Ezra Brooks Distiller's Collection

OHLQ Selection #1

Por Not Masters of Malt

18 de January de 2021

BEHIND THE BOTTLE:

Allocation season really picks up after the Thanksgiving holiday and stays hot through the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and Pappy lottery at the end of the year, but January is a bit of a black hole when it comes to whisky finds in Ohio. So when OHLQ announced twelve different barrel picks of Ezra Brooks "Distiller's Collection" it went a bit unnoticed from the community. Two of our three reviewers were able to pickup OHLQ Selection #1 off the shelf the day after delivery. Neither of us are very familiar with Lux Row Distillers other offerings, but since we had the same barrel we decided to both review it separate and compare notes. Lets see how this almost six year single barrel stacks up...

FROM THE DISTILLER...

Lux Row Distillers:

"Ezra Brooks is bottled at an honest proof and aged the old-fashioned way for an exceptionally smooth flavor and finish. Distilled using only the finest ingredients and charcoaled filtered for a smooth, mellow flavor, this genuine sour mash delivers a beautifully balanced and pleasingly soft Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey."

OHLQ:

"For the first OHLQ barrel release of 2021, we have 12 barrels of Ezra Brooks Distiller’s Collection. They’re all 107 proof and five years old."

"Barrel 7015875 has cinnamon and vanilla tones."

REVIEW:

Price (8/10):

$35.00 off of the shelf from a Giant Eagle near Polaris in Columbus OH. Hard to beat a single barrel 107 proof whiskey at this price point. (A: 8/10)
$35.00 for a Single Barrel, 107 Proof, store pick for almost 6 years is a steal. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick one up again without knowing anything about the barrel profile. I wish I would’ve grabbed a backup. (B:8/10)

Nose (6/10):

Pretty straightforward oak, vanilla, and cinnamon with a bit of ethanol burn at the beginning. (A:6/10)
The ethanol proof hits you first, but once that calms down with some air, the nose shows hints of cherry, wood, tobacco, caramel corn and peanuts. It reminds me of a Payday candy bar. (B:6/10)

Palate (7/10):

Most of the notes from the nose carry over here. Still getting the oak, vanilla, and cinnamon Red Hots. You do also start to pickup a sweet almost tootsie roll taste moving toward the finish. (A:7/10)
The caramel corn and peanuts from the nose show up right at the front and then the spice from the high rye mash bill takes over, leaving a tingling feeling on the tongue. After “chewing”, the cherry and oak briefly reveal themselves. This drinks just a bit hot. (B:7/10)

Finish (7/10):

The proof comes through and stays with you for a bit. Bringing some sweetness along with a large amount of cinnamon and a bit of clove while fading away. Nothing outstanding, but good, solid, and lingering. (A:6/10)
Cloves, cherry and oak linger for a few seconds and then it becomes chocolatey, reminiscent of a tootsie roll as it slowly fades away. A very pleasant and interesting finish that lasts a medium to long amount of time. (B:8/10)

Aesthetics (3/5):

Standard bottle, the label stands out on the shelf and the OHLQ Selection information is a nice touch. (A:3/5)
The gold font on the black label is eye catching and I like the bottle shape. I also appreciate that the label tells you everything about what is in the bottle. Transparency from distillers is always a good thing. (B:3/5)

Availability (2/5):

It's a shame that this is not part of Lux Row's core offerings. I've not been able to get my hands on the Old Ezra 7, but this does make me excited to try the newer Ezra Brooks 99 as something that always has a place on my shelf. (A:2/5)
This bourbon is an OHLQ single barrel store pick, so once this specific bottle is gone, it’s gone forever. The bottles that were released in Ohio sold out within days. Ezra Brooks releases Distiller’s Collection store picks throughout the year in many states, but since they are single barrel picks, all of them will be slightly different. (B:2/5)

Overall (33/50): Daily Drinker

Final Verdict:

Finding a single barrel offering with this proof point for under $40 is a great win in my book. Too often distillers are looking at the higher end of the market and not focusing on a good shelf worthy bottle of whiskey. If this was a $50.00 bottle it would still be worth picking it up. There is certainly nothing overly complex here and we can do without the mellowing process, but we would always recommend something like this to sit on your shelf and will be sad when it is gone.