Crooked Fox Blended Bourbon

Rating: 10/23 To be truthful, the name was the only reason I purchased this. That wasn't as significant a factor with Swift or Copper Fox Rye, but I might have skipped this if not for the name. I had also anticipated seeing a couple of red foxes printed on my bottle, but it actually came in an oblong bottle with just a small fox emblem. Oh well, it's still a rather cool bottle. So, yes, I don't have high expectations for this. Nose: Faint aroma. Rather indistinct. I detect a bit of wood with some light caramel leading into some spice (cinnamon, ginger, clove). It immediately brings Ancient Age to mind. There are some light floral-fruity (apple) notes, with maybe a hint of char. I don't mind the nose, but it certainly doesn't suggest a bold, complex bourbon. Palate: Far from surprisingly, this is light and young. It lacks significant harsh distillate or wood notes. It's evident that mild spirits were not aged extensively and were blended with a primary focus on creating a smooth, inoffensive product. This doesn't taste as problematically young as many others I've encountered, such as Jim Beam White, Two Star, and Winchester Extra Smooth. Nevertheless, this is undoubtedly only suitable for mixing. Even for that purpose, the price is too high, and I'd prefer a more pronounced flavor when mixing. But what does it actually taste like? It's light with minimal wood influence. Some gentle spices (cinnamon, ginger, and clove) emerge from the wood. There are light floral and fruity (still apple) notes. There's some light caramel with a faint corn presence. The alcohol is noticeable but not aggressive, and it doesn't taste like the distillate was produced with overly generous cuts (excessive heads and/or tails). My overall impression is that this tastes excessively blended. Finish: Light (obviously). The light caramel and corn are more apparent here as the wood and spice fade. It's a rather uninteresting finish, but there's nothing unpleasant about it. - Conclusion - There's simply nothing good or bad to note here. It's incredibly bland. Foxes are known for being tricky, so perhaps that's the trick here – its extreme blandness? There's very little to comment on regarding this. I focused on the 9 to 11 range and believe I'm settling on 10. I just don't think this quite measures up to regular Ancient Age, so I can't give it an 11. On the other hand, a 9 would place it too close to Jim Beam Black (rated 8).