Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C920

Rating: 10/23 So I've got this up against another Larceny Barrel Proof release and a bunch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proofs. I wasn't that impressed by regular Larceny, but I hear that these barrel proof releases are much better, so I'm hopeful. N: Sweet and a bit vegetal with a slight hint of meat. It oddly reminds me a hair of a young PX-finished bourbon. There's a spicy layer of wood that shows ginger, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, and clove. There's a flat bitter licorice scent hanging out at the bottom. This nose is fine enough, but it isn't actually enjoyable. The complexity is fine, the balance feels like it's missing something, and the actual scents aren't particularly inspiring. P: Sweet with minerals and confectioner's sugar and hints of apricot, as well as some peanut shells and maybe even peanut. There's definitely alcohol here. Not a ton is happening and this burns. It's not bad, but it's fairly boring. Some wood with bitter elements (the licorice and some smoke), but it isn't overwhelming at all. I really do taste the alcohol in here, unfortunately. The spices are expressed as an immature pepperiness that gets a tad harsh at times even. This might not burn as much as my cask strength bottle of Ry3, but it's concerningly close. This profile actually reminds me a lot of a light, low-end Booker's. F: Mineral, bitter, bland dry wood. And a long-lasting peppery burn. - Conclusion - Even Elijah Craig C920 is definitely better than this is. I think it might be time for the Larceny line to call it quits. It's not a massive gap between them, but it's clear which is better. As sort of a crushing point of comparison, my neck pour of Elijah Craig A121 absolutely destroys this, even on a tired palate. But actually, it's worse than that. I was surprised by how close to Ry3 (9/23) this was and I'm now thinking that Elijah Craig Small Batch (15/23) is better than this. Flavor-wise, this is about on part with the Elijah Craig. It might even be a hair better - so a solid 15 instead of a low one. However, this burns so much. I definitely can't go higher than a 13 here and I'm faintly toying with even a 9. Signatory's Caledonian 29 (1987) (12/23) has a big bite to it and a lot of that tart grain flavor, but it tastes more like it's achieving what it set out to. I just can't get over how much this burns while also being so light. The hints of malt and banana that the Caledonian shows off side by side win me over here, though not by a huge margin. The burn is definitely the biggest factor. Because this strikes me as a little closer to the Ry3 than to the Caledonian, I'm unfortunately going with a 10 here. Thanks to @ctbeck11 for sharing this. I think I'll be sticking with ECBP for now (assuming I can find any of it).

Nose: Big - charred oak, dark brown sugar, and a vanilla bean. The alcohol is absolutely present (which is no surprise given the proof), so nosing takes a moment of acclimation. Roasted nuts, ripe bing cherries, peaches, apricots, blueberries, and a little blackberry jam. Solid hits of nutmeg, clove, anise, and cinnamon. Being a wheater, it's not every day you find baking spices like this, telling you just how much character the barrel was responsible for here and what no dilution can mean. There's also some cumin and smoked paprika vibes buried in the back. Palate: Dense, dark brown sugar, charred oak, and vanilla bean. That barrel character is absolutely making itself known. Plenty rich, going between cream and browned butter. Natural peanut butter. Cherry flavored cough syrup. Over-ripe orange, floral perfume. Tannin texture and bitterness. Same hits of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, anise, etc. The presentation on the palate is quite consistent with the nose. I'm reminded of the crust on a good tri tip seasoned with Pappy's - that combination of salt, seasonings, and charred beef. English style pipe tobacco, along with some dark chocolate cocoa. Toasted marshmallows - the ones you let light on fire and develop that black exterior. The upper and mid palate are both quite amplified, with enough lower palate to help support them. Medium mouthfeel. Finish: Obviously a big splash of ethanol, and then a flood of charred oak, sugar, and vanilla extract. Thyme, mint, rosemary all pop in, while a slightly vegetal note also hangs out - thinking green bell peppers and celery salt. The ethanol stays present, while things move towards vanilla icing and the oak tannin bitterness fills in and starts to fade out. long length on the finish. Other notes: Larceny is the only label coming out of Heaven Hill that I just can't jive with. Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Rittenhouse... everything else in the portfolio (that I've had, at least) has been excellent and right up my alley, but the Larceny and I just don't get along. That being said, this barrel proof edition is much more up my alley. The brittle, sharp character that I find is replaced with a burley, dense, rich experience. And while this isn't necessarily something that I'd find myself craving, it's a definite improvement over the original. I'll likely keep an eye out for future releases and pick up a bottle just to experience the batch-to-batch variation, though won't feel compelled to seek it out. A solid buy if you're curious.

Nose is full of hot baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) and peanut. Some cherry cola as well. Ethanol is moderate. Palate matches the nose nearly precisely; if you like lots of spice and peanut, this is your whiskey. Also rum soaked raisin, caramel, and black pepper. Flavors pass “punchy” and enter the realm of “in your face”. From a guy who likes his flavors dialed up to 10, this is a 15. For 6-8 years old, this seems young as hell. Finish brings more of the same and is shorter than expected for the good parts (nut, baking spices, leather, oak) and longer than necessary on others (cinnamon/chili pepper spice) Mouthfeel is full bodied and oily which is the best part of this whiskey. Oof. Hot mess express. The oldest Larceny BP I own and reviewing it so many years later shows how the expression has matured and developed over the years as you can tell the whiskeys in the blend here were much younger than subsequent releases. I think I paid 59.99 which was great at the time given the price creep in bourbon, but honestly even at that price from days gone by I would not pay that for this specific release. Lowest rating I think I have given to an LBP.

The palate is immediately hot with spice, dry oak and touches of ripe fruit that are a hallmark of wheatex bourbons. Touches of creme brulee are in the background, getting hint of some smoothness. Brown sugar and touches of leather round out the nose. The palate is somewhat dry yet rich and fairly quickly coats the entire mouth. Oak, brown sugar and a bit of baking spice fill the mouth, and offers some chewiness. There are some touches of ripe fruit however, Larceny has never exactly been known for that. For being barrel-proof it is not overwhelmingly intense. It is perfectly easy to sit on if you are a fan of having a bit of heat in your whiskey. The finish is long and slightly hot, has notes of creme brulee swirl around as you chew, coming out at the very end of your sip. There is a lingering ookiness that ever so slowly fades. The notes you get on the finish definitely last you until your next sip. This is a very full and simple, yet flavorful whiskey.

Open 2 weeks Nose - Brown sugar, honey roasted peanuts, cereal grain, corn dust, powdered cinnamon, caramelized orange, strong ethanol and oak. Palate - Tannic, caramel, molasses, orange jellies, peanut brittle, and cocoa. But then the hot, dry finish kicks in and it is long. Tannic oak, clove, powdered cinnamon, molasses, and super hot ethanol. I bought 250 mL of this off of a friend during a night of trades, not wanting to commit to 375 mL given my distaste for A120. This is a significant improvement over A120, but I just don't get it with Larceny. Every time I drink any version of it, it tastes far spicier and hotter than its proof. The finish is frankly unpleasant at times. The strangest thing to me is many blogs called this sweet and lower ethanol burn than expected. I always get the opposite. It must be my taste buds.

Big initial nose of tobacco. It is then followed by a dominant spice and heat, but as you spend more time with it many more layers start to open up - burnt sugars and butterscotch help balance the spice and heat. If you dig even deeper, after a few sips you'll find some dark fruit / plum or cherry, chocolate and walnut. The mouth feel is nice and spice again dominates the front of the palate, the charred oak and proof start to dry the tongue a bit but towards the back end a chocolate and nutty note bring back the balance. A cherry flavored tobacco and clove note lead to a long, drying and leathery finish. Edit: after finishing the review I continued to enjoy my glass and realized the finish has a finish! A everlasting cinnamon note!