Rhetoric 23 Year Bourbon

I’m just sifting through tobacco leaves, sitting on a weary, dusty mahogany throne adorned with a buffalo pelt overlooking a library of dusty tomes. Don’t mind me. You really need to love oak to like Orphan Barrel Rhetoric. A 20+ year old bourbon is not for those who want something alive and vibrant. But I love the old oaky stuff; the ancient wood oil and syrup that forms legs that do not fall; the smell of must and dust; the taste of leather and black cherries. This almost loses its bourboness and tastes like an over-oaked anything. I once had a Hart Brothers Strathisla single malt heading towards 40 years old that tasted similar. The spirit is gone, but you can still appreciate the senile, wrinkled complexity imparted by the wood. This deserves an oversized cognac snifter to appreciate. If you let this breath for a while, or add a few drops of water, it does wake up and offer some of the fruitier and spicier properties of a bourbon, but I prefer staring and nosing this antiquity neat, thinking if the Library of Alexandria melted and was bottled, it would taste something like this. Score: * (unforgettably good) How much does a bottle cost: Retail is around $140. Secondary market pricing is $200-450 How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $140

A guy who works at a liquor store told me that this one tastes like 23-year old Pappy. I have not been lucky enough to determine whether or not he was correct. However, I do feel lucky to be trying this. I come into this drink with a very positive impression of the Orphan Barrel brands. Nose is tart, like a sour green apple or lemon. Bit of dustiness. I really like this nose. Body has some of the lemon, and tobacco. The finish really turns up the heat. Cinnamon, pepper, leather, smoke. The nose is by far my favorite part of this drink. That tobacco transitioning into heat is really fascinating. I’m not a cigar guy, but the body and finish really do take me back to a good cigar, late at night with a friend. Even though I don’t love the message, I can recognize that it was superbly delivered. A whiskey that costs this much should be complex and should tel a story. This one does both very well.

The first time I had this, I got lots of oak, some sweetness... and very little else (if anything). I was told it would open up. Three weeks later, I get more fruit on the nose, very pungent, almost like a sour ale. Definitely oak and maybe some cloves and brown sugar. On the palate, the sharp oak is still there, but there's more this time, some floral notes and baking spice to round out the sweetness. It finishes with more oak and a strong char, along with roasted gingko seeds and a hint of bitter chocolate and pecan shell. It feels creamy and thin at the same time, interestingly. This is still an acidic oak bomb, but there's more this time around. Hopefully it'll continue to open up. 5/16/18 Has developed a bit, some earthy tones and caramel. But still really oaky. 5/27/18

Quick Summary: With this being the longest-aged bourbon I have tried to date, I guess I had higher hopes for complexity. I love oak, but this is oak to the max, in various spectrums, and it’s just about all I taste. Nose: Heavy acetone surprises you, but then is followed by dark cherry and a hint of chocolate. Palate: Musty oak. Which is heavy and lingers for a minute. It might open up into caramel, pepper, and brown sugar notes, but that oak is still present. Maybe even overpoweringly so. Finish: Stale. It’s weird. I get the oak in the finish, too. But it tastes… stale. Enjoy: Seldomly

Absolutely neat. Nose: rough nose, almost pungently oak, pepper, cinnamon, and I thought possibly anise was the only thing I could get close to making that nose. Or maybe oaky molasses. I don’t know. Honestly to the point that isn’t pleasant but you keep going back and trying to figure out what it is. Palate: things changed 180° with the palate. Immediately tangy, cherry, sweet with lots of complexity and turns every sip. Not a ton of spice, but a nice moderate length finish anyways. Favorite to date, even though I usually go for chocolate and wheat majority. Super fun!

Previous post says it all, if you enjoy over oaked, aka not your typical bourbon, this will be for you. To me, it had a bitter note that turned me off a bit. Upon opening the bottle, the aroma is incredible. It smells fantastic. The taste, however, was good, overly oaky of course, but it was a bit bitter and left my tongue with a bitter note after the fact. I am super glad I have it in my collection, it is well worth the wow factor and sharing something with friends. I would, however not buy another bottle. I bet this one lasts me another 23 years!!!