Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 22

A little background

Rhetoric 22 Year is 90.4 proof and comes from old barrels that had been stored in the Old Stitzel Weller Distillery that were sourced by Diego. The distillate originally came from Bernheim Distillery before being stored in Stitzel Weller Warehouses. Diageo decided to turn these barrels into the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Project of which the Rhetoric line comes from. There is a lot of unknowns when it comes to these barrels, but we do know that the this stock will eventually run out as these are simply old sourced barrels. The bourbon is branded under Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co. where it is bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The mash bill is 86% corn, 8% malted barley, and 6% rye with a suggested retail price of around $110.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Golden Honey

Nose

The nose is very corn forward with sweet notes of vanilla and caramel. Floral notes come off with other notes of lemon and apple. There is a little ethanol note that I did not expect from a 90.4 proof, 22 year old bourbon.

Palate

The palate is a medium viscosity with a big punch of cinnamon, funk, white pepper, and sweet oak up front. Notes of red hot candies, apples, and allspice also come through.

Finish

This bourbon has a long, pleasant finish with the red hot candies and cinnamon carrying over from the palate. The red hots and white pepper sit on the back of the palate for quite awhile.

In closing

This is a bourbon that would be intriguing if I saw it on the shelf for $110, but this one is not going to be for everybody. I feel like the person who enjoys cinnamon and other spices will really enjoy this pour. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find and typically marked up if you do find it. This is unique bourbon with some very nice notes of red hot candies, cinnamon, white pepper, and a dusty-esk old bourbon funkyness. This would be a nice bottle to have on the bar and bring out when your bourbon friends come over. I don’t like that the story behind the bourbon is so vague and has so many unknowns, but the actual bourbon is solid.