First Impression : Orphan Barrel Old Blowhard
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.