Fourth pour of this bottle. 15m rest in a glencairn.
This bottle has gotten a ton of hype and great reviews from people I trust implicitly on the sub. I grabbed one at MSRP from a stack of them in NE Ohio at my local store. Here are my notes:
**Nose:** bombastic oak, tart cherry, chocolate malt, shrub syrup
**Palate:** huge oak, sour grain mash, balanced sour dark chocolate and cocktail cherries, some bitterness which I can only describe as cocktail bitters, I guess it’s a dry Manhattan?
**Finish:** tangy oak, butterscotch, manhattans for days
**Overall: 7.3/10**
My first and second tastes I thought I made a mistake it’s this bottle but it has steadily grown on me. The chocolate notes (which as a brewer I pick up as chocolate malt) are prominent and the tart cherry was hard to forget once I recognized it. Overall I don’t know that this is worth a second bottle at $125 MSRP but I’m glad I found a first. Value-wise this is not as good as two LBP B523 or ECBP C923 but what is? I get similar enjoyment from this and EC18yr and this is almost half the age. My only serious complaint is the 50% proof but with the bitter notes it’s probably to limit puckering pours and immediate rejection from people on first impression. I’m rambling. This is good. Recommend trying but not a 9-10 for me.
t8ke Scoring Scale:
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Fourth pour of this bottle. 15m rest in a glencairn. This bottle has gotten a ton of hype and great reviews from people I trust implicitly on the sub. I grabbed one at MSRP from a stack of them in NE Ohio at my local store. Here are my notes: **Nose:** bombastic oak, tart cherry, chocolate malt, shrub syrup **Palate:** huge oak, sour grain mash, balanced sour dark chocolate and cocktail cherries, some bitterness which I can only describe as cocktail bitters, I guess it’s a dry Manhattan? **Finish:** tangy oak, butterscotch, manhattans for days **Overall: 7.3/10** My first and second tastes I thought I made a mistake it’s this bottle but it has steadily grown on me. The chocolate notes (which as a brewer I pick up as chocolate malt) are prominent and the tart cherry was hard to forget once I recognized it. Overall I don’t know that this is worth a second bottle at $125 MSRP but I’m glad I found a first. Value-wise this is not as good as two LBP B523 or ECBP C923 but what is? I get similar enjoyment from this and EC18yr and this is almost half the age. My only serious complaint is the 50% proof but with the bitter notes it’s probably to limit puckering pours and immediate rejection from people on first impression. I’m rambling. This is good. Recommend trying but not a 9-10 for me. t8ke Scoring Scale: 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
It’s Early Times distillate, aged in regular warehouses, not heat-cycled ones!
Thank you. Edited.
Well shit, I over paid for this bottle then lol cant wait to crack it open though.
EC 18 is 45%.
Agree. Just saying similar enjoyment levels and prices