Heaven Hill 27-Year-Old Barrel Proof Bourbon Review

NOSE: Buttery | Floral | Baking Spices | Leather | Sweet Old Oak TASTE: Subtle Vanilla | Explosion of Oak | Pepper | Clove FINISH: Nice warm surge followed by a long subtle finish with just a hint of oak and baking spices. SHARE WITH: This is a complex bourbon and not for beginners. Share it with those that know their bourbon and enjoy a whiskey with a complex personality. WORTH THE PRICE: At $399 this is a collector's whiskey. If you're a serious collector and enjoy older whiskey this one is a no brainer. BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Since less than 3,000 bottles are being released most people won't have a chance to purchase a bottle so trying in a bar might be their only opportunity to experience it. If you're serious about your whiskey, and you enjoy bourbons with a strong oak profile, you'll definitely want to invest in a pour at your favorite bar if you're unable to buy your very own bottle. OVERALL: If you've been reading my reviews for a while, it won't be a surprise when I tell you that I'm not a fan of bourbons with a massive oak profile. So when my sample of Heaven Hill 27-Year-Old Barrel Proof Bourbon arrived, I was a little hesitant to dive in and sample it. However, once I did, I found myself face-to-face with a beautifully complicated yet extremely frustrating whiskey. Beautiful in that the nose on this bourbon is magical. Every time I took a whiff I was hit with new aromas that appeared to be shifting as the whiskey slowly opened up over a span of 10 minutes. I enjoyed the progression of aromas, but it did make it hard to try and nail down just a handful to report in my review. Ultimately there was a buttery undertone that was consistent throughout my nosing that was punctuated by floral notes and baking spices. Eventually leather emerged on the nose but was quickly bullied into submission by what I describe as "sweet old oak." It's the sweet aroma you get from oak that's been sitting around for years with some moisture in the wood. Curious enough, all these aromas combined could have easily led someone to declare this a dusty bourbon if they had been nosing it blindly. And now for the frustration. The first sip entered my mouth with a gentle hint of vanilla but was rudely pushed aside by an explosion of oak. What followed was a mix of pepper, cloves, and tannic oak. This was not the flavor profile I was expecting from such a complex nose. Talk about being frustrated and disappointed. I had really hoped the aroma complexity would translate over to the palate, but it was not to be. That all said, I wouldn't call it over-oaked from a technical perspective (meaning it's still drinkable). It's just too oaky for my palate. I have no doubt that many of you will love it if massive oak is your thing. But even then, I would have liked to see more flavor notes balanced with the oak, pepper, and cloves. More dimension is what I wanted to experience. Heaven Hill did a good thing by bringing an exceptionally mature bourbon to market and keeping it at barrel proof for fans to enjoy. At 27 years it's a rare age statement (for good reason), and for that reason alone it's  sure to be a popular addition to red-hot bourbon market. I just hope that fans of well-aged and oaky bourbon have a chance to purchase a bottle before all the collectors and flippers clear the shelves only for the bourbon to sit unopened for another 27 years. A guy can dream, right? Learn more about Pop's whiskey preferences and check out more of his reviews...