Ironroot Harbinger (115 Proof)

Ironroot Republic Harbinger Bourbon 2019-B, 115 proof, 27 months aged It's widely known I've been a devoted follower of Ironroot whiskies for about two years. Their Harbinger Bourbon has consistently been my top choice since the first taste, and this particular version is no exception. This is the 2019-B batch, the winner of the World Whiskey Awards for Best Bourbon in 2020. It's easy to see why. The Likarish brothers learned some of their distilling techniques from Hubert Germain-Robin, a renowned California Cognac producer. They've applied that approach to their Texas whiskey. I'd describe the Harbinger as the Armagnac of Bourbon. From aroma to taste, mouthfeel to finish, this is a spirit for brandy enthusiasts. However, it retains that unique Texas character of funky oak. Nose: Your senses are met with a strong ethanol presence alongside the sweetness of macerated grapes. Notes of sweet vanilla frosting, buttered corn, petrichor, warm caramel popcorn, dusty grain sacks, and brown sugar are present. The aroma is rich and deep, offering many layers to explore. With time, it reveals subtleties like fruit salad with coconut and a hint of Cava, dry hay, grape candy, apples cooked in cinnamon and butter, cloves, candied lemon peel, Assam tea, and honey. Palate: Dense, smooth, and rich. It delivers a powerful mid-palate impact, reminiscent of an intense musical performance. It's as dark and brooding as that song. Flavors include roasted sweet corn, elderberries, honey butter, muscadines, grape skins, raspberries with cream and coconut on sponge cake, black tea with honey, and a touch of lemon. The finish is crowned with Texas oak vanilla. Finish: Explodes with black pepper spice and a strong alcohol presence. There's a slight hint of smoked habanero heat. Flambéed apples atop vanilla ice cream, bruised mint, worn leather, and sweet oak char complete the long and astringent finish. You don't want the experience to end. It's incredibly enjoyable and demands your attention from the first whiff until twenty minutes later when the lingering oils on your cheeks prompt another sip. It's a beautiful fusion of heirloom corns and oak casks, showcasing the distillers' and blenders' artistry in perfect harmony. Texas is making its mark on the whiskey world, and its influence is rapidly growing. Their invitation to taste is compelling, and you absolutely should.

I've been eager to try an Ironroot for some time, given the immense praise it receives. Nose - Oh my... clay-like putty. I hope this isn't another disappointment like Garrison Brothers! After a bit more smelling, there are some sweet notes; it's much better than Garrison Brothers. Overall, the nose on this is still off-putting and doesn't smell like bourbon at all. Taste - I significantly reduced the alcohol content for this review to focus on the flavors. I detect that familiar clay funk found in Garrison's, which is simply unpleasant. If Texas bourbon aims for long-term quality, that needs to be eliminated. I get maple notes, which is unique, along with some cinnamon candy flavors and a nice sweetness. Ultimately, this tastes like a younger whiskey with some off notes, but it does have redeeming qualities. It's complex, remarkably complex, and I believe there's genuine quality in its production. Personally, the aroma and that clay flavor are too much for a high rating. However, for a new distillery finding its footing and for its uniqueness, I'm quite satisfied with the price. For bourbon enthusiasts, this is a 0 out of 100; it lacks bourbon characteristics. For those who enjoy whiskey, it's a 50 out of 100 – interesting, but likely not to your taste. For dedicated whiskey explorers, it's a 75. I'm unsure of a distiller's score. Labeling it as bourbon is a significant issue for me, as there are no bourbon notes present. I doubt it would mix well with cola. Okay, I'm adding ice, the way many bourbon drinkers consume it. Now I'm detecting waxy corn and vanilla. It's starting to resemble bourbon. Curiously, I don't get the oak notes typical of bourbon, which is its downfall. One might expect significant oak presence in that climate, but I don't detect it. I believe that's the problem; it doesn't taste like bourbon because the characteristic charred oak is absent. I truly want to give this a higher score. I suspect the Texas heat doesn't complement grain whiskey. I'm settling on a 1.5. There is quality here, undeniably, but it's not bourbon, and it's not something I'll purchase again. However, a 1.5 isn't bad; it's a fair score for a whiskey that, for me, isn't great, but I recognize its quality and potential niche appeal.

Nose: sweet caramel, dusty maize, deep floral scents, sweet bread dough, grass, Turkish delight, vanilla, lemon, orange, berry, black pepper, candy corn, rose, buttered popcorn, dry wood, nutmeg, clove, earthy mint, and noticeable ethanol sting. Taste: lemon, tangerine, berry, rich floral notes, sweet caramel, vanilla, grass, cocoa, marshmallow, black pepper, clay, mint, sour wood, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, buttered popcorn, and a moderate alcohol bite. The medium-length finish has deep citrus, floral, mint, and baking spice flavors. This distillery came to my attention after I sampled an incredible single cask bottling from a different producer a few months prior. Around the same time, I learned that this specific release was honored as “World’s Best Bourbon” by the World Whiskies Awards in 2020. After making light of the award's name, considering bourbon's American origin, I sought it out. Acquiring it was challenging until recently, as limited distribution has reached the east coast. So, is this the finest bourbon? No. However, it is quite good. This distillery crafts very interesting aromas and flavors from what is essentially corn whiskey. Their products consistently exhibit a pleasant, deep floral quality, and this is no exception. It also possesses a doughy characteristic, similar to another brand's. Furthermore, I detected a powdery rose-flavored Turkish delight note. The palate does not quite match the nose. While many of the aromas carry over, an underlying sourness detracts from its potential for excellence. Overall, this is a solid whiskey at a fair $50 price point, but it falls very short of being “the best.” Tomorrow, I will review a new single cask bottling from this distillery, which is considerably superior to this one.

This Texas distillery, established in 2013 by two siblings, honors the resilient "iron" grape roots that aided French vineyards in the 1800s. Their philosophy embraces adapting distillation to the unique Texas environment rather than replicating specific flavor profiles. The siblings continuously experiment with barrel dimensions, initial proof levels, and heirloom grains. Previous offerings were aged 18 months at 118.5 proof; this one is aged 27 months at 115 proof and features a mash bill with four corn types, including purple and Bloody Butcher heirlooms, plus rye. This is far from a typical bourbon. While hints of its youth are present, the explosion of flavors makes them easily overlooked. The aroma presents maple syrup, baked cinnamon apple, toasted oak, and a touch of ethanol. The taste delivers molasses, cinnamon brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee, more oak, freshly cut grass, and orchard fruits. The finish is quite lengthy, offering cinnamon spice and warmth, additional oak, brown sugar, and grassy notes, likely from the rye. The mouthfeel concludes very dry and tannic, a characteristic I often notice in spirits aged in smaller barrels, though I'm unsure of the barrel size here and it might be the Texas climate. The local spirit manager indicated this bottle will soon be scarce, which, whatever it means, makes me glad I purchased it!

The nose begins with a fresh bag of candy corn, followed by some cotton candy, then fruity notes of Swedish fish candy and a sour apple caramel lollipop that fades to light floral vanilla before shifting to spices like black pepper, ginger, leather, and a medium ethanol burn. The taste has a thick mouthfeel, starting with a fresh bag of candy corn, then some cotton candy, followed by a moderate sourness like lemon juice and sour apple that eventually fades to light floral vanilla before transitioning to spices of black pepper, ginger, cloves, leather, and raw cinnamon roll dough with a medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with sour apple, lemon juice, caramel corn, freshly baked cornbread, ginger, cloves, and raw cinnamon roll dough. The nose started promisingly with sweets, citrus, floral notes, and medium spices, before the taste, which has an enjoyable mouthfeel but unfortunately turns into a sour patch kid-style whiskey that starts sweet then quickly turns sour before fading to barrel spices and raw cinnamon that finishes with a mix of sour, sweet, and doughy. Overall, it's a pretty enjoyable pour, but nowhere near some of their incredible single cask offerings I've tried from Lost Lantern, and it certainly doesn't seem fitting to be called World's Best Bourbon 2020. A huge, Texas-sized thank you to a friend for the generous pour of this one.

The nose has brown sugar, molasses, dried apricot, furniture polish, charred barrel, cashew, maple, a nice smoky oak aroma, and a faint hint of pencil eraser. Alcohol is present throughout, which was a bit of a letdown as the smell was otherwise enjoyable. The palate features the brown sugar and wood polish from the nose, plus apple, vanilla, cinnamon, candy corn, smoke, and flan. There's almost no mid-palate; it goes straight to the finish. The flavors don't blend well and clash with each other. The finish shows a slight improvement with cotton candy, grape must, pink peppercorn, clove, molasses, tart apple, and oak that becomes bitter and astringent. A long, slow peppery/spicy burn remains after everything else fades. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied but quite grainy, which unfortunately seems to be a common trait with Texas whiskey. While this is highly regarded in whiskey circles around here, I found it to be somewhat strange and disjointed with many off-notes. It's not the best example of the Texas style, as Balcones has several expressions that are far superior. Like a typical teenager, it's young, odd, and unruly. At $69.99, buying it again is extremely difficult to justify.