I would absolutely get a bottle at retail cost, but mostly just to share with others who might not have had it before and get to share that experience of trying such a famed bottling.
Intense! This is the whiskey equivalent of a double IPA. Straight, it leaves the inside of my mouth feeling scoured. Water moved it in a totally distinct and strange direction that really worked for me.
A nose of sun-dried cherries dipped in honey and a bowl of cinnamon-sprinkled cereal. The palate tastes of a melted Heath bar, vanilla saltwater taffy, and charred cinnamon. The finish shows charred wood, cinnamon sugar and wheat.
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House Review
Nose:
Sweet cherry, honey, toffee, nice oak structure. Tiramisu, no heat.
Taste:
Medium mouth feel. Some heat, but not too bad. Honey, toffee, bit of oak structure. Cherry, vanilla bean, fruity and sweet. Mildly tannic.
Finish:
Long, sweet, rich. Toffee, caramel, strawberry and cherry.
Overall:
This is pretty nice. It's certainly better than the majority of the Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare single barrels I've had, so I feel like this has performed pretty strongly. You won't see the face of angels, but you will get to drink a plenty good bourbon. Historically, the 15yr has been my favorite of the Van Winkles (save for the rye) so I'm glad to see this stand up.
Score:
88
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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