The 1792 series continues and this time we are getting into some of the rare stocks with the 225th Anniversary. This one took a bit of work to track down as it was a one time commemorative release to celebrate the 225th anniversary of Kentucky joining the union, mostly for good. Otherwise this is a small batch, extra aged release in the same odd bottle shape that confounds my whiskey organization attempts.
Review
Age: NAS but the bottle says “nearly a decade”
Abv: 92.15 proof (46.075% ABV)
Color: A deep amber with hints of red
Neat
Nose: Starts with a sweet brown sugar note complimented by dark cherries and a bit of balancing baking spice
Taste: Very similar to the nose though the spice is a bit more muted. This could easily fill in for a cherry pie as a dessert. Excellent mouthfeel especially given the middling proof
Finish: A little shorter and hotter than I would have liked. The baking spice mingles with the brown sugar in this medium length, medium heat finish.
On a rock
Nose: The spice is gone leaving the intoxicating brown sugar and cherry combination
Taste: The baking spice and cherries comes to the forefront with the brown sugar note taking a back seat. Even better than it was neat. Oddly the ice actually made this feel a bit thinner in the mouthfeel for me.
Finish: The heat from the neat finish is gone and the spice and brown sugar notes remain for a medium duration.
2 Stars - Very good whiskey: I would want to have a bottle
Conclusion
First off this whiskey was excellent as I’ve come to expect from the higher end 1792 expressions (I’ll have to do the small batch at some point haha). I really enjoyed the fruity notes in this one and wasn’t expecting them. Surprisingly the neat finish was a bit hotter than the 1792 Full Proof despite coming in over 32 proof points lower. The hot but sort of short finish kept it out of the 9 territory but just barely! My favorite 1792 so far but only by a nose.