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...
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."
Price (8/10):
Nose (6/10):
Palate (7/10):
Finish (7/10):
Aesthetics (3/5):
Availability (2/5):
Overall (33/50): Daily Drinker
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.
Who would you share this with?
With your good buddy watching the Browns in the AFC Divisional game...
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