First Impression : Orphan Barrel Old Blowhard

Old Blowhard by Orphan Barrel

Age : 26

Nose : Very nice.  Smells almost identical to Eagle Rare 17 to me.  Oak, leather, caramel.

Palate : Very nice on the tongue.  Strong on the caramel and butterscotch.  Oak stays.  Hint of spice.

Finish : It goes down nicely, with butterscotch and leather and oak leading the way…..then….the strangest flavor/taste comes back.  I don’t know what that is.  It almost tastes like dish soap, or an old person’s perfume.  What the hell is that?  I drink some more water and went back again.  Orange peel maybe?  I guess maybe that’s it, but like orange peel dish soap.  It doesn’t satisfy me.  As I sipped it slowly, that strange finish seemed to fade away.  Maybe it mixed with the bourbon I had before it.  Seems weird because I had a glass of water in between.  As I sipped it, it became more pleasant, but still a bit ordinary, and very similar in profile to Eagle Rare 17.  I guess I expected a little more from a bourbon aged 9 more years than ER17.

Overall : Once the strange finish left me, it was an enjoyable sipper, but nothing extraordinary by any means.  I expected more.