Yellowstone 7 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon (2020 Limited Edition)

This is the first of these LE's I've bought. Their core offering has been pretty meh, but with word Nancy Fraley has been working with them, I'm excited. Nose - The first thing that really jumps out is a dusty corn and nutty element, very much making me think of a younger beam, perhaps a bakers or a knob creek 9ish year (well actually those NAS ones). Or you know bookers if bookers weren't terrible :) Then comes a very pleasant sweetness that I would without knowing there's finishing associate with really well aged older bourbons. That antique food finishing and intense brown sugar and candied oak. But more nosing starts to bring out almost a fresh rain over fall leaves with baking spices and rock candy. if not clear, there's peanuts on here as well. There's a pie crust here, heavy cinnamon and brown sugar on it, but yet balanced with the dough not letting the cinnamon bite the nostrils. Taste - While the nose is really something the taste takes a bit of a step back towards 7 year old bourbon. It's sweet but not deep or rich. The mouth feel isn't much to speak of. It however is explosive in total flavor. That sweet a bit thin upfront then gets spicy and oaky and peanuty and it bites pretty nice and hard on the finish. That finish mind you is really long and lingers. It's so much of a beam or perhaps a really nutty heaven hill kind of experience, but those armagnac casks are adding depth to finish, adding more sweetness and adding more mellow fruits. The armagnac is also responsible for a sweetness up front big time. But it seems that this one needed 3 more months in the finishing casks and another year or two in the bourbon barrels. 100 bucks? I have to say, yeah this is worth about that, but you'd want it for 75. Overall I'm at a 2.5 here. But I'm debating going a lot higher. There's just something off for me. I think this just needs more age or more proof. But it's honestly pretty dang good as it is. And thus 2.5, this is about an 85-86 in my book. And at 100 bucks that's not bad.

Neat. Neck pour. Been a few years since I jumped into a Yellowstone LE release. Last one I bought was the 2017 - which I am fond of but need to revisit. This one drew me in because of the Armagnac finish. Little skeptical up front that $120 is a good price on this though... All peanut brittle up front. Leans very peanut heavy. Honestly I think this is just finished Old Ezra 7. Mmm, okay I am finding the Armagnac influence behind the peanut brittle and it is very nice. Vanilla, raisins, walnuts, fig newtons. This is a legit nose, it makes me happy. Very nice, silky smooth mouth feel! Surprised due to the 101 proof, but it comes across full and viscous. Again, this is Old Ezra 7. I’ll do a head to head comparison before I end this. Light and bright upfront on the tongue, powdered sugar sweetness. Darkens up mid palate with the peanut brittle and then the Armagnac glides along the finish. This is delightful. I really like how the Armagnac hangs on the back of the throat. The fig Newton and vanilla really linger. While delightful, it doesn’t have a knockout feature. The nose is interesting, the mouth feel exceeds the expectation of the proof, the peanut brittle/fig Newton combo is solid. Feels much better at the $80-$100 range than the $120 I spent on it. Side by side, yes this is finished Old Ezra 7. It also is very similar to Blood Oath 6. Geez I would be surprised if these were not cousins. Head to head, the Yellowstone is the best pour of the three. Prior to this comparison, I had no issues with Blood Oath’s $100 tag so this being better makes me feel better about the extra $20 spent.

Nose: fresh baked yeast rolls with honey butter drizzled over them, cherries, leather, thick scent of oak, baking spices that are reminiscent of thanksgiving. If you go in close and take a deep breath you get quite a heavy ethanol burn on the nose. So much so I would say this is more than a 101 proof bourbon. Palate: bitter unsweetened chocolate hits me right away, the kind used in cooking purposes only. Reminds me of when I was a kid and I begged my mother for some unsweetened chocolate that she was using for baking... boy was that a shocker!! Oily and coats the mouth nicely, now getting cherries, black pepper, leather, tobacco, and a slight sweetness from honey. Very complex palate! Finish: long and complex... Wow!!! This really sticks with you. A lot of the same flavors keep circling back and punching me right in the back of the throat. One of the best finishes I have ever experienced with bourbon. Definitely drinks hotter than 101 proof. I would say this was more if not as much as some barrel proof bourbons. P.S. I waited to grade this until after I wrote the review. If I were to grade it initially after my first taste it would have been much lower, but now after letting it settle it is clearly one of my favorite offerings of 2020 after finishing my first dram, and this is a neck pour! Don’t sleep on this one. Give it a few minutes and take a couple of visits to capture all of the notes. Amazing bourbon! I will buy another if I can find it.

Yellowstone is one of those labels that I never was drawn to, but a recent barrel pick from one of my favorite shops made them more interesting for me. For 2020 they spruced up the bottle and finished it in Armagnac barrels (which is a French brandy if you are like me and have no idea what the heck Armagnac is). In any case let's give this one a go. Nose is heavy on the vanilla and caramel notes with little ethanol. Not sure if the sweetness is the underlying whiskey or the brandy finish, but either way it is quite nice. First sip is very underwhelming at this price point to be honest. Soft vanilla and brown sugar are present. There is also some fresh baked bread coming through. I wouldn't say a heavy rye, more of a bran muffin. The gentle warming finish comes on as the sweeter notes subside. If this were a $50 bottle it would be higher for me, but at $100 it is just a bit too much of a stretch. Overall a nice pour that I wouldn't turn down, but I don't know that it's hooked me to this annual release.

CONCLUSION: Awesome. Very unique, doesn't disappoint. Yes, I recommend, but it's price justification is questionable. Tastes almost like a $60 - $80 bottle, I think. NOSE: first noticable attribute is the whole product is it's robust, inviting nose - very low ethanol presence. Sweet forward, fruit, little leather, very light florals, just perfect. Absolutely love the nose on this. PALATE: the mash bill is undisclosed, but it's the rye component that slaps you in the face first - rides the edge of introducing bitterness. Some would attribute this to a higher 'burn' than should expected from a quality 101 proof, but the spice is well done if you're in the mood. Nice oily consistency enables this whiskey to spread it's gloriousness throughout the mouth and let it linger and finish. Vanilla all day, char, caramel candies, sweetness isn't as high as it's nose, but it's still balanced alongside an overall great flavor. The finish is comprised of its unique flavor profile, sweet and pleasant.

This is my first Yellowstone LE. I have tried the standard Yellowstone before and consider it pretty average. I am also skeptical of $100+ bourbons because I believe with bourbon price is more a function of rarity than of quality. Nonetheless, three friends and I split this and gave it a try. My palette isn’t super refined, but on the nose I got more concerned because I got a nose full of ethanol and spice with just a hint of vanilla, and I thought the I was about to get this huge alcohol bomb on the taste. Boy was I wrong. The mouth is nothing but smooth, lovely, caramel, honey and peanut brittle like others have stated. Those Armangac casks just smooth everything out. And then the finish has this warm, lingering little oaky burn in the back of your mouth and all the way down. Not overly hot. Just subtle and smooth. This is one of the most complex and good tasting bourbons I have ever tried.