A little background

Sometimes in the whiskey world, a curveball is thrown and an extremely interesting release drops from out of nowhere. This is what happened with this Doc Swinson’s 15 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Once I saw this bottle existed I started working my way through the shady underground connections I’ve made over the last few years to secure a bottle at just over suggested retail price. Speaking of suggested retail, this bottle is priced at $150 dollars, which is substantially lower than other bourbons with comparable stats. So let’s see how it stacks up.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Deep Copper

Nose

Immediate blast of burnt caramel, coconut, old leather, nutmeg, cinnamon, sandalwood, and aged cigar tobacco. Inviting balance of sweet, spicy, and musty.

Palate

Satin texture. Caramel and vanilla dominate the mid palate with a slight banana bread component. The spices begin to ramp up with clove, coriander, and cinnamon rounding things off.

Finish

The 15 years in the barrel really takes the entire experience and puts it in a stranglehold on the finish with musty leather, sandalwood, black coffee, black pepper, clove, bitter baker’s chocolate, cigar smoke, and a minute bath soap sensation. It is very drying and tannic.

In closing

It’s not very often these days you see a cask strength 15 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey released, and it is even rarer for such a release to be priced at the $150 mark. While not cheap in the grand scheme of things, it is a decent value for such a rare release in today’s market. Taste wise, Doc Swinson’s 15yr Old KY Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a classic example of old bourbon with a good amount of sweet caramel on the front transitioning to dark bitter notes as you go through the experience.