Ezra Brooks Cask Strength Single Barrel "Moore Street Oyster Bar" Edition

Ezra Brooks Cask Strength: Barrel #7699934 (05/15/17) Two local establishments, Oliver's on the Cape Fear and Moore St Oyster Bar, collaborated on selecting a Rebel and an Ezra Brooks barrel. Barreled in May of '17, this is likely just over 4 years old. *Aroma: Smells of salted peanut shells, brown sugar, caramel, stick butter, a hint of orange peel, and some barrel spice. *Neat: The oak is more pronounced than the aroma suggests. Flavors include spicy orange peel, black pepper, tannic oak spice, and eucalyptus. The finish is slightly warming with a mild Kentucky hug. Orange peel and oak coat and linger on the palate. An excessively bitter note in the background significantly detracts from the overall experience. *With a Splash: The spice shifts from the palate to the finish, introducing notes of vanilla and peanut that weren't present before. It reduces the bitterness somewhat, but not enough. *Conclusion: This pick is significantly inferior to the Rebel. I previously had an Ezra Brooks pick from a VA ABC store (which was cheaper) and didn't care for it then either (though that one was too peanutty, while this one had too much bitter oak). Perhaps some time open will improve it, though it didn't help the VA ABC version. It's regrettable not trying it at the restaurant first; despite my fondness for their oysters, I would have spent more than the bottle's cost. It barely earns 3 stars.