Behind the first window of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s 2019 Advent Calendar we will be reviewing each day until the 24th of December was hidden a 24 year-old Bourbon from an undisclosed distillery: Bourbon Whiskey #1 24yo Batch 1. Bottled at 48% abv, the bottle was usually sold at £199.95 on Master of Malt but was on sale for half that price on the evening of the 1st of December. But let’s crack on and taste this bourbon!
Color:
We’re on dry Oloroso territory here (only by the color since it’s a bourbon!), a deep red/brown hue. A swirl reveal small heads that wait a long time before becoming very slow thin legs.
Nose:
Coldorak: Initial burst of vanilla and caramel, nothing surprising with a Bourbon, but with a kick that would make you think the ABV is way higher than 48%. There’s also dark chocolate a bit hidden with a touch of orange, like these small chocolates from a high-end chocolatier where you have a huge selections of hand-made chocolates with tons of different flavours. Maybe also a touch of coffee and hay.
Ainulindalë: Caramel and vanilla, but that was expected! Some slight saltiness to the nose, almost maritime. Some hay and oak in the end.
Palate:
Coldorak: Silky and sweet arrival, but quickly the spices kick in strongly, with tons of pepper fizzy-ing on your tongue. Oak, vanilla and liquid caramel. You would really think the abv is higher than 48% at first. On a second sip, still sweet caramel, spices with ginger and cracked black pepper, oak. The longer you keep it in the mouth before swallowing, the more pepper you have. I like it a lot.
Ainulindalë: Starts on oak and some sort of astringency or earthiness to then builds up floral notes on top of the vanilla and caramel, and this saltiness one can find in salted chocolate.
Finish:
Coldorak: Warm on the sides of the tongue with floral-flavoured chocolate and caramel, it’s unfortunately a bit short even though the caramel lingers a bit on the tongue.
Ainulindalë: Very floral finish, roses and violets. Middle length, with a caramely end.
Rating:
Coldorak: 86/100
Ainulindalë: 87/100
