Yellowstone Hand-Picked Collection Single Barrel is another bourbon that I did not care for on its initial pour, but I let it get past the neck and sit for a couple of months. I must admit that many of my current favorites were not my favorite on their initial pour. So, I always experience bourbons three times from the same bottle before giving a negative critique.
I’m getting a black pepper and cinnamon spice on the nose from the start. The nose is almost like a very mild red hot candy. All of these notes, however, are very mild. No aromas are intense once you open the bottle. After letting Yellowstone sit in the glass for a while, it morphs into a traditional vanilla and caramel aroma. There is also a bit of spice present.
Initially, it drinks higher than his proof, but there is a strange creaminess under the ethanol. Very intense with black pepper and mild salt. I can only describe this as a salted cinnamon caramel palate with a peculiar creaminess: sweet black pepper and a pinch of milk chocolate.
This hand-picked collection is just weird. I like weird and hate indifference.
The finish is reasonably long.