Hey guys! I was asked by the person that sent me this to do a review on it (and another one, that will come later). It got me thinking that maybe we could get some long(er) form bourbon reviews going! I know we use the "Today's Bourbon" thread for this a bit but maybe we could use this format for more in depth looks at our favorite spirits! Anyways, on to the review.
FYI, I'm "live reviewing" this. As in, typing as I enjoy. You will get my thoughts as they happen. Hope it's not too ramble-y at the end.
History: Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon. My limited search and limited knowledge of this bourbon tells me that this is the "little brother", or at least lesser known brother, to the now late (seriously RIP) Heaven Hill Bottled In Bond Bourbon that can essentially only be found in Kentucky. Similiar story here as by my understanding this is the same. MSRP, per the internet, shows around $10 for a 750ml of this stuff. Talk about starting off on the right foot! I mean, seriuosly, think about that. Unlike the BiB, the non bonded Green Label is 90 proof. Also, unlike a lot of bourbons these days, this one still carries an age statement 6 years to be exact. Think about this, 90 proof, 6 year old bourbon for roughly $10 bucks. This is stupid already.
To the tasting......
First thoughts are that this is a nice looking bourbon. I guess it makes sense, 6 years old and all, but there is a good color to this. Looks nice in the Glencairn.
Nose: Leather, beef?, vegetal, some sweetness as well. Caramel or brown sugar. Overall nose is pleasant.
Palate: First sip got me like WHOA!! Seriously, this this this this is just like, good. Like holy cow. I was not expecting this to be this tasty. First thing that gets me is the sweetness. I LOVE a good sweetness to a bourbon. Not always, but I have a soft spot for it. And this nails it on the head ASAP out of the gate. Not a cloying sweetness, but rather a pleasant one. As we proceed through the dram, the proof (albeit moderate) helps on this. I feel like it's got just enough to make sure this isn't a super thin whisky. It's nice man, I don't know what else to say. I'd say there is some pepperiness here. Not like spice, but that vegetal, red pepper style. It balances the sweetness quite nicely.
Finish: Moderate at best. Short for me. But not unexpected and ultimately not an issue. This whisky doesn't coat my mouth or have a crazy viscous mouthfeel, but its just nice (notice a trend here?)
Overall: This whisky is so solid it's disgusting. At $10 bucks a bottle, it's absolutely fucking absurd (forgive the language, but it's warranted here). Seriously, I don't think that you'd ever be disappointed drinking this. If this were $25 a bottle, I'd drink it. And I still think you'd say it was worth the price. I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. I'd love to hear others thoughts. But seriously, this is not a complex bourbon. Mostly one dimensional. Didn't change on me as I drank it or as it coated my palate. But that's okay. It's a one trick pony sure, but it's DAMN good at that one trick.
Rating: I'm not in to ratings that much. They can be and obviously are affected by so many things. Let's see. In a 0-10 scale where 0 is you wouldn't drink it if someone gave it to you (although the nearly give away this stuff!!!) and 10 is you'd actually pay secondary market Pappy prices for the bourbon, I'd give this thing an absolute 6. What does this mean? I don't know. It's SO solid. Is it a GREAT bourbon? I don't know that it is. But that's just it. I don't know . It might be!! And at $10 bucks a bottle, well I mean what more could you ask for. This was an absolute delight. THANK YOU to my brother that sent it. This will be savored.
Thanks for reading. Hopefully I didn't ramble too much. But it's one of my gifts. Let me know your thoughts if you've had it before! Also, I will legit take feedback on this review!
Edited with pictures!
FYI, I'm "live reviewing" this. As in, typing as I enjoy. You will get my thoughts as they happen. Hope it's not too ramble-y at the end.
History: Heaven Hill Old Style Bourbon. My limited search and limited knowledge of this bourbon tells me that this is the "little brother", or at least lesser known brother, to the now late (seriously RIP) Heaven Hill Bottled In Bond Bourbon that can essentially only be found in Kentucky. Similiar story here as by my understanding this is the same. MSRP, per the internet, shows around $10 for a 750ml of this stuff. Talk about starting off on the right foot! I mean, seriuosly, think about that. Unlike the BiB, the non bonded Green Label is 90 proof. Also, unlike a lot of bourbons these days, this one still carries an age statement 6 years to be exact. Think about this, 90 proof, 6 year old bourbon for roughly $10 bucks. This is stupid already.
To the tasting......
First thoughts are that this is a nice looking bourbon. I guess it makes sense, 6 years old and all, but there is a good color to this. Looks nice in the Glencairn.
Nose: Leather, beef?, vegetal, some sweetness as well. Caramel or brown sugar. Overall nose is pleasant.
Palate: First sip got me like WHOA!! Seriously, this this this this is just like, good. Like holy cow. I was not expecting this to be this tasty. First thing that gets me is the sweetness. I LOVE a good sweetness to a bourbon. Not always, but I have a soft spot for it. And this nails it on the head ASAP out of the gate. Not a cloying sweetness, but rather a pleasant one. As we proceed through the dram, the proof (albeit moderate) helps on this. I feel like it's got just enough to make sure this isn't a super thin whisky. It's nice man, I don't know what else to say. I'd say there is some pepperiness here. Not like spice, but that vegetal, red pepper style. It balances the sweetness quite nicely.
Finish: Moderate at best. Short for me. But not unexpected and ultimately not an issue. This whisky doesn't coat my mouth or have a crazy viscous mouthfeel, but its just nice (notice a trend here?)
Overall: This whisky is so solid it's disgusting. At $10 bucks a bottle, it's absolutely fucking absurd (forgive the language, but it's warranted here). Seriously, I don't think that you'd ever be disappointed drinking this. If this were $25 a bottle, I'd drink it. And I still think you'd say it was worth the price. I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. I'd love to hear others thoughts. But seriously, this is not a complex bourbon. Mostly one dimensional. Didn't change on me as I drank it or as it coated my palate. But that's okay. It's a one trick pony sure, but it's DAMN good at that one trick.
Rating: I'm not in to ratings that much. They can be and obviously are affected by so many things. Let's see. In a 0-10 scale where 0 is you wouldn't drink it if someone gave it to you (although the nearly give away this stuff!!!) and 10 is you'd actually pay secondary market Pappy prices for the bourbon, I'd give this thing an absolute 6. What does this mean? I don't know. It's SO solid. Is it a GREAT bourbon? I don't know that it is. But that's just it. I don't know . It might be!! And at $10 bucks a bottle, well I mean what more could you ask for. This was an absolute delight. THANK YOU to my brother that sent it. This will be savored.
Thanks for reading. Hopefully I didn't ramble too much. But it's one of my gifts. Let me know your thoughts if you've had it before! Also, I will legit take feedback on this review!
Edited with pictures!
