Legent

A little background

Legent from Beam Suntory is what happens when take one-part Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, one-part barrel finishing, and one-part blending expertise.  Well at least that’s what the marketing wants us to believe anyway, so let’s see how it holds up.  Its retail price is around $35, and it comes in at 94 Proof.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn.)

Color in the glass

Light Amber

Nose

Berry and nut trail mix…a nice balance of the Beam nutty characteristic and stone fruit from the barrel finishing.

Palate

It is usually on the palate that sherry/wine finished bourbons fall off for me with too much of a fermented grape characteristic (I’m not a wine drinker) but here the balance from the nose continues with the intrinsically nutty Beam playing nice with the Stone fruits. The finishing creates a nice viscosity that is hard to achieve with what is a fairly young bourbon.

Finish

Short with the fruity characteristics overpowering the classic bourbon notes.

In closing

As an avid fan of higher proof whiskey, I am always curious how a particular bottle would be at cask strength but here I can see what Beam Suntory was trying to accomplish with the richness of an American whiskey blended with the finesse of a Japanese whisky. So, I can forgive the slightly simple presentation.  While this is not complex the flavors are nicely integrated for a $35 bottle.