Blender Eboni Major makes her mark with this limited-edition whiskey that incorporates three distillates, all at least 9 years old. The multiple flavor profiles and ages converge to create a hyper-charged bourbon with layers of flavor. A lively nose offers raspberry, chocolate, mint, confectioners’ sugar, and candied pecans. The palate is bold, with flavors of cherry, spearmint, dark chocolate, nougat, pepper, and polished oak. More mint follows on the finish, along with bitter chocolate, dark berries, and spice. Each batch will have its own profile, and this incredible inaugural effort promises more greatness to come. Number 4 in the 2020 Top 20

Reviewed by: David Fleming (Winter 2020)

The nose shows great maturity, with varnish, leather couch, black cherry syrup, dark chocolate, and wet walnuts. There’s a pleasant tartness to the palate, like just-ripe cherries, along with the richness of chocolate torte, blackberry jam, birch syrup, Concord grape jelly, and leathery oak. It finishes with lengthy cherry syrup, high-end dark chocolate, and more varnish and leather. Editor's Choice

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Summer 2020)

Earthy, leathery, and spiced, this bourbon shows nice maturity and polish, evoking a well-worn wood-paneled barroom. The flavors offer good intensity and concentration, striking a nice balance of sweet and savory notes, as spicy cedarwood and cigar box come draped in toffee. Water releases some vivid chocolate, vanilla cream, and clove-studded orange. Nice verve, fine balance, and evident maturity.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2018)

High rye is evident, with rounded baking spices up front, leather, muted caramel, vanilla, and a hint of tobacco. This ABV beast coasts with the warmth and richness of crème brûlée, toffee, cinnamon rock candy, fruit, and nutmeg. Oh wait, there’s more. Smoke kicks in toward the end with marshmallow undertones and more cinnamon, finishing strong with lasting spice. This is a cask strength sipper or a lovely bourbon on the rocks.

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Fall 2016)

Time in the barrel is apparent here, with ample cedar, sawdust, and toasty oak sprinkled across caramel sweetness with a medley of herbal flavors, including licorice and basil. Generous on the palate, it serves up lots of clove and baking spices before the oak tannin sweeps in, leaving a very dry finish of bitter orange pith.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Fall 2019)

The high rye content delivers a laudable balance between the wood-sugar sweetness and rye spiciness, with its nose of maple syrup, pecan, nutmeg, pepper, and fresh oak. On the palate it presents sweet maple syrup with raisin and fig notes, black currant jelly, leather, root beer, and toasted oak before the spices start kicking up dust. Pepper and clove endure as the cola, nut, and root beer make a return.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2022)

Soft, elegant, and nicely rounded, with honeyed orchard fruit and gentle spice on a bed of vanilla and caramel. Very versatile; a pleasing, unchallenging bourbon to suit most moods and situations. I actually like it better than the new, older 10 year old expression (reviewed in this issue), because it is so beautifully balanced.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Summer 2013)

The floral and violet candy notes on the nose suggest a younger rye, followed by fresh citrus, and a pronounced herbal quality that borders on vinyl, with primary grain aromas peering through like warm porridge. On the palate, it emerges a bit hot up front, on the thin side, as sweet vanilla, honey, and tropical fruit meet peppery spices, tinged with caraway and licorice. A solid, if somewhat simple sipper.

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Winter 2019)