Johnny Drum Private Stock Bourbon

Sweet vanilla, caramel, Cow Tales candy, and candy corn, with a hint of apple blossoms in the aroma. Further nosing reveals barrel influence with herbaceous spice, charred oak, and esters, evoking baked goods like banana bread and apple crumble. It becomes richer with more air time, unveiling dark maple syrup, honey, and molasses alongside tobacco-tinged suede and even a note of Oud. The palate is spicy and sweet, like cinnamon Red Hots candy, followed by caramel apple strudel and chocolate pecan pie. The legs are wide and slow-moving, leaving a trail of droplets. The mouthfeel is full and satiny. The finish is long with dusky tannins, residual sweetness, and subdued spice. Traces of tobacco, walnuts, coffee, and cocoa are also present. It holds up decently with ice, but this dram is best enjoyed neat. Aroma: 10 Taste: 10 Body: 8 Finish: 8

Aroma presents sweetness, caramel, toffee apple, and vanilla, with a trace of old putty and dry wood. Taste brings caramel, dry wood, vanilla, sweet apple, and pear. It's remarkably dry and sweet. Finish is a medium length, featuring tobacco, leather, white pepper, and brown sugar. The lingering taste is sweet and tannic. This is certainly drinkable, but excessively dry and artificial. A quite good bourbon, though it leaves one wanting a bit more. Acceptable, if a tad dry…

Pleasantly surprised by the bourbon's complexity. It has a coating, oily mouthfeel that I appreciate. The nose lacks significant depth or character, but the taste develops with a medium finish. There's a suitable amount of heat and pepper at the end that makes you nod in approval. With an ice ball, it continues to evolve, with flavors emerging to keep the drink interesting and fresh. The price point makes it an overlooked gem.

The nose has a bready sweetness, reminiscent of toast with jam and powdered sugar. A slight warmth comes through on the nostrils, but it's quite mild. The initial taste is woody and spicy, but the sweetness quickly reappears with notes of oak spice, cinnamon, and toffee. The finish is also hot and lingers, masking any significant aftertaste.

Nose: Wonderful aromas of red hots, cinnamon, apple, caramel, and cherry. The palate was not as intense as the nose, with notes of leather, oak, and cinnamon. The burn and finish were not remarkable. If the palate matched the nose's intensity, this would be a must-have bottle, but it's still solid, particularly considering the cost.

I didn't have high expectations when I picked this up, as I'd never seen it locally. For under $40, it's quite good. I'm glad I didn't research it beforehand because the rest of their lineup is a definite pass for me. The pot still expression is the only one I can tolerate; the others taste like I'm drinking a mushroom.