Lux Row Double Barrel Bourbon 12 Year

To mix things up, a friend sent me a collection of unmarked samples, each with a symbol to keep its identity hidden until after tasting. Will I confuse a rye for bourbon or miss a distinct finish? I'm eager to find out as we continue this blind tasting with the one marked with a circle. The aroma is potent and rich, beginning with warm butterscotch caramel sauce, akin to flapjacks cooked in bacon drippings. This is followed by dark chocolate-covered candied pecans, then notes of maraschino cherries, sautéed apples, and candied orange peel. It shifts to cloves, spearmint, nutmeg, fine leather, and aged polished mahogany, accompanied by a strong ethanol presence. The palate has a thick texture, starting with butterscotch caramel pudding, dark chocolate-covered marshmallows, and candied pecans. Then come flavors of cherries jubilee, apple tarte tatin, and mandarin orange, leading to a strong, drying spice that eventually mellows into cloves, spearmint, nutmeg, fine leather, and aged polished mahogany, with a pronounced ethanol burn. The finish is lengthy, featuring chocolate-covered caramel pecan clusters, marshmallow fluff, mandarin oranges, apple slices, cherry jolly rancher, ginger, cloves, spearmint, leather, and aged polished mahogany. This is an excellent bourbon, amplifying traditional notes to a high degree. It draws you in with a dense, immersive aroma, leading to a rich butterscotch pudding mouthfeel with citrus and buttery pastry notes. A strong spice emerges, causing slight concern, but it thankfully recedes, allowing those spices and aged characteristics to return before the long finish. Compared to a Garrison Brothers Cowboy, it reveals some of the Cowboy's youthful rawness. It even slightly surpasses my favorite, an Old Carter American 13-year Batch 4. I'm now curious to compare it against a Kentucky Owl bourbon batch 10 to see if it would be bested, as this is easily one of my preferred bourbons. So, what is this mysterious circled whiskey that I'll soon need to buy? Prepare for the grand reveal... Lux Row Double Barrel 12 year!!!!!! Good news, I already have a bottle of this at home and now I just need to plan another trip to Kentucky to acquire another.

I've been having trouble reviewing this one and I'm not sure if I'll save it, but I'll write it up and see. I really enjoyed it some time ago but couldn't recall precisely why. I purchased this when I found it for $150 plus 500 points, later finding it for $156 with no points, but oh well. I initially tried it alongside ECBP B520 and found them surprisingly similar. After tasting and reviewing some other whiskies today, I decided it was time to try this high-proof option again while other whiskies sit with me. The nose is peculiar, presenting a strong vegetal note, possibly from the rye and oak. Unlike other double-oaked expressions, I'm not getting any chocolate; instead, there's old oak, what I'd describe as tired oak in scotch, and a rich body, but the vegetal note persists. Note: this was two barrels, not double-oaked, my mistake. The taste is intensely oaked in a very interesting way, with a Tootsie Roll-like element. It's a fresh or young oak characteristic with significant sweetness. It's a drying Bourbon, high proof but not barrel strength. It's certainly complex, but it's not quite hitting the mark for me today. I'm going to save it because this isn't my first pour, and each time I try it, I feel something is missing. However, it is so rich, so substantial, and so bold. While I detect off-notes, it also possesses truly wonderful Bourbon sweetness and flavors, though they don't quite harmonize with other Bourbons. I'm now detecting a waxy chocolate note and some butterscotch. It's a very enjoyable Bourbon, rated 3 out of 5, but the alcohol is somewhat uncontrolled and the oak has issues that I believe will deter some. I'm still enjoying it and am glad to have a bottle. I would buy it again, but only if I see it in a few years; it won't be an immediate repurchase. Edit: moving this down to a 2.25; the more I revisit it, the more I feel something is off. It's above average Bourbon, but only slightly.

It’s been a while since I pulled a shared sample, turned on a game, and tasted. But tonight, a Friday night stars align. A quiet night. A well-pitched, low-scoring game on both sides. And now a sample to taste with no restrictions. Nose: As it opens, breakfast aromas greet you. Vanilla-soaked French Toast smothered in maple syrup and confectionery sugar (but alas, no coffee and bacon aromas). As it expands, some earthy notes come through. Tanned leather, like a baseball glove, walnuts, ground cinnamon. As it further expands and loosens, fruity notes of apple cobbler with cherries and toffee bookend the breakfast. Drizzle some salted caramel for good measure. The high proof is ever present as whiffs of vapor punch every now and then. Gentle reminders that as sweet and earthy as it is, it’s still muscular and a force. Palate: A semi-dense feel with some bite. As you chew, maraschino cherries, pecans, dark chocolate, and caramel atop apple crumb pie. The earthy leather lingers in the background. The longer you chew, the spicier side comes forward, and the black and red pepper muscles up, prickling the tongue. With water: A touch of water softens the bite and reveals the rye side of the bourbon. It also allows some orange zest to become detectable. Finish: A nice, long finish that just sticks everywhere. Wood char, nutmeg, cloves, tobacco, dark chocolate, and spearmint. Overall: This is a quality bourbon. Some muscle. Some sweetness. Some bite. Some warmth. Similar to Noah’s Mills, but more refined. From the nose to the finish, there is always something to stir the senses. Always moving and evolving. I am sure there are subtleties that are escaping my senses that with more time and more to pour I would draw out. With so many whiskies on the market these days vying for your hard-earned pay, finding quality becomes an expense and a chore. This is one worthy to seek. (Mets lost to the Blue Jays 3-0). Thank you to a friend for sharing. Not sure if I would have sought this one out, until now. [92/100][Tasted: 6/2/23]

Nose - toffee, dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, orange, black cherry, spearmint, leather, tobacco, peanut butter, black pepper, rich oak, allspice, nutmeg, apple, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - salted caramel, brown sugar, coffee, dark chocolate, orange, rich oak, cinnamon, vanilla, leather, pretzel, spearmint, black pepper, tobacco, hazelnut, black cherry, moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium long with caramel, rich oak, dark chocolate, and caking spice flavors. In a previous blind tasting, I recall trying this and thinking it was really good, but not amazing. Granted, I was multiple drinks into the evening, and this was up against some other very strong offerings. So let’s see how it fares in a more controlled environment. The nose is beautiful. It’s reminiscent of a Texas bourbon. Rich, bold, and robust. It’s very dark with toffee, chocolate, coffee, and leather aromas front and center. The palate is powerful, but not too bright. The salted caramel note is really nice. It begs you to pick up the glass and take another sip. This sample is evaporating way too quickly. Well, this is stunning bourbon, and the profile is right in the sweet spot for me. If I have to find a fault, I wish it were a bit more mature on the palate. At almost 60% ABV, this drinks slightly bright and right around its proof. Still, I want a bottle, but unfortunately, they’re $400 on the secondary now, so that won’t be happening anytime soon. It would be an instant buy at the $150 MSRP. Regardless, this is an outstanding whiskey that’s worth the high price tag. Many thanks to a friend for treating me to this one twice. Second time was the charm.

October whiskey evening - enjoying time outdoors with a companion, a fire, several unmarked drinks, and a few new bottles. All samples were poured from a Norlan glass. Sample lineup: Murray Hill Club, Batch 7 The Gifted Horse, Orphan Barrel Larceny Barrel Proof, A120 *Lux Row Double Barrel 12y Garrison Bro. Cowboy Bourbon, 2019 This experience is like a five-part feast for your senses. I've stared at this bottle on my shelf for ages, wanting to open it. The container itself is beautiful. The copper cap is solid and could easily replace an IW Harper cork. Appearance: deep red-amber with slow-moving legs. Smell: This newly opened bottle presented notes of cinnamon, deep cherries, and oak. It evolved into a rich sweetness with strong honey scents, deeper molasses notes, and eventually a hint of aged tobacco. Mouthfeel: thick, syrupy, with building heat that then dries out, tempting another taste. Taste: Truly a five-course dining experience. It begins with cherries and dark fruits with a hint of clove, followed by sweet vanilla, cinnamon roll, and tobacco. Then comes barrel char and pralines, leading to smoke, dark chocolate, and minty antacids, finally returning to molasses and cherries. Aftertaste: The taste profile fully describes it - this drink continuously transforms and finds its balance over several minutes before fading. Initially, I didn't see the connection to GTS, but after a few sips, the profound richness and abundant flavors, even at a lower proof, are evident. This bourbon is like a gravitational anomaly; it possesses far more substance than expected and draws you in the closer you get.

Nose- Heavy on the oak and a touch of acetone, like nail polish remover. After pushing through that, some pleasant vanilla emerges. Palate- Without water, it's a bit too intense when you first taste it. A small amount of water smooths it out. It's like a spice rack with lots of clove and prominent allspice... maybe an excessive amount? The rye character is evident, suggesting a high rye mash bill, as I also detect a note of dill. Vanilla is the main flavor, however, after all the spice has saturated your palate. Finish: Extended and persistent. It's warming but somewhat dry. I detect a woody bitterness near the end of the drink, followed by a medicinal cherry lozenge that, frankly, I might have preferred earlier. Overall- I really wanted to adore this. My hopes were elevated. The idea of a 12-year-old, high-rye, limited edition that might resemble a certain barrel-proof offering had me eager to sample it. Unfortunately, to my letdown - excessive oak, excessive spice, excessive alcohol. The harmony was simply not right. Where that other spirit balances its spice with some sweeter notes of brown sugar and caramel, this leans towards bitterness, slight woodiness, overpowering spice with hints of vanilla. I believe it's gone too far into being over-oaked. Grateful for a sample from an acquaintance, because for me, this isn't worth purchasing at a high cost.