115 Proof | 57.5% ABV
Mash Bill: 75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
This is quite possibly the crème de la crème of Dark Arts Whiskey House’s Kentucky Bourbon Festival releases. You simply don't come across a 19-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon very often, much less one that has been finished. And this one is finished in what has quickly become my favorite finishing wood: Mizunara oak.
I'm not sure I've ever been this excited to review a bourbon. Expectations are dangerously high, and that's not good, but here we go.
Nose
Right from the beginning, the nose is sultry, rich, and decadent without becoming overpowering. There's a deep, buttery caramel sweetness up front, accompanied by a subtle undercurrent of dark molasses and another layer of toasted maple syrup. Mild cherry begins to emerge alongside beautifully seasoned oak, cinnamon, and cardamom.
The best word I can use to describe this nose is rich.
Let's take a sip.
And wow, the nose actually changes after that first sip. The cherry suddenly pops like you wouldn't believe, becoming almost reminiscent of cherry cola. At the same time, some of the darker sweetness that was initially tucked underneath comes roaring to the forefront.
I actually started laughing a little. I put the glass down for a minute, came back to it, and the aroma had transformed again. The caramel had become even richer, sweeter, and more expressive. It's one of those noses that seems to evolve every time you return to the glass.
This is fabulous.
Palate
Holy cow!
The first sip runs a little hotter than its 115 proof might suggest, but in this case, I don't mind it at all. That initial rush of heat delivers a massive wave of dense, rich, warm, toasted-oak sweetness accompanied by an equally assertive dose of baking spice.
The aged oak is unmistakable. It's bold, dark, toasted, and mature, yet there's enough sweetness underneath it to keep everything balanced. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a wonderful layer of dark chocolate emerges and mingles with the cinnamon, cardamom, and toasted wood.
This is a big bourbon. There is absolutely nothing delicate about the flavor profile, but despite its age and intensity, it never becomes harsh or unpleasantly tannic.
Interestingly, on this first pour I'm not getting a lot of the flavors I typically associate with Mizunara oak. If I really search for it, I can pick up a faint orange-citrus note buried deep underneath everything else, but you have to work for it. At least initially, the Mizunara seems to be complementing the mature Kentucky oak rather than announcing itself as a separate flavor.
Now, after a few sips, that Mizunara, Japanese oak, is really starting to reveal itself. The distinctive spice character is emerging with aromatic cardamom, along with a subtle touch of coconut that adds another layer of complexity to the mature oak profile.
Finish
The spice and oak become the stars of the finish.
That initial burst of proof heat from the palate settles considerably, leaving behind a long, pleasant warmth rather than an alcoholic burn. The baking spices linger beautifully, but the profile begins to shift. Instead of the cinnamon being dominant, I'm now getting more cracked black pepper alongside the seasoned oak.
After several sips, the oak becomes increasingly prominent on the finish, dry, mature, toasted, and deeply flavorful.
But make no mistake: this is not an over-oaked 19-year-old Kentucky bourbon.
That's an important distinction. There is plenty of oak here, as there should be at this age, but it remains integrated with the caramel, dark sweetness, chocolate, cherry, and spice rather than becoming bitter, excessively dry, or astringent.
Overall
This is an exceptional bourbon that will absolutely knock you off your feet if you enjoy bold, oak-driven Kentucky straight bourbon. It delivers enormous flavor, yet somehow maintains enough balance to keep the aggression of those flavors in check.
The 19 years of maturation are proudly on display. Dark caramel, molasses, toasted maple, cherry cola, dark chocolate, baking spices, black pepper, and layers of mature Kentucky oak all come together in a whiskey that tastes every bit as serious as its age statement suggests.
I'm going to go even further.
As someone who loves mature, oak-driven bourbon, this is one of the best bourbons I've ever had.
Disclosure: This whiskey sample was provided by the distillery at no cost and with no expectations or obligations. As always, the opinions, tasting notes, and conclusions expressed in this review are entirely my own.