Ezra Brooks 90 Proof

I had never tried the bourbon most consumed by dear old Dad until I bought this bottle about two years ago. Ezra Brooks brand is owned by Luxco corporation, and is generally believed to be distilled by the Heaven Hill distillery. There is no age statement on the bottle, so the whiskey is by US bourbon legal conventions assumed to be four years old.

Colour: medium amber

Nose: strong maple, with gentle rye spices. Quite pleasant.

Taste: full, sweet maple flavours, with lots of vanilla and caramel. Both the wood and rye spice flavours are rich and flavourful. Very nice.

Finish: long finish, tapering down slowly, with an added bitter note on the close. This bitter note is the only element which detracts significantly from the total package.

Balance: this is a a good standard bourbon, though I would not want it diluted beyond 45%/90 proof. Most of the time I would prefer this flavour profile to that of Buffalo Trace standard bourbon. My father used to drink this whiskey while he was alive. (when else?) This bottle has been open about two years and has remained rather consistent in its flavours throughout this period. I was very pleasantly surprised by Ezra Brooks when I finally got around to trying dad's regular bourbon.