8 years according to the Heaven Hill website. Larceny Barrel Proof B523 Clear mahogany color is indistinguishable from the A123, aligning with 153 or 160 on the Pantone chart. The initial impression is cocoa powder, oiled leather, pancakes and maple syrup, sweet pipe tobacco, Luxardo cherries, and a sweetness that reminds me of the pudin de pan that I had recently at a Colombian restaurant, which had raisins and flan-like caramelized sugar. There’s also a little barbecue-sauce tang. Like the A123, there is a mouthcoating creaminess with corn-pudding sweetness and cinnamon, and just the right combination of woody oak and vanilla on the finish, with a little residual heat. The B523’s nose is more reticent than the January release; it’s not as flamboyant and has a sense of sophistication and smoothness that is suggestive of a little more aging. The proof is virtually identical to the A123, but the heat is better integrated. At a price of around $70, it’s a great value. Would I buy it again? Yes. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 124.4 proof. NAS on bottle, but 6-8 years according to the Heaven Hill website. Larceny Barrel Proof C923 Same clear mahogany Pantone 153/160 color as the A123 and B523. This nose is different: there’s almost an umami richness with buttered English muffins with strawberry jam, warm banana bread, pomander, chocolate fudge, toffee, vanilla, and even a touch of saline. The same light glycerin mouthfeel as the A123 and B523 appears on the palate, with bananas flambé and its accompanying caramelized -sugar bitterness. There are some drying leathery notes on the finish, and the vanilla lingers. The C923 is exceptional. I could nose it all night. And it’s the smoothest drinking of the bunch. Strangely, the community rating of 3.88 is the lowest of the 2023 releases (yet only 6 ratings prior to this one). As with each of these LBP releases, the $70 retail price is fantastic value in today’s market. Would I buy the C923 again? Yes. I’ll be looking for more. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. 126.4 proof. NAS on bottle, but 6-8 years according to the Heaven Hill website. Full disclosure: I have a sweet tooth, and “sweet” is the word that captures the essence of these 2023 releases. They have more similarities than differences, and have a comforting blanket-like warmth along with that amazing (but not cloying) sweetness and intensity. Each is very similar in terms of proof, ranging from 124.4 to 126.4. The A123 displays youthful intensity; the B523 comes across as having more age; and the C923 combines the best of both, marrying the robust and the sophisticated, and further differentiates itself with its savory aspects. The scuttlebutt seems to be that the Larceny Barrel Proof series is getting better. I’m not nearly as familiar with them as I am with their Elijah Craig Barrel Proof siblings, but surely the “getting better” can’t keep going much longer, because each of these is already very good. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon B523, 124.4 proof. Tasted neat. Color in the glass is rich rosy brown with modest coating legs. The nose is sweet grass, wheat grain cereal, floral vanilla, cherry, and a whiff of spice. In the mouth, light brown sugar and corn sweet, with an ethanol flash. Oak and vanilla, grain, stone fruit--cherry, peach--and some tannins appear to moderate the sweet. Warm, but not hot for 124+ proof, but this definately lets you know it's there. Lots of competing flavors that really work well together. Long long long finish--sweet, spice, and tingling mint finish-- longer than I expected given the legs and modest coating mouthfeel that seems to build in the finish, and finally into a soft exit. No real sour or off flavors even at the end. A really harmonious wheated bourbon straight from the barrel. BreakingBourbon.com rates this one of the best in a line of top notch Larceny barrel proof releases in the last 4 years, scoring it a 4.5/5. High praise given they're able to taste against past releases. They also named it one of their Top 5 Bourbons of 2023. I've tasted a bunch of the top rated Larceny releases (C921, B522, C922) and this one holds up. I'm giving this an initial 4.75, but will keep tasting and thinking about it.

Nose features lots of good things in the form of caramel, vanilla, golden raisin, green apple, toffee, cashew nut, and an odd but not off-putting musty book aroma. Ethanol nice and low given the proof. Not to be lazy, but the palate matches the nose REALLY well so see above. The caramel turns a little burnt Ala creme brûlée, along with some brown sugar, molasses, cake batter, and cola. It’s not the most complex thing ever, but damn the flavors are rich, punchy, and nicely integrated. Finish is a pleasant slow morph with the vanilla/caramel carrying nicely as flavors of barrel char, cracked pepper, oak cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and mint emerge. Mouthfeel is downright chewy and suitably oily but also somehow manages to be prickly especially after repeated sips in short succession. This hit a lot of the right notes for me and is probably one of the better Larceny BP releases I’ve reviewed. At 84.99, I feel it’s a solid value and I will continue buying future Larceny BP offerings at this price point for the foreseeable future.

NEAT NOSE - Sweet Hawaiian Roles with Honey brushed over the top initially after I poured it into the glass. After some aerating, more honey and cinnamon came through with some lightly roasted nuts. PALATE - Sweet. Cinnamon and Honey FINISH - Medium BUY AGAIN?? - This is a great bourbon, but the more wheated whiskies I have, I notice I’m not the biggest fan. I like high rye bourbons and ryes so much more. But again, this is good and I am far from giving up on wheated bourbons. I wouldn’t keep a backup of this, but I will try to get the next batch. RECAP: I have come back to this bottle and its much better than the first pour. All the notes are there, but its more full in flavor than before.

On the nose is fresh sweet hay and corn along with smarties and peanut that seem to blend together like a payday candy bar with a touch of fruitiness. The palate is not as complex - fruity, corny oak on first sip. Subsequent sips devolve into a salty caramel and corny hay that finish with a clean dry oak. Adding a touch of water increases the viscosity while muting the flavors to a vague sweet corny hay. While it is interesting and different it doesn’t have the classic Larceny flavor profile I enjoy with the rich dark brown sugars and dark fruit. This is a no for my palate but still a quality bourbon.

Aroma - explosion of awesomeness. Tons of butterscotch, vanilla, caramelized apples. Possibly the best aroma I’ve experienced with these Larceny BP products. It is really awesome. Taste - Following the nose here. But in addition, I’m getting a slightly browned marshmallow note. Overall - Wow. This is an absolutely phenomenal release. This drinks well above it’s price tag in my opinion. The proof is well hidden here as well. This is a decadent finish is quite long and coats the palate with a really nice vanilla and butterscotch note.