The Luxco whiskey line-up consists of Rebel Yell, Blood Oath, Yellowstone (as a distributor for Limestone Branch) and Ezra Brooks. There are several expressions within each of these releases. Old Ezra is named after Ezra Brooks, a friend of Colonel E.H. Taylor, with whom, along with Treasury Secretary John Carlisle, helped drive the Bottled-in-Bond act of 1897.
Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength is…wait for it…7 years old. It comes in at 117 proof and is straight bourbon whiskey. This means is must have an age statement, must be aged for at least two years, but still requires an age statement if less than 4 years. Also, the distillates used (if blended) must all be from the same state. OE7 has a mashbill of 78% corn, 12% barley, 10% rye, so I am expecting some deep sweet notes on this one. As s sucker for classic labels, this one brings it as well.
Let’s see what happens.
The light copper colored pour creates a high number of quick forming, medium running legs in the glass.
Lots of traditional bourbon notes on the nose. Caramel, brown sugar and some very light undertones of stone fruits. Picking up some aak and smoke as well. The ethanol I normally pick up in a pour at this proof is barely there, which is a pleasant surprise. The nose is classic bourbon, but nothing spectacular. Has me expecting an average flavor profile.
A decent mouthfeel greets me on the first pour. At 7 years, I may have expected a little bit more, but nothing bad about it. Corn sweetness at the front of the palate immediately brings some great spice mid-palate and finishes out with some big oak notes at the back. Given the very straight-forward nose, I am quite pleased at the complexity the palate presented. By complex, I am not implying that there are tons of different notes that blow you away, but the nose led me to think it would be a bit flat and singular, which it wasn’t. A solid palate with nice transitions between the flavors.
The medium length finish hangs on to the palate pretty tightly. The spice that was on the palate becomes more recognizable on the finish as cinnamon with other backing spice. The end of the finish bookends the palate with sweet corn note and oak.
If I had to pick a description for OE7, is would be a very good daily pour. Each level of pour (nose, palate, finish) increased the overall enjoyment of the bourbon. There is nothing here that will blow your socks off, but there is also nothing here that will make you mad if you got it for your shelves at the $45-$55 price range. To get a barrel proof bourbon with 7 year age statement at that price is a no brainer and gives some extra “That’s Cool” points.
Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength
6
Pros
- Suprisingly complex palate
- Nice finish makes this a wnner
- Great value for barrel proof, age statement
Cons
- Uninspiring nose
- Tough to find