Van Winkle 20 Year old Family Reserve 2012

I tried this 20y.o. Pappy tonight as park of the SoCal whisky club tasting at the daily pint. This is a 2012 bottling. Overall, it's a good bourbon. Very well rounded. I am finally starting to understand why there is a whole cult following to this specific brand.

Nose: Immediately fresh and open. This requires no water to bring out the beautiful aromas. Banana bread, Raisin, Dates, Raisin bread, Brown sugar. Rich, inviting nose. Absolutely fantastic stuff. I could smell this for hours and not get tired of it. This is sweet, welcoming, inviting. It would give any speyside whisky a run for its money. Simply cannot be beat in the sweet department.

Taste: Oaky, Vanilla, againt the dark dried fruits, dates,raisins. Slight sting of alcohol. Has a good grip with lots of tannin's. It's medium bodied. With a very pleasing mouth feel. Silky I would say.

Finish: Smooth, extremely smooth. Almost none at all. Mostly oak with some slight fleeting spice.

I understand why this product is in such high demand. The nose is simply astounding. The aromas just set off a very comfortable, welcoming feeling. It's a dram you could nose for hours and not tire of it. The taste is very consistent with the nose. I am a little disappointed with the finish though. I feel the finish could improve. The experience ends too quick, to abruptly. Your having such a nice experience with the nosing and tasting and then the finish just comes and goes before you know it. It's an excellent Bourbon. But the finish is a little underwhelming.

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