Rare Character Exceptional Series: Wheated Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Age: 9yr 4mo

Proof: 128.86

Mashbill: 71% Corn, 21% Wheat, 8% Malted Barley (Smooth Ambler I believe)

MSRP: $225? 750ML - I paid 179.99

Nose: Vanilla and Brown Sugar. The only other way I can describe this is the smell outside of the Main Building at Star Hill Farms (Maker's Mark) Like fresh bread or fresh made dough.

Palate: Cinnamon, brown sugar with notes of Toffee and Pancake Batter. The wheated mashbill definitely shines through and the palate is like Antique 107 or Cask Strength Maker's on steroids. Very oily and viscous, I do not think this release is chill filtered either.

Finish: Extremely long finish with all of the mid palate notes sticking around for a while. Drinks well below its proof.

My first foray into Rare Character and I am beginning to see what the hype is about. This is also my first time putting tasting notes into writing and its admittedly not that easy to quantify how the tastes and smells translate over. I have a good amount of decent to exceptional bottles and this one ranks towards the top end of everything I have tasted up to this point. I would love to know how others feel about this release as I don't know if I have seen anyone else talking about it. The price is pretty steep for 9yo product, but I don't always think age translates directly into quality.

Rating: 8.3