Stellum Black Hunter's Moon Bourbon

Nose: Rich brown sugar or toffee with a hint of corn and ethanol, plus a touch of fruit sweetness, but oddly no trace of the “robust woodiness” that the label describes. Palate: An explosion of hard candy sweetness and robust woodiness with a hint of corny ethanol on the backside. Finish: Relatively short lived in contrast to the explosion of flavor on the palate but a hint of oak lingers as a quiet aftertaste. I enjoyed exploring the flavor of this bourbon but would likely not buy it again so it is definitely a buy but not a staple. 

Nose: Cocoa, caramel candies, and abundant oak with some rye spice. Palate: Cola, root beer, rich oak and brown sugar, along with slightly burnt caramel. Some dry baking spice, with notes of cinnamon and also herbaceous tones, pepper, and rye spice. Finish: Punchy finish, with a hint of ethanol and plenty of oak. Becomes drier and spicier over time. Overall: Intriguing, distinctive, and complex.

Aroma: caramel, toffee, wood, leather, orange Taste: fruit, vanilla, spices, oak Finish: spicy, tannic, extended This bourbon ranked first in a blind tasting against other autumn bourbons, including Old Ezra 7yr barrel strength, Dickel BiB 13yr, and Old Forester 1920. That's fortunate, as it's considerably more costly than the others on the list.

Sweetness upfront, then spicy, warming rye arrives. The middle offers a fuller body, leaning toward oak rather than caramel, vanilla, and baking spices. Plenty of complexity overall. The finish is incredibly lengthy, concluding with a maple sugar character.