Happy Whiskey of the Wednesday friends, and before I start the review, I want to call for a toast to my little bunny Zayda, who is recovering from a GI Stasis she went into the other night. She's not loving the critical care and the pain meds knock her on her ass, but she's a trooper and seems quite content with letting us pick her up. Love ya cutie.
Anyway, let's get back to it. This week I'm hitting up the dustiest bottle I've ever picked up from the liquor store, and that's saying something, considering my typical subjects of patronage are behind glass cases. The "Bourbon Whiskey" - now called "Straight Bourbon Whiskey" - is from the small batch distillery based in Seattle, '2bar Spirits'. Their website states a run of as few as 200 thirty gallon barrels, which is around 100 of the traditional barrels we're used to from larger distilleries. That's quite a bit of whiskey, especially for a craft manufacturer, but the quality certainly isn't something on the chopping block.
*Bare with me as I'd like to give something new a try. I might remember to include all the specs of the particular whiskey I'm writing about, but I want to ensure I present all the bottle info I can up front so ya'll don't have to dive too deeply into my own late era middle-aged ramblings. The new format is as follows:
- Bourbon Whiskey
- 2bar Spirits
- 100 Proof, 50%
- Seattle, WA, USA
- $48.99
Nose - Butterscotch, corn, with vanilla and honey. I want to say there's cinnamon in there, but it's hard to give it that when it's likely just the "high" proof's breath tickling my nose hairs.
Palette - Woah, APPLE is what I pick up as soon as the whiskey hits. Leather, almond and chesnuts follow up quick giving it a very earthy texture that heats up quickly with a bit of honey and dried fruit to the end.
Finish - A surge of heat that quickly gives way as it sinks down, one of the fastest come-and-go's in whiskey heat I've had in a while. The finish maintains that dried fruit and earthy texture with a playful numbness that comes along with some of the 100+ proofs.
Overall Thoughts - 2bar is putting out a cool whiskey that adds a bit of flair and culture to any cabinet. It's something that you can pull out on a fancy occasion and offer to those who've tried quite a few of the other bourbons around town and are looking for something small batch. It's good - Is it an instant sell? Probably not, and that's why there was dust on the bottle, and likely why I have an "old label" of their whiskey; people can be afraid of trying new things, especially when they've got a ~$50 price tag.