Heaven's Door Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Heaven's Door Straight Bourbon Whiskey (This apparently has replaced the "Tennessee Bourbon Straight Bourbon Whiskey") Great Bottle Design. This one is 92 proof compared to the TN Bourbon's 90. Label states "Minimum 6 Years Old". *NOSE: Upon the initial cork pop, my first thought was "This is Dickel", but after a few minutes of air, that dissipates. There is an initial savoriness. Very dry in character. Dry grass, dry wood spice, dry brown sugar, Vanilla Coke, tart apple cider, and cinnamon stick. The longer you nose it, the more you can discern. *NEAT: Interesting. My first thought was "This tastes like Dickel if Dickel made a High Rye Recipe. Very clingy and coating. Oak forward with lots of barrel spice. A sharp spikiness. Dry corn, vanilla, maple, fruit cocktail syrup, lots of black pepper tingle, and a surge of tannins. As the tannins fade, you get a dry, medium-length finish with a nice heat blooming in the chest. Great coating of tingly wood spice and vanilla layers the entire palate and intensifies with each sip. I love how it's an entire mouth experience. Tongue, gums, cheeks, and the roof of your mouth all get involved. *SPLASH: A few drops of water reduced some of the spice and countered a little of the ruggedness. I wouldn't go so far as to say it made it "smooth," but if the spikiness is an issue for you, a little water should help. It gets a little sweeter as toasted marshmallow appears. *VERDICT: Another surprise! I was expecting less from what is essentially their entry-level offering. I was a little skeptical of the $50 price tag for what I assumed was 6-year-old Dickel, but decided to give it a shot. Glad I did. My first thought was the reason they dropped "Tennessee" from the name was that this was Dickel blended with High Rye MGP. However, after some research, their website states (and I assume they are being honest) "Distilled and aged its entire life in Tennessee, this whiskey is non-chill filtered to preserve its mature flavors. The result is smooth and lasting with notes of vanilla and baking spices layered over a bed of toasted oak." I also learned that the mash bill on the previous version was only 70% corn/30% secondary grain, which would exclude Dickel, unless they have been producing a second mash bill for NDP customers. If this is something other than Dickel, I'd love to know the distiller so I can try some of their products too. The plot thickens! Either way, a celebrity whiskey that lives up to the hype. 4.25

The nose is sweet, with vanilla, spice, and dry leather notes. The initial taste is sweet, featuring prominent vanilla, caramel, and a sweet corn/butterscotch profile. It quickly shifts to strong tannins, barrel characteristics, and some alcoholic warmth. A strong peppery sensation tingles the cheeks and palate, with astringent oak on the tongue. The finish is distinctly bitter and prolonged, with a taste reminiscent of a stripped corn cob. It's not perfectly smooth, but the body masks any harshness from the alcohol.

Rich, full nose with notes of toasted oak, vanilla whiskey bourbon, leather, oil, and baking spice/cinnamon. Robust, smooth body with toasted oak, vanilla, and baking spice/cinnamon, possibly nutmeg. A smooth, velvety mouthfeel with a gentle cinnamon burn, followed by a smooth, satisfying vanilla and toasted oak finish. Tasted neat in a sampler glass.

Nose: peanut butter, oak, candy corn. Palate: tastes like candy, similar to rock candy. Lacks a distinct flavor beyond sugar, but after about ten minutes, toasted marshmallow emerges. Finish: cinnamon, spice, peanut butter, caramel. The flavors became more pronounced on both the nose and palate after resting for roughly ten minutes.

Caramel and a hint of pepper on the nose. The body is heavy on caramel and butterscotch. Nice oaky flavor, smooth finish. Very rich body, creamy. I detect hints of peanuts/peanut butter. It works well in an Old Fashioned or neat. Nice bourbon!

Nose: typical caramel sweetness, dried cherry, some alcohol, vanilla Palate: sticky/creamy, sweet, ginger, those cherry notes carried over from the nose Finish: bitterness, pungent, dark chocolate, simple.