Legent Bourbon

I'm just finishing the last dram of my bottle. I came to this whiskey with no real knowledge of its origin story. That's one of the problems with bourbon in particular; there are so many stories and most of them are from brilliant marketing minds. At this point in my journey I tend to tune most of that out, sampling new expressions based on recommendations from friends, acquaintances and the occasional random bon vivant. Either that or I buy based on an interesting label, concise shelf-talker, or colorful stack-out. This is a pretty cool bottle and the shelf-talker mentioned Legent being finished in wine and sherry casks, so it was almost inevitable that it would end up in my rotation. This last sample from a bottle that's been open several weeks was enjoyed from a grappa coppita. The nose delivers a caramel and tart wine greeting followed by milk chocolate covered cherries. These are the notes I get, but somehow they are delivered sans saccharine or excess sweetness. The bouquet is ultimately woody and dry, moderately complex and slightly spicy. On the palate this opens with a sweet note that quickly dries, leaving a sweet aftertaste. There is a bit of ginger and black pepper, keeping this nicely balanced. Overall this is an above average sipper that combines the sweetness of a Jim Beam Single Barrel with a little bit of the bite of Old Grand Dad and the fruitiness of something like a Starward Nova. The finish is short and clean. Legent is just a bit thinner than optimal and that keeps this from getting a full four stars from me. That said, it is very nice and a good value. Where this whiskey really can shine is in a Manhattan cocktail. This bourbon loves vermouth. Carpano Classico, Carpano Antica, Cocchi di Torino, Martini & Rossi Ambrato all blended beautifully. Another bottle will likely find its way back into my collection as the weather cools this autumn and the clear drinks give way to darker spirits, and Manhattans take over from Martinis at the cocktail hour.

when the head review of this says butterscotch, it means its main ingredient, brown sugar. also, crème brûlée has that hardened brown sugar crust, so i can see why they wrote that - not only due to the brown sugar, but there’s a pudding/custard component to the nose. i can’t however (maybe due to my particular bottle—but doubtedly) see any grapes on the nose, or any fruit or jamminess as the expert notes allude to. so it’s not what i expected of this bottle. the bit of wine & sherry influence imparts characteristics that bestow a different role here, comparatively. also, sure, this “bourbon” is a *bit sweet, but only compared to bourbons/whiskeys that aren’t. in the sweet-whiskey sphere, it’s maybe not what you’re expecting, esp given its casks. it is blended nicely. however it took getting down half the bottle to appreciate this whiskey. i used a gift card for this one & had gone in prepared to buy a four roses SiB BO/EO/EV, so that likely skewed my take on this one initially. i expected more influence from the wine. i expected more elements, but came to like this one for what it is. what it isn’t, is a super wine influenced whiskey (which i like), or a sherry bomb - not in the least. it’s kind of a brown sugar bomb…but not in a bad way. complex baking spices are there along w/ a little vanilla. when drinking, the spice sticks to the throat a bit, & not in a bad way at all. it isn’t very spicy-spicy, y’kno? has a nice touch of it, just not like a rye spice. on the finish, you get slight woodiness (no smoke) & some oak. you could prob trick someone into thinking this is a malty whiskey. but it is it’s own thing, & i’ve come to like it. i feel like ppl write this bottle off before giving it a chance. it has it’s place in your cabinet/tasting collection/shelf, for sure. pour this brown juice for bourbon loving friends & don’t tell ‘em it’s a finished whiskey.

I have been dying to try Legent, the bourbon form Beam Suntory that is basically an American Whiskey with a Japanese technique and collaboration. This one has been matured in wine and sherry casks, and it was made by Fred Noe & Shinji Fukuyo, which should offer you a high level of complexity. It starts in standard bourbon barrels, then it is transfered to french wine casks and finished in sherry oak. It has 94 proof (47%abv). On the nose, a proper Bourbon aroma. Bananas, cherries, prunes and coconut. It is Ferrero's coconut sweets called Raffaello. Beautiful thick caramel. Very complex and rich. On the palate, it is sour and yeasty. It has maraschino cherries notes. Metallic. After a couple of sips, the flavor fell a little. Dim vanilla water. Aftertaste is the best part. Long, spicy and sulphuric. Red fruits and spices; it resembles a lot to a rye whiskey. Overall, this is a nice bourbon, with a high floor but a low ceiling. I would be glad to have a bottle of this since i believe it is better than most "normal" bourbons, and the bottle is very good looking. Good flavors and aromas, a nicer finish. My score for it is 85 over 100.

Legent 47% abv If you don’t know the story of this whiskey it’s basically this.  2 legends of the whiskey world Fred Noe and Shinji Fukuyo work together on a whisky project.  The whiskey is made by Fred and blended by Fukuyo.  It’s also worth noting that it’s partially finished in wine and sherry casks.  I was certainly skeptical of this one but I have to say I really enjoyed it.   The smell is great - burnt sugar, little spice, toffee, caramel, light red fruit.  The taste is also great - burnt brown sugar, cherry, almond, clove spice The finish is similar to the taste with brown sugar and almonds fading into spice This has all of the characteristics of the premium Beam offerings, specifically I am finding similarities of both Bakers and Bookers but without the abv.  This was priced at $40 but I’ve seen it as low as $35.  This is a great value and highly recommended.    Overall Grade: A

Look I'm no professional or anything but even I can tell when a couple of dude's are stroking their ego. This bottle with it's weird name and constant referral to the legends that collaborated to produce it seems a little circle jerky to me. That said, it was $7 off at the bottle shop, so let's give it a go. Nose: Slightly sour, wine forward with oak Palate: A little watery mouthfeel. Not particularly sweet. Concord grape, leather, burnt caramel. The flavours are fighting each other a bit, but that also adds complexity. Finish: Medium length, the clashing flavours mellow a bit to form a slightly bitter but satisfying end. Maybe those pretentious masters know what they're doing after all. There's something here that's for sure. I want to not like it, but it has that quality of something you don't like initially but can grow on you.

Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Dark fruits, with either honey or caramel hiding underneath. Very sweet. Palate: Some oak tannin, a bit of baking spice, and some subdued caramel. Not as sweet as the nose suggests. Finish: Very warm, medium length. More clove tham anything else. Splash: Mild notes of clove and cinnamon appear with a few drops of water. Overall: 9/10 - This is a fantastic pour, and one I've wantwd to try for a while. At around $40, it's a contender in an increasingly crowded field. The nose is fantastic and the finish is dynamite. It could be a 10 if the palate were a bit more complex, but overall I'm really glad I picked this up.