Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength Bourbon

Nose is soft and sweet; vanilla, caramel, honey and a little crème brûlée. Based on nose alone you’d never think this was 117 proof. The first sip however, will quickly and forcefully remind you, battering first your tongue and then your sinuses with a surge of hot cinnamon and burning menthol. A Norlan glass helps a little, but not as much as you’d like. Palate is just ho-hum…there’s your vanilla and your caramel chatting nicely, waiting for sugar and spice to introduce themselves when the brash cinnamon and oak twins crash the party and make so much noise that everyone else heads for the door. Abrupt end, and all that really lingers is astringent heat. Too bad. Even with water it’s still a bit hot, but at least the palate is manageable enough to get a little bubble gum and cooking spices to show before again fading to cinnamon and not quite as pronounced wood. If this was 4 years old and $40, I would be more accepting. At 7 years and $70 it competes with Knob Creek 120, Jack Daniel’s SBBP, Elijah Craig BP, and Maker’s Mark CS. It’s true that many of these have a different flavor profile, but that’s kind of my point; they aren’t just hotter, old(er) versions of a core line that brings only the bare minimum of stereotypical bourbon flavors…through careful cask management or no filtering or just not adding water, they offer an experience that is much removed from the standard line, and this just doesn’t.

Color: Medium Copper-Amber Nose: Strong nose that corresponds with the proof. Sweet with leather, brown sugar, molasses, barrel char. This is my favorite kind of nose. Reminds me of various Barrel Proofs I have had. Palate: (Drank with a large ice ball) Big time spice and heat assault on the first sip. Wow! The chest hug comes in quickly. Ok, now I know what the nose was reminiscent of — this reminds me of pretty much every Booker's that I have had. It took me one sip to clarify that. This is spicy stuff... it's a tongue-tingler. There's sweetness in there, as well, but "spicy" dominates. I try to avoid using "poser" words in my reviews, but... I consider this a "robust" bourbon. It packs a punch, but at the right level. It's the kind that would be perfect for sipping with friends while sitting around a fire. Drinking this with ice — as I generally do with proofs of this caliber — really brings out the subtleties. As the ice dilutes, an orange peel/citrus note appears. Nice! Finish: Medium with lingering spice and oak. Final Thoughts: Ok! I've had my eye on this bottle for a while now. I had a feeling I would like it, and I was correct. Excellent alternative for Booker's fans who don't want to spend $90.00 - $129.00. I will definitely be buying this again. All things considered, 4.5 stars. Bravo!, Luxco.

One bottle, two reviews--the last being over three years ago (6/22/22). There won't be a third in the near future as my current (and only) bottle was finished tonight. Nose is compelling and quite sweet with pipe tobacco, cinnamon jawbreaker candy, chocolate-covered cherries, marzipan, and pomander. There's a dusty Wild-Turkeyish note as well. Sweetness continues on the palate with more pipe tobacco followed by sawdusty woody tannins and a medium-length finish punctuated by cocoa, burnt sugar, and espresso. I've had this bottle for a few years, and don't recall what I paid for it (@Distiller why don't we have this functionality?). It took a few years to drink it, which is telling. It's a bit disjointed. There's a lot of sweetness, but also a fair amount of those sawdust tannins, and it drinks hotter than its 117 proof. Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength can be found for $60-70. This is Larceny Barrel Proof territory, which typically has a higher proof, and is smoother and better. It's a bit more expensive on average than Wild Turkey Rare Breed, which has a similar proof but has more age (blend of 6-, 8-, and 12-year). Would I buy it again? There are many others I'd seek out before trying this again--but I will want to try it.

I don't really know much about Ezra Brooks' bourbon selections but a good friend of mine recommended I try Old Ezra if I ever got the chance to do so. With a reasonable price point and a barrel strength punch, I figured I didn't have much to lose! Very traditional barrel strength bourbon nose. Charred oak, vanilla and brown sugar with a kiss of cherries and baking spice to close it out. What an interesting taste! Starts very sweet with caramel that opens up to sweet and tart cherries before baking spices and tannic oak swirl into the mix. I think the proof makes that drier, tannic oak rush the other flavors off the palate a little too quickly, but it is pleasant, nonetheless. The finish stays on the dry and spicy side. A very brief hit of leather mixes with that oak and baking spice. The proof does prickle your tongue just a bit, but not unpleasantly so. The finish isn't super long, oily or as full bodied as I was hoping for but as the flavors fall off, there's a hint of vanilla that lingers just for a moment. Breathe in through your mouth and you'll detect it more clearly. For a budget barrel strength bourbon this one is solid!

It's a cold afternoon in KY and I just came in from a brisk walk. There is about an ounce left in this bottle opened maybe a year ago. Poured it up an hour ago and been sniffing it. Fabulous nose that makes its way across the room. Vanilla and oak lead the way but a little bit of cherry creeps in there as well. Early on the alcohol gets in the way but it tames down after a few minutes. The palate is a tad hot, perfect for winter. There is maple and brown sugar, some malty chocolate. It's big on standard bourbon flavor but not overly complex. Not quite as chewy as I would like for its proof. The finish is wow. It's long lasting with bing cherry and caramel. Mouth drying but hangs on to the next sip. Slipping in a cube, there caramel finds its way into the nose. The palate picks up a lot of oak and the finish is shortened. I like this one and it delivers for its price point. Availability is a problem in my market except at the distillery where it recently went to $90. At that price, I find better offerings.

Liquid amber color. Sweet nose of caramel, oranges, apple pie, oak, leather, and vanilla. In contradistinction to the Knob Creek 12-Year Small Batch tasted immediately prior, and despite the much higher proof (117 vs KC12 100), Old Ezra comes across as balanced on the palate, and not nearly as hot. Whereas the KC12's palate was mostly heat, the Old Ezra has noticeable flavors of caramel and pipe tobacco preceding cinnamon red hots. There's a nice sweet vanilla finish with an orange tang. This bottle is about 2/3 gone; I've not had any in several months. While I'd made no explicit notes previously, I recalled liking, but not loving it. Tonight I'm loving it; this could also be a commentary on the KC12's bitterness and disjointedness that preceded it. As I recall, I picked up my two bottles in West Virginia a few years back. I'll definitely be looking to replenish my inventory when this stock gets low. N.B. All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.