Deerhammer Straight Bourbon (Discontinued)

Toasty... I visited a coffee shop/bar in Colorado and noticed this on the shelf. I really enjoyed Deerhammer’s single malt, so I decided to try a glass of their bourbon. Nose: It is sweet. Chocolate, toffee, caramel. It reminded me of the Rolos candy I enjoyed as a child. Palate: Toasted bread, vanilla, maple, some corn sweetness, and a bit of heat. It is surprisingly spicy even without rye. This bourbon also has a smokiness. It must be from the toasted barley in the mashbill. Unlike the single malt, which had some fruit notes, I do not detect much fruit sweetness from this. Finish: Nutty then dry. It leaves my tongue feeling dry, along with some oak and toasted bread. Not bad...

This is among the least appealing spirits I've ever had the misfortune to sample, second only to the American Malt from the same producer. Nose: Damp grass, light oak, a trace of vanilla. Palate: An odd charred impact, more damp grass, and an almost tequila-like smokiness. Finish: Astringent, sharp, and fortunately very brief. While we utilized the provided sample bottle on unsuspecting colleagues, it ultimately ended up being poured out.

A hint of young oak on the nose. The palate offers straightforward hazelnut coffee chocolate – quite sweet as well. The finish is not substantial. I suspect this is a younger bourbon where the sweet coffee tang effectively masks the immaturity on the palate. It's good, just not something I'd likely choose often.

Hints of bread and brown sugar, with a fantastic rye finish!

Quite smooth, a solid bourbon.