For those unaware, this is the fifth iteration of the Orphan Barrel Rhetoric series. As far as we are aware, each whiskey comes from the same provenance, and the different age expressions allow one to travel through the oak maturation process. On to the whiskey: Before Water Nose: Candied cherries. Some other dried berries underneath. Blueberry honey. A bit of leather, wafting up from below. As it opens up a bit more, citrus peel. Smells like orange peel to my nose. Vanilla. Lots of vanilla at the end. Palate: Oak. Lots of oak. Leather/tannins coming through strongly. The dried cherry on the nose gives way to dried cherries on the palate, underneath the oak and leather. Further along, a bit of sourness and bitterness pierces through. Not unpleasant, mind you, but noticable. After Water (1/2 teaspoon): Nose: Less of the candied cherries and dried fruit, more citrus peel. The honey and vanilla come on more strongly. A small hint of the leather from new shoes. Palate (after 1/2 teaspoon water): Still oak. Still leather. After the water, the oak and leather drown out a lot of the more subtle flavors, which I find unusual, as usually the opposite happens. After a while, the vanilla starts coming through. All in all, a very barrel-influenced bourbon, which is not surprising given its age. Rating: 6 stars. This rating’s wholly a function of Flaviar’s price for this bottle. At around $165, which is what I paid for it, it goes up to an 8. Still, this bottle is not as good as the 23 year. The oak influence is becoming a bit too heavy and is drowning out the high-quality spirit. Still, if you find a good price, worth a buy.

Wonderful bourbon. Leathery with cinnamon and oak. Rich and complex.