Cleveland Underground Bourbon Finished in Black Cherry Wood

Tasted neat at room temperature in a Glencairn. Batch 04, Bottle 05199. 94 proof. The nose is alcohol and dried fruits... cherries and raisins. It's got a woodiness about it too, but not a traditional oak. Maybe I'm catching the variant aging process. Maybe I'm catching the black cherry wood finish. I'm also getting some holiday spices. On the palate this has more burn than I'd expect from a 94. It's showing youth. It really seems underdeveloped to me. Maybe a little orange or orange peel too? The finish is actually the best part, though it doesn't linger as long as I would like. Subtle vanilla, spice, and more orange finish this one off.

The bourbon's aroma is dominated by cherry and spice. There's also a faint scent of cask wood that gradually intensifies as you appreciate the nose. On the palate, the whiskey has a sweet cherry flavor and a woody body that evolves into a rich spice. As the drink lingers on the tongue, the woodiness develops into the aftertaste. The spice is reminiscent of baking spices and settles into a warm sensation in the chest. The whiskey is excellent neat, but a small amount of water might enhance it nicely.

The aroma has a musty, vanilla, and oak element with ethanol and just a hint of cherry in the background. The palate, while smooth, doesn't particularly have anything that stands out. The vanilla, oak, and very faint cherry appear once it reaches the back of the tongue and then quickly disappear, leading to an unimpressive finish. It tastes off; artificial is a fitting description.

I'm honestly surprised this whiskey isn't rated lower. They employ a method that's essentially introducing whiskey to pressurized wood chips. The goal is to speed up the aging process, which is a clever concept, but this whiskey doesn't taste quite right to me. I detect a strong essence of those red wood chips used for mulch, along with a chemical taste.

The bourbon's aroma is pleasing, with sweet cherry, subtle cinnamon, and a hint of chocolate. However, the taste is overwhelmingly dominated by sweetened cherry and ethanol, obscuring most other flavors. This quickly matured bourbon lacks the complexity and smoothness of conventionally aged whiskey.

Aroma: Pleasant deep cherrywood scent. Initial taste: A slight sharpness, but not overpowering. Cherrywood and spice flavors are evident. Mouthfeel: The flavor lingered for a bit, requiring another sip to detect. I preferred it over a specific applewood product. There might be a slightly bitter aftertaste. Rating: 6.5 out of 10.