After my William Larue Weller review yesterday I wanted to keep the wheat party going so I cracked this one open last night. I’m going to be honest, I bunkered one of these a month or so ago after buying into the rumor that it had been discontinued. I’ve owned one in the past and don’t remember being overly impressed with it but tastes do occasionally change and I didn’t want to be caught without one if I ever changed my opinion on it. Just recently though Fred Minnick burned the discontinued rumor down so I figured this bottle was fair game for some sipping.
Nose: A bit hot for a ninety proofer - part of that is the glencairn. Lots of vanilla and buttery toffee sugars, typical soft wheat flavors.
Taste: The nose reinforced. Soft caramel sugars, lots of vanilla, some banana. Charred oak is evident and somewhat harsh/bitter. It’s not very complex and rather one dimensional.
Finish: Medium in length. The bitter charred oak is more prevalent than the sweetness that I am used to from a good wheater. Other than the previously mentioned nose/taste flavors there is slight hint of cinnamon.
Notes: I don’t find anything “very special” about this one. Yes, the wheated flavors are there but they are rather muted compared to the Weller line. It just doesn’t have that strong vanilla caramel sundae cake sweetness that I get from those. I find this one to be rather boring… it feels like something is missing. It’s definitely not as smooth or nuanced as what you would expect from something that has spent 12 years in the wood.
Rating: D
I find VSOF to be a very good bourbon and am sad to see it discontinued. I contacted the distillery and they confirmed it is gone. Wish I had bunkered a couple cases. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI know some really like this and I can appreciate that.
DeleteThere were rumors going around a couple of years ago that this was going to be discontinued but Fred Minnick dispelled those with information direct from the distillery. I knew it was much harder to find and basically gift shop only at this point but I had not heard it was officially done. I'll reach out to someone at Heaven Hill and see if I can confirm.