Noses more like a 12 year old barrel at closer to 10 years aged in actuality. Vanilla turning lighter than the beginning glaze texture now, making way for a hint of bright florals Way more herbal here on palate without the creamy caramel and brown sugar holding down the lighter notes

) Whiskey Type: Wheated Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 51% Corn, 45% Wheat, 4% Malted Barley Proof: 108.8 I do fortunately have a bottle of this to try, another 8 year in barrel BCW45, only 10 away from this incredibly excited for this release to get even older, as I think some of those nuances will come alive. 10

Well, @bourbon_paddy made me do it. We were chatting not too long ago and some of his most excitable whiskey descriptors were used to portray the quality of this Larceny batch, so I had to give it a go myself. I historically have not been crazy for these Larceny barrel proof releases, finding batch A120 to be quite lackluster. Check out his review here! I'll be going into this glass without having read into it too closely so I can form my own opinions here now, but definitely check out his thorough reviews for yourself. Here goes... This is Larceny's last chance to wow me before I might go all in on team Elijah Craig... Let's get to it! Company on Label: Old Fitzgerald Distillery (Heaven Hill) Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 12% Malted Barley Proof: 122.6° Age: 6 years (a blend of 6 to 8 year barrels) Further identification: Batch C921 is the 3rd and final release from 2021 Nose: A very traditional bourbon caramel immediately rises off the surface of the glass. Pepper dances around the edges of the glass as an incredibly soft leather greets me as well. There's a hint of a bright copper metallic note early on in the glass that fades into a nice base of cashew and peanut brittle as time goes on. The nose is quite light in intensity with no big evidence of any proof to be found. Molasses, dark earth, and hints of dark chocolate are really great layers to find now as this opens up. I find this nose to be quite moody and brooding with the dark earth tones really presenting the most intently. Time for a sip to see if things open up differently on the palate. Coming back after a few sips to explore the nose further I find that the nutty aromas of cashew and peanut have jumped back into the foreground and combined with the sugary sweet pecan note I was getting on the palate. Digging deeper I'm able to find a nice baking-sweet vanilla. The darkness of the early glass seems far away as funky malt, level oak, and a touch of barbecue smoke have transitioned this glass into something quite enjoyable. There's definitely some savory notes coming off the glass that made me think of barbecue smoke in particular. As the glass weathers on the sweetness from the palate starts to drift in. For the most part I actually enjoyed the contrast between nose and palate here where the overall complexity of the pour benefited from that crossover. The empty glass smells of confectioners sugar, vanilla, and maple syrup soaked oak. Palate: My first sip is really a complete surprise as delicious cherry hots flash up, sizzle on the tip of my tongue and then settles into a nutty cherry pie linger. I also taste a lovely maple-roasted candied pecan dessert as my first sip trails off slowly. Another sip is much more manageable from a flashy proof perspective, but the same lovely cherry persists. There's orange peel, grape jelly and a soft tingle of herbal tea sticking in my gums. I had no idea I was going to enjoy this pour this much on the palate based on the aromas I was finding on the nose. The mouth coating is just the right weight for any occasion; it's not so heavy you find yourself reaching for a glass of water after every sip, nor is it fleeting in any sense of that word. The entirety of my mouth is coated with a caramel nut tart and I'm here for it as the flavors hangs on clearly for the better part of a full minute. Yum; another sip builds in more fruit sweetness with plum, blackberry and flashes of pomegranate. A custard sweetness sits atop fig tart. This batch of Larceny actually really reminds me of a good Booker's batch - something that I haven't revisited in a long while. A bigger sip and swish reminds you of the proof point you are working with as black pepper, cinnamon and a flashy brandy sweetness sting the tongue. Nearing the end of the glass a faint bit of salted molasses struck through in a surprising departure from the rest of the experience. There's a fair bit of buttery toffee in the linger. My last sip has built up an array of baking spices that excite the palate with ginger, brown sugar, cookie dough, and nutmeg coming through strongly. Rating: 4/5 Bonus head to head review! Immediately after finishing the C921 review I decided to briefly revisit my A120 batch as I never actually formally reviewed that pour. It's been fairly low and should have experienced some changes due to oxidation by this point in the bottle, but I wanted to explore if this batch is truly a cut above the rest. The A120 presents distinctly hotter without the vibrant sweet fruit that the C921 delivered. The A120 nose presents with much more of that white-washed, bright paper quality that some Heaven Hill oak tends to do. The A120 is distinctly more tannic and bitter, but I find still find myself liking it more than I recall. There's a funny captain crunch cereal note I hadn't experienced before, but the proof imbalance continues to make me feel as though this A120 batch isn't as refined as it could be (like C921 delivered above). So I'll definitely be giving C921 the nod here in this brief head to head. Let me know if you have had either batch and what you thought of them! Larceny, you can definitely stay Amongst the Whiskey still. Trying this batch was certainly eye opening. Cheers to another great week up ahead of us here!

Company on Label: Old Evan Williams Distillery Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 78% Corn, 10%

Company on Label: Elijah Craig (Heaven Hill) Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 78% Corn, 10% Nice rye spice coming through despite the low (10%) rye content, which is enjoyable to me. Vanilla starts to develop very well later in the pour; it gets chased by lighter spices and a thorough

: Louisville Spirits Group Whiskey Type: Finished Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 72% Corn, 18% Rye, 10%

Trace / Sazerac) Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (Low Rye < 10% ) Proof: 100° Age: NAS Further identification: Laser code L200910115:33K (2020 release) Four Roses Single Four Roses Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 60% Corn, 35% Rye, 5% Barley Proof: 125° Age: 10 strength offering this is up against has certainly detracted from my ability to pick up subtle nuances at 100

Company on Label: Buffalo Trace Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Buffalo Trace Rye Mash Bill Proof: 94° Age: 7 years Further identification: Early 2020 purchase Nose: Citrus and vanilla that presents itself almost like a faint Pinesol note. A touch of copper. Typical rye spices, but they're light and more in the background. The oak is faint and sweet. There is a creamy note that is almost rum-like. Oh the vanilla has evolved nicely. This is definitely not the Pinesol experience it started out as. Some stewed stone fruits coming up now. This glass totally woke up after 15 minutes. Palate: So very mellow & sweet for a heavier rye content. The copper note of the nose is also here, but balanced well by a shiny, metallic cherry and lemon zest. Caramel works in delicately. The mouth coating is thin, but present and very toffee forward. A little bit of honey sweetness. A hint of tannic red grape as well. This took a long time to set up; I'd highly suggest letting this one sit because the beginning of the glass had nothing compared to this. The rye spices become much more prominent late. I'd definitely recommend this to someone maybe looking to dip a toe into the rye category. Rating: 3/5

Company on Label: Hood River Whiskey Type: Finished Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed Proof: 90° Age: 8 years Further identification: Batch 004 Review: Bright, fresh-sawn oak with some citrus. Vanilla that wants to turn to marshmallow but isn't quite there. Light floral notes. When it turns darker it is a peppery molasses note I get. Palate is rather thin, with a synthetic cherry note taking over. The basis of molasses is still present. Unrefined vanilla and still very floral. Chocolate notes jump from the depths of light spring flavors at times. What it lacks in depth it makes up for in complexity. This is one you can't write off at one sip. It changes quite a bit throughout the glass. Mouth feel is good but little to no finish definitely leaves me with more to be desired out of this pour. Definitely a better experience today than whenever I opened this one! Rating: 3/5

Company on Label: Heaven's Door Spirits Whiskey Type: Blended Straight Whiskey Mash Bill Percentages: Undisclosed (69% Bourbon, 31% Rye Blend) Proof: 95.7° Age: 7 years Further identification: 69% Batch I05-52 Bourbon, 31% Batch B15-64 Rye. Bottle 010/120. Selected by Burlington Wine & Spirits. Caramel, pepper and a medicinal cherry are all in the forefront of the nose. Raisin and a port wine. Some spice is present and makes the nose sting a bit. Palate is really surprising explosion of citrus and herbal fruit medley. This has a ton of flavor and creamy mouth feel for 95.7 proof. Really approachable still with all the flavors. I shared and introduced this bottle to 6 others after a strong workout this evening and there were only good responses. Interesting change of pace, but not a pour I would hunt down hard I don’t think. Definitely one to share with people who want a big flavor experience without a high proof smack! Rating: 3/5

single barrel is produced, bottled and aged by Valentine Distilling; the whiskey comes from barrel TR-10

Tonight we have the latest Barrel Strength release - Batch 8 - on deck. I previously tasted the four-grain Batch 6 barrel strength release which is what actually got me into the Penelope brand in the first place. This sample comes from a trio of the latest releases from Mike Paladini alongside the flagship bourbon and a sample of one of the private releases I am also excited to try soon. I thank Penelope Bourbon for providing the whiskey for review and allowing me to taste it with no strings attached! I love that the mash bill subtly varies between releases with different proportions of each input MGP mash bill varying slightly. From the "Your-Nightcap" section of the Penelope website: Barrel Strength pushes the boundaries of our signature four grain balanced flavor profile. Each batch is blended from three bourbon mash bills aged in new American oak barrels and completely uncut and non chill-filtered. Each barrel was hand selected and blended into a single batch in order to create this unique offering. Company on Label: Penelope Bourbon Whiskey Type: Bourbon Mash Bill Percentages: 74% Corn, 16% Wheat, 7% Rye, and 3% Malted Barley Proof: 115.8° Age: 3 years (A blend of 3.5-5 year barrels) Further identification: This sample of Batch 8 was provided to me from Penelope Bourbon Nose: Dusty oak, pepper, caramel, and a slight citrus greet me well. Everything feels well balanced with intense scents that come off soft and sweet. White linen, cherry skins and lilac smells very nice. Caramel feels like the strongest note here and it's slightly salty and bright. Slight peanut brittle presents very dusty. Post sip the nose is hotter with sharp vanilla and oak-soaked peach marmalade. Mellow, dusty caramel returns later in the glass. The empty glass smells of starchy, smoky caramel, angostura bitters and malty oak. Palate: A small first sip comes across as chocolate covered peanuts. There's a touch of raisin and plum that layers in after as well that produces a lovely arc of flavors. A longer chew is a little more fruit forward and tannic with a flash of cinnamon spice at the end. The center of the tongue tingles with baking spice as creamy sweet fruit settles into the corners of the mouth. Incredible tasting subtle nutty characteristics linger well. On a swirl vanilla begins to dominate as cherry oak settles into fruition. Late in the glass things are feeling really solid - your typical vanilla and caramel are ruling the roost while more fruit parfait and pecan pie build. My last sip is sweet and tart like a mulled wine with allspice and pepper on the tongue lingering. The finish is long and enjoyable with chocolate malt powder, cranberry sauce, and sweeps of soft floral notes. Rating: 4/5 This drinks a clear cut above the flagship bourbon for me, as someone who definitely is guilty of enjoying higher proof pours more. I'd anticipate this drinking really well for someone who enjoys Four Roses Single Barrel Barrel Strength releases, or some of the sweeter Booker's batches. Let me know what you think of this batch if you've tried it!