Southern Star Paragon Bottled in Bond Wheated Straight Bourbon

Note that this is a neck pour. Initially, I detected a hint of pickles, unsure of the source. The more I smell it, even after asking someone else to smell it, the note persists as pickles. That person only smells bourbon. I'm not sure why. After the off-putting smell of pickles, the first taste mirrors that initial impression. Following that, a very pleasant corn sweetness emerges. However, there's definitely a dill aftertaste. The finish is just right, noticeable but not overpowering. I should remember not to drink too much of it. Overall, I believe it could be a nice whiskey after the pickle notes. I hope this is just a result of it being a neck pour, but the dill and pickle flavors are not to my preference. I will revisit this soon to see if it improves after the neck pour. I allowed it to rest and with some air, it began to develop or move past the pickle notes... there are almost truly subtle floral aromas behind it which were very pleasing.

This is a truly nice bourbon. There are three Paragon bourbons, and this is the mid-priced one, Bottled in Bond (4yr). The aroma neat has honey, oak, and dill with that wheat sweetness. The palate offers oak, honey, and chocolate. Adding an ice cube brings out vanilla and caramel in both the aroma and palate but does thin the whiskey's taste. The finish is long. The issue is that this whiskey is excessively expensive. It's local to me, and I genuinely like it, but it's considerably overpriced. I'm eager to try the cask strength version, which is $10 more, but I'd need to contemplate it. Numerous excellent bourbons are available for under $70. Nevertheless, this is a very solid bourbon.

Part of a virtual tasting with Southern Distilling **this should be labeled as Paragon Bottled in Bond Nose - Sweet grain and grass, vanilla, Cherry Coke, caramel, butterscotch, cinnamon, allspice, toasted oak, and mild ethanol. Palate - Honeycomb, artificial cherry vanilla flavoring, cinnamon stick, cardamon, clove, and toasted marshmallow. Finish is medium with dry cinnamon powder, oak tannins, caramel, vanilla bean, and mild ethanol. Much, much better than the previous two samples. This wheated BiB is something I would purchase and holds its own against other wheated bourbons.

Nose: Caramel, fruit, oak, a touch of pepper. Palate: Caramel and vanilla give way to oak and baking spices. Finish: Brief, sweet, and spicy. Reflecting on this wheated bourbon with its 70/16/14 mashbill for a second time, I couldn't help but compare it to Maker's Mark, another wheated bourbon with the identical mashbill. If you appreciate Maker's Mark, you will absolutely love Southern Star Paragon Bottled-In-Bond. It shares a similar profile, but Southern Star delivers more intensely with its softer caramels and vanilla. My opinion has definitely improved upon revisiting it.

Aroma 4.5 / Palate 4 / Finish 4 - Total 4.25 Smell is aromatic and very sweet, with the wheat clearly present. Lots of caramel. Palate is more of the same, with some heat building on the back end. Finish is medium-short, with a bit of heat over the same caramel sweetness. Overall, perhaps not a highly complex bourbon, but one that is very well-executed. Either this or its Cask Strength counterpart is the finest NC-distilled bourbon I've sampled.

On the nose, notes of buttery caramel, vanilla, baking spices, and oak are present with a subtle peppery hint. The palate is consistently vanilla-forward. It concludes with a brief finish, leaving behind a trace of spice and sweet vanilla. This is an excellent example of well-crafted bourbon. Its smoother, sweeter character makes it a perfect fit as a wheated bourbon. As a bottled-in-bond offering, it stands confidently alongside similar bourbons from major distilleries.