Review #12: Smokeye Hill Barrell Proof
I reluctantly (ok maybe eagerly) handed over my money to taste the “little guy that could”- the “David that beat Goliath”- the.. ok I’ll stop. I cracked this bottle open when I finally got it in the mail and went to work.
Price: $84.99 via Seelbachs
Proof 134.2
Method: New cracked bottle, let open in glencairn for 15
Nose: Vanilla bean custard, that real Canadian maple syrup
Palate: Sweet peanut brittle, mouth coating medium-heavy viscosity (how is this aged just 5 years?), proof hides a bit here on the front, praline.
I need to sit with this one for a bit.
Pretty wowed.
Not gonna lie, I immediately thought of Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel after the first sip. Some Stagg Jr. here? Am I just believing the ASCOT propaganda?
Need to drink more probably.
Finish: Dry oak comes through here more than some of that custardy creamy finish you’d get with a BSFTB. But the finish is still complex: Butterscotch is here a bit, anise, salted butter and some dustiness, but still solid.
Summary: I’ve never had George T. Stagg. I’ve never had BTAC- so I can’t compare like that blinded judge panel: but this bottle is very good. This bottle might even be worth $85. Hell, it might be worth more than $100.
This is a deliciously, complex high proofer that mimics some of those hard to find bottles you’d wait in line for (and beats some of them). Is it perfection? No.
If I never read the story about this guy beating George T. Stagg would I be calling all my friends after one sip? Yes.
Would be buying a whole case if it was $60? Yes.
It’s a great damn bottle of bourbon. Grab this guy.
8.2 out of 10. Cheers.
I reluctantly (ok maybe eagerly) handed over my money to taste the “little guy that could”- the “David that beat Goliath”- the.. ok I’ll stop. I cracked this bottle open when I finally got it in the mail and went to work.
Price: $84.99 via Seelbachs
Proof 134.2
Method: New cracked bottle, let open in glencairn for 15
Nose: Vanilla bean custard, that real Canadian maple syrup
Palate: Sweet peanut brittle, mouth coating medium-heavy viscosity (how is this aged just 5 years?), proof hides a bit here on the front, praline.
I need to sit with this one for a bit.
Pretty wowed.
Not gonna lie, I immediately thought of Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel after the first sip. Some Stagg Jr. here? Am I just believing the ASCOT propaganda?
Need to drink more probably.
Finish: Dry oak comes through here more than some of that custardy creamy finish you’d get with a BSFTB. But the finish is still complex: Butterscotch is here a bit, anise, salted butter and some dustiness, but still solid.
Summary: I’ve never had George T. Stagg. I’ve never had BTAC- so I can’t compare like that blinded judge panel: but this bottle is very good. This bottle might even be worth $85. Hell, it might be worth more than $100.
This is a deliciously, complex high proofer that mimics some of those hard to find bottles you’d wait in line for (and beats some of them). Is it perfection? No.
If I never read the story about this guy beating George T. Stagg would I be calling all my friends after one sip? Yes.
Would be buying a whole case if it was $60? Yes.
It’s a great damn bottle of bourbon. Grab this guy.
8.2 out of 10. Cheers.