Bourbon Heritage Month 2020 Day 11 Part 2: Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star

Sep 11

Ancient Ancient Age 10 Star Bourbon Review

Finally, a chance to taste the last mashbill 2 product on the list. At one time, Ancient Ancient Age bourbon was not just 10 Star but 10 Years Old before the stocks were completely depleted. Since then, it’s gone from a NAS ~6 year product to somewhere between 3-6 years and still NAS. Maybe not the best to finish on, but I can now say I’ve tried an expression of every mashbill 2 product, so I’ll happily take it and fill in the rest of the blanks as I go.

Buffalo Trace

45% ABV/90 Proof

NAS (~3-6 years)

Mashbill 2

Eye: Honey with a little orange tinge. Thick rims bleed quickly to thick legs.

Nose: Oak and caramel. A little young at first though vanilla and some baked goods are certainly there. Rye definitely present as well. Some orange zest comes after air as does more rye.

Palate: The bourbon is there, though some rye mint comes on quickly. Doesn’t taste as young as I might expect, and the mouthfeel carries the flavor well. Mouthfeel is thin heat somehow creamy with a little heat.

Finish: Leaves a coating on the palate that’s a little odd. Some lingering baked goods, too.

Overall: Glad to finish my Mashbill 2 vertical, and there’s promise here with some more age. I hope to taste the true 10 YO Ancient Ancient Age at some point, but that’ll have to wait.

Rating: 4.8

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)