With the barrage of 4 to 6 year old MGP Bourbon casks that have been on the market over the last year, we were taken aback by the 9 year old samples (and the pricing!) available to us from Coppercraft this past Fall. Everywhere you look, 4-5 year old barrels of Indiana Bourbon are on the shelf, many with custom labels and quirky graphics, but with that market as saturated as it is we wanted to find something exciting.

That’s when Coppercraft informed us of a small supply of 9+ year old cask strength Bourbon barrels and we didn’t hesitate. Our selection came in at 55.02% ABV and we couldn’t be happier!

You can really the taste the additional aging with every sip, each note lasting longer on the finish and with more richness than many of the other MGP barrels we’ve selected over the last few years. The integration of flavor is what also stands out. There’s honey, vanilla, oak, spice, and pepper, but each note is seamlessly blended into the next, never losing the harmony from front to back. The result is a whiskey that glides across the palate with weight and viscosity even at the 110+ proof.

Don’t wait too long on this one. It’s been a while since we had something this good for this price in the single barrel market.