Semper Fi Big Stick Bourbon is a sourced offering finished with a charred American white oak stave inserted in each bottle. It rests at 47.5% ABV and retails for around $70. The brand donates 5% of proceeds to military charities.
I was very happy with this tasting, as the whiskey is beautifully balanced and gives a complex profile that includes some umami vibes hitting the spot on every part of the palate.
The palate takes a turn toward sweeter, fruitier flavors, though warming hot cocoa and cinnamon candies persist; there's vanilla frosting, strawberry milk, cinnamon sugar, and a hint of lemon peel. A well-rounded finish emphasizes that wood spice and chocolate to good effect.
Immediately you’re taken aback at how approachable this bourbon is. Having a stave soaking in the bottle doesn’t make this an over-oaked or overly charred bottle of bourbon (at least not yet anyways). Instead, the bourbon includes many more flavor notes I’m not used to tasting with a given bottle of bourbon.
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House Review
Nose:
Brown sugar, cinnamon stick, honey and pepper. Aggressively wood-y, but nothing offensive or off putting.
Taste:
Thin to medium mouthfeel, full of honey, pepper, toffee and a touch of baking spice. I expected a bitter tannin bomb, but have to say that off the adulterated “aged in bottle” whiskeys I’ve tried, this places at the top. Not a ton going on, but it’s approachable, has a great dessert characteristic and doesn’t pile on the oak too deeply.
Finish:
Short to medium finish. Cocoa, tootsie roll, honey, baking spice and more pepper.
Overall:
Overall, some may label this a gimmick, but in the glass, this is perfectly fine bourbon. It’s a little thin for the proof, but it manages the additional tannin quite well, which is impressive in its own right.
Score:
80
By T8ke
Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
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