Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Cask Finished Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Casks

VITALS:
- $25

- 99 Proof

- NAS

- Kentucky

One of my favorite past times is being sent by my wife on a wine run and then spending more time than it should take while casually perusing the whiskey shelves looking for something new.  I love finding new brands or products on the shelves, especially when I had no knowledge of the release beforehand.

That was the case with this Ezra Brooks Port Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon. I had no idea that Lux Row had plans of releasing a port finished bourbon. The label says that it's part of a "Cask Finished Series," so I can only hope that there will be others. But, what really got me excited about this release was the price tag!!  If I were to run for president, my platform would be "MBAA" - Make Bourbon Affordable Again! And this particular bottle could be my mascot! At $25, I didn't think twice about throwing it in my cart.

The nose had just a bit of the port influence, but it wasn't nearly as influential here as I had expected. There were notes of raisin and fig, and even the slightest hint of raspberry. But, those notes weren't strong, and I primarily got those more traditional notes of vanilla and caramel, and even a bit of cinnamon spice.

Similarly, I took my first sip expecting a much more fruity experience. But again, it was the bourbon notes that dominated, with toffee and vanilla taking center stage. The port notes followed soon thereafter, as that fig and raspberry came through in a way that complemented shoe traditional bourbon notes. So often they provide a sharp contrast, but here it all seemed to work together. 

On the finish all of these flavors seemed to blend together to create this figgy caramel note that was sweet, but not too sweet, rich and flavorful.  The finish didn't last as long as I would have wanted it to, and the on ething missing here was a bit of spice that would have really rounded things out.

What this finished bourbon does best is kind of what Angel's Envy does well, which is provide a very approachable, flavorful bourbon for a more casual bourbon consumer. Except this one is half the price!  For that reason alone it's worth picking up!

Grade: B