Good Times Toasted Barrel Strength Bourbon

A little background

Good Times is a non-distilling producer (NDP) in the whiskey industry with a focus on specialty barrel finishes. The stock Good Times pulls from are barrels of bourbon and rye from MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. The folks at Good Times then dump these whiskeys into various barrels that have previously been used ( think ex-rum, brandy, honey barrels, etc). After some period of time soaking up the additional flavors of the the finishing barrel, the final product is bottled and sold. In the case of this particular whiskey, a barrel of MGP bourbon was dumped into a newly toasted oak barrel to impart additional wood sugars and adjust the flavor profile.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Deep Gold

Nose

The first thing I note as I approach this glass is just how sweet it is. I could smell hints of this whiskey in the air as soon as I poured it, even though the glass was a few feet away. Sweet corn is the first note I can put a name to, but brown sugar and dark chocolate are not far behind. Further into the glass I find a fresh (not bitter) oak note, with traces of leather.

Palate

A thick mouthfeel quickly envelops the palate, and it is laden with sweet corn, cocoa, a touch of blackberry, and wood sugars. After a few moments the full heat of this 119 proof pour settles in the front of the palate, accompanied by some building notes of black pepper.

Finish

There is a medium amount of heat right off the bat with this finish. The thick mouthfeel seems hesitant to give up control of the palate, fading first into notes of caramel and graham cracker, followed by a little more sweet corn, oak, and finally black pepper. This is a long finish-the flavors fade gently, although the heat in the rear palate and throat ultimately holds on longer than any one flavor does.

In closing

I am impressed by this pour. Barrel proof MGP is a good starting point, and by my estimation this toasted barrel finishing process from Good Times serves only to elevate an already solid whiskey. Drinkers looking for a more approachable pour or something on the floral/savory end of the spectrum may want to keep looking, but for drinkers like me who have a sweet tooth but cannot pull themselves away from barrel proof bourbons, this represents the best of both worlds.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Good Times Bourbon. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.