Pre-Fire Kentucky Straight Bourbon 24 Year (1994) Single Cask Nation

Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Likely Heaven Hill

Bottler: Jewish Whisky Company

Region: Kentucky

Age: 24 Year. Distilled in 1994, bottled in 2020. 12 years aging in Kentucky, 12 years aging in Scotland.

ABV: 47.40% Cask Strength

Color: 1.9, Brown Sherry.

Nose: It’s quite deep and rich from the start. The first note I get is of caramelized onions in a balsamic reduction. Cinnamon candies comes along with a note of toasted marshmallows and old oak. The standard bourbon-y notes come through as well, it’s almost like smelling a bourbon infused food than bourbon itself.

Palate: It’s quite rich. It starts off with a nice, dripping oak note. That oak is soaked in “bourbon-y” flavors of caramel, cherry, cola, and a bit of sweet tobacco. There’s a toasted note, somewhere between a sweet wood smoke and slightly charred marshmallows. Towards the end is a bit of a dried herb mix.

Finish: Quite long. That sweet tobacco comes through again some more with slightly charred marshmallows. A bit of cinnamon and toasted oak round this out..

Conclusion: I’m not sure there is a more obvious description for an “unknown” distillery than the words “fire” and “Kentucky”. This release of Heaven Hill from Single Cask Nation is a bit unique even among things from that era with half of the maturation occurring in Scotland rather than in America. And that mix of maturation has worked beautifully. There’s a lot of oak throughout this, a bit toasted and a bit soaking wet, but none of it ever overpowers everything else. There’s layers of delicious flavor, starting with caramelized onions then going to toasted/slightly charred marshmallows and ending with a hit of sweet tobacco. I was left wanting more though the chances of that are very slim. Well done to the guys at Single Cask Nation, well done.

Final Score: 90.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

Published by zSolaris

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Home is where the corn is! Or at least that's what I told the wife before moving her from sunny Southern California to the Midwest anyway. She doesn't share my love of scotch, the drink, but has been incredibly supportive of my little wander down the rabbit hole. We do both share a love of Scotch, our dog, though (she named him, I swear!). He's the cutie in the profile pic.

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