Whiskey Wonka

Bought: Dec. 2010
Price: $99.99 @ Binny’s
90.4/Vol. (45.2%)
First taste: Dec. 2010
Tasting Date: 1/27/2011

Chalice: Glencairn glass

Color in glass: warm orange/red, light autumn copper

Smell: candied watermelon, strawberry fruit, sweet banana candy corn, caramel nutmeg, raspberry blossom.

Taste: dried, pressed strawberry honey, banana chip, leather undertones, earthy grass supporting the balanced fruit. Strawberry perfume on the edges with orange/lemon leading to a light, unmistakable leather tannin center.

The heat expresses itself almost exclusively in a caramelized-fruity mist. A slightly tangy, acidic wormwood lingers towards the back of the tongue, perfectly anchoring the sweet fruit ride.

Just the tastiest, most balanced, smoothest, most pleasurable bourbon I can imagine. This Pappy 20 is the finest bourbon I have ever had to privilege to imbibe. That being said, I must confess that any whiskey whose character has been finessed in the filtering and/or proofing process, regardless of the superiority of the spirit, loses some points with me; I hold the naked honesty of an unfiltered, barrel-proof product with the utmost regard. A perfect bourbon would be naked as well as balanced, pleasing, complex, and wide yet personable. Mind you, I do not hold it against the Pappy 20 in the slightest. If I question how I could be more pleased with a bourbon, my only answer at this point is that the intellectual stimulation in knowing I was drinking something straight out of the barrel would be the only factor that could deepen my satisfaction of the experience.

Value: $165/$99

~ by WhiskeyWonka on January 30, 2011.

Posted in Bourbon
Tags: bourbon, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Pappy 20, Pappy Van Winkle, whiskey