Here we are with another bourbon I saw and ended up having to pick up. I have always been a fan of whiskeys with a port, and especially sherry, finish, so when I came across this one I had to try it. So let’s get right into it.
The nose on this bourbon blasts you with a dark raspberry sweetness, not unlike the filling you could find inside a raspberry filled dark chocolate candy. There is just barely a hint of oak I picked up in the background, but that smell is undoubtedly completely influenced by the port finish.
Onto the palate, right away this one hits you with some sweetness and vanilla, but then the port finish takes over at mid-palate, hitting with that dark raspberry or dark red fruit, and just a touch of oak on the finish. There was not really any alcohol burn that you can get, which is good considering this one is at 89 proof. Adding a touch of water really brings out the fruit on the beginning, and opens up some oak and wood on the finish. The finish never really hangs around with or without water. It is a terrifically smooth and mouth filling bourbon. The one thing that I would say is that the bourbon takes a back seat to the port, making the actual whiskey flavors hard to pick up on.
For the rating, my lovely girlfriend has starting rating with me, and I have my rating. We both have pretty similar palates with whiskey, so I will take each of our ratings and average them for the overall.
My rating: 88/100
Angie’s Rating: 86/100
Overall: 87/100
I would absolutely recommend picking this one up, especially if you are a fan of whiskey and port. Be prepared if you are looking for a lighter influence of the port though, as the whiskey really does play second fiddle in this one.
