NV Orphan Barrel 17 Year Old "Fanged Pursuit" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Orphan Barrel 17 Year Old "Fanged Pursuit" Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)

The Orphan Barrel Series is one of the most unusual and compelling modern projects to come out of the incredible spirits making apparatus called Diageo. This unprecedented release is the first Kentucky Straight Bourbon of significant age we've seen in a very long time. While the source is unknown, we do know this is a relatively high rye bourbon with a mashbill boasting around 20% rye. That doesn't connect cleanly to any modern mashbill, but there's no question this was distilled at one of the legacy producers. Bottled without chillfiltration at a totally reasonable 92 proof, this is one of the few old bourbons available right now. The only question to ask about old bourbon, when the price isn't ridiculous, "Is it good?" There's so much risk with old bourbon, especially stocks that have not necessarily had a specific purpose in mind as we assume most Orphan Barrel batches to be, but there's no question that this is excellent bourbon. Compared to other old whiskies in the market, which are rarely bottled about 100 proof, it represents an incredible value and offers an excellent, albeit very approachable, drinking experience. The gorgeous nose offers deep cherry compote, sweet vanilla bean, pungent high-end teas, and dense wild honey. A creamy mouth feel with beautiful barrel spice and an old school dusty sweetness that feels very authentic. It's extremely hard to pinpoint where this might have been distilled way back sometime before 2007, but it's sure easy to love.