The morning of February 26th, 2021, I was casually chatting with friends on Discord when I got an email from Belle Meade announcing that later that day they would be releasing a single Vanilla Extract-finished barrel at the distillery gift shop.

This is a nationwide group of whiskey friends, so immediately anyone who lived remotely near Tennessee became a hero-to-be. You could only buy this at the gift shop, and there were only so many bottles available. It was so limited it’s not even on Belle Meade or Green Brier’s website.

As expected, it sold out in minutes. Us non-Volunteers waited with bated breath to see if any of our Tennesseans came through…one popped up on secondary for $300. Another followed five minutes later for $400. Within an hour, that had doubled to $800 (the highest I saw overall was a 1:1 trade for a King of Kentucky, so somewhere between a $1000-$1200 valuation).

After what seemed like hours, one guy popped up - he got a bottle (they were limited to one per person). He had already said he was opening it to drink and to sample, so I pulled the trigger and asked for a sample right away and was the first in line. I got two ounces and considered myself lucky that he was so generous.

It’s not about the vanilla - I like vanilla as much as the next guy and have plenty of candles to prove it. I definitely got caught up in the FOMO on this one and I’ll fully admit that. There weren’t a lot of surprises here. It’s finished in vanilla casks, it tastes like a lot of vanilla. It’s not quite being in bed with the Pillsbury Dough Boy but dinner is over and he’s already at your place.

This is the first bourbon I’ve tried that was vanilla-finished, so I really don’t have a comparison. I can compare it to how Belle Meade has done other one-off finishes or finishes more generally. I can compare it to what I imagined a vanilla-finished bourbon would taste like. And, to be frank, it did match those expectations. It was hard to rate this, if only because it was so powerfully one-note (something I usually don’t mark highly) and I ended up not counting that as much in my final rating and focusing solely on how this was as a single product.

Belle Meade Vanilla Extract Cask Finish: Specs

Classification: Blended American and Canadian Rye

Origin: MGP and Alberta Distillers

Mashbill: Undisclosed

Proof: 118.4 (59.2% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: Indiana and Canada

Belle Meade Vanilla Extract Cask Finish Price: Don’t even ask - it’s not worth it and it’s ridiculous.

No Official Website

Belle Meade Vanilla Extract Cask Finish: Tasting Notes

Eye: Golden blossom honey. Thin-to-no rims, droplets hang on.

Nose: Candle-worthy vanilla in every form. Baked vanilla, especially, like melted vanilla bean ice cream or Creme Anglaise and fresh scraped beans. This is a 10 nose regardless of the palate. Cream soda syrup develops, still natural flavors (not artificial at all). No proof heat or oakiness.

Palate: There’s the proof. Hits unexpectedly quickly with tons of cream soda and root beer. Oaky, just enough to give body and spice. Mouthfeel is medium-bodied, the underlying bourbon starts to pop with oak pepperiness and vanilla extract rawness. Coating without being oily or sticky.

Finish: Like finishing Dr. Brown’s Cream Soda that’s gone flat: all the flavor, no fizz, just slightly thinned out syrup with lingering oak spice.

Overall: This is a specialty for sure. Nothing to compare it to, for worse or for better. And as such, it’s really hard to rate this. As a specialty product - as a vanilla-flavored bourbon/whiskey - I’d put this at the mid-to-high 8s. As a whiskey finished in vanilla, what it really is, I have to ding it for the one-note. The vanilla is delicious, but it is overpowering. The bourbon underneath gets its chance to shine in the palate, so it’s not completely out of the picture, and that keeps the score higher. TL;DR: if you like vanilla, you’ll love this. If you’re looking for bourbon with a vanilla finish, this might be a bit much. Either way, please do not spend hundreds on this. Let the FOMO wash over you and move on.

Final Rating: 7.5

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)