Larceny Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Batch No. C920

VITALS:

- $55

- 122.4 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No. C920

- Kentucky

Although it's a wheated bourbon that packs a punch, for whatever reason Larceny Barrel Proof just doesn't get the love that other wheated bourbons from other distilleries of a bovine nature. It doesn't seem to even get the amount of love that Elijah Craig Barrel Proof gets, though that I understand a bit more. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a well established brand, and, of course, it comes with a 12 year age statement.

Admittedly, I haven't even found myself reaching for these bottles when I've seen them. I know I've passed on them a couple times in the last six months or so, but that was due in part to the fact that I had two sitting on my shelves at home that I had yet to finish. It might be time to start picking these off the shelves, though.

The nose was like being in a bakery. I got a ton of chocolate to start, along with some cinnamon and pastry notes. It wasn't quite like cinnamon roles, though. That pastry note was more like a pie crust or even a shortbread note. I also got a rich sweetness, almost like molasses.

I was surprised at how little burn I got off this bourbon given its proof. I was also surprised, given how bold the nose was, at how soft the flavor was. Right up front I got sweet caramel, like Werther's, and brown sugar cookie. Kind of like a chocolate chip cookie but without the chocolate chips. It also had a bit of a graham cracker note. But, the caramel was certainly dominant.

It didn't lean entirely sweet, though. There was a light cinnamon spice as well as a bit of a black pepper spice to it as well. I also got a sweet oak note, adding wood flavor but not the bitterness. There was even a bit of a tangy amaretto note to this that seemed to show up in later pours.

The finish started primarily with the caramel, but as that faded, that amaretto note and the black pepper were what seemed to stick around. It was like a rich, liqueur-based dessert but with the added pepper spice that lingered at the back of my throat. 

This was a really good bottle, and I'm an idiot for passing on these when I've seen them. That won't be happening any more.

Grade: A-

Larceny Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Batch No. A120

VITALS:

- $55

- 123.2 Proof

- NAS

- Batch No. A120

- Kentucky

This is one of those releases that I was keeping an eye out for and actively asking for to make sure I got a bottle. I'm not necessarily a wheater-head. I like Maker's just fine, same with Weller. As for Larceny, I like it a lot for its price point, and whenever I find a private selection of Larceny, I pick up a bottle -- again, going back to the price. Larceny has proven time and time again to provide good flavor that doesn't hurt the wallet.

So, when a barrel strength version was announce, to be released periodically (I think three times a year like the Elijah Craig Barrel Strength), I wanted to make sure I got my hands on a bottle right away. The price is still really good, and if I like regular Larceny, I figured I'd be sure to like the barrel proof version.

Luckily, from my first pour, my assumptions were confirmed! The nose was very pungent, loaded with cinnamon, oak and even some honey. It really came across as sweet and woody. I also got a tangy, almond liqueur type flavor as well, along with some brown sugar, and it reminded me of a biscotti. Later on it seemed as though all I could notice was the brown sugar, as it really took over the nose. All in all, though, it smelled sweet and rich with a whole lot of depth.

As to flavor, this bourbon really had a sweet and spicy profile. As with the nose, brown sugar really took the forefront, giving it a rich tone. The thick, oily texture gave it a brown sugar and melted butter quality, kind of like chocolate chip cookie dough before you add the chocolate chips.

The light cinnamon spice was there as well, to add just a light amount of heat, as well as a bit of a tannic, oaky flavor to help offset the sweetness.  It also had an oatmeal flavor to it, which reminded me of oatmeal cookies, with brown sugar and molasses notes mixing in.

On later pours I got almost all brown sugar and molasses (much like the way I got all brown sugar on the nose after a while). It really dominated the oatmeal cookie note, making it seem a bit more like a molasses cookie at times. Despite that dark sugariness, the oak flavors also came through fairly well.  The finish was long and sweet, mixed with just the lightest cinnamon bite that had me wanting more and more.

I found I was a pretty big fan of this. While the notes seem a bit simplistic (brown sugar, wood, cinnamon, etc.), each of those flavors was rich and bold, and they were also well balanced such that it wasn't overly sweet or overly woody. It was rich and flavorful, and I just kept wanting more and more. It didn't take long to polish this bottle off once it was opened.

Grade: A-

Larceny The Pride Stores Private Selection Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $22
- 92 Proof
- approx. 7 yrs.
- Barrel Serial No. 6357515
- Kentucky

You know what's a nice surprise?  Getting home from wherever you've been (in this case I had to do a quick run to the office to grab some much needed supplies for working from home) and noticing that there's a new bottle on top of your fridge among the most recently poured bottles. Nobody told me this bottle was coming, nor did I immediately know where it came from.

I came to learn, though, that my father-in-law had bought a bottle himself (he was very pleased with the price point), really loved it, so he went back and grabbed one for me! Hooray for free whiskey! I've now had a few different picks from the Pride Stores, a liquor store in a strip mall next to a Pride gas station. I'm not sure their process for getting picks, whether they're being sent samples or simply provided whatever the distillery chooses. However, what I've had has been fairly solid.

This particular bottle proved to be no different. The nose was sweet and soft, like the smell of honey wheat bread. I also got a bit of sweet corn as well as a hint of molasses or maple syrup. It was certainly grain forward but not doubt had a bit of a sweet aroma.

That soft sweetness also carried over to the flavor. I got a kind of sweet but creamy or fatty note, almost like a honey butter flavor. This went incredibly well with the honey wheat bread note that also carried over from the nose.

I also got a lot of vanilla that for some reason I didn't get on the nose. It kind of underscored every other flavor. It added a sweet note, which  mixed with the other flavors I was getting to develop almost a butterscotch candy flavor. I also got cornbread notes at time, and those too were with that hit of vanilla as well, which was a bit of an odd combination.

Despite the lower proof, this bourbon had a nice, oily mouthfeel, which provided for a long, drawn out finish with butterscotch and caramel flavors seeming to linger for quite a while. In fact, the finish was what I enjoyed the most about this bottle, as it was just as good as any finish I've noticed in far more expensive and far higher proofed bourbons.

This was really a present surprise, particularly given where it came from, the proof, and of course the incredibly affordable price.

Grade: B+