Bourbon Heritage Month 2020 Day 29: Taconic Distillery Mizunara Cask Bourbon

NY Bourbon finished in Mizunara oak casks.

43.5% ABV/107 Proof, NAS

Eye: Maple syrup, medium rim with quick, syrupy legs.

Nose: Bourbon full-stop, with a nice background of maple syrup. Butterscotch sweetness, no hint of heat.

Palate: Spicy - here’s where the Mizunara shines, bringing a ton of pepperiness to the front and finish. The bourbon behind it is delicious but the cask teeters on the edge of being too overpowering. Rye-forward bourbon notes on the back end. Moderate mouthfeel, tingle from the pepper.

Finish: Drying and coating.

Overall: The Mizunara is a bit overpowering, like a few weeks less in the cask finish would have been a bit more balanced. The pepperiness dissipates a little with air, but white pepper in particular sticks around.

Rating: 5.4

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)

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