Johnny Drum – Private Stock Straight Bourbon (50.5%)

At first whiff, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy this one, but the further I poked around the more I liked what I found.This Straight Bourbon (lack of age statement makes it at least four years old) is not only a lascivious 101 proof, but is an amazing representation of down-home, country-style Bourbon. There are sleek and sexy Bourbons and there are brawny, stalwart Bourbons; contrary to the label’s claim of being mellow, this is not the gentle kind. Better yet, there are no $200 price tags or trendy douche bags making it impossible to acquire. This is a bold, hearty offering, full of the fire that distilled it without any of that horrible after taste that can linger in some of the cheaper American whiskies. This whisky is dramatic and deserves a nice large snifter’s worth to fully appreciate. Damn. And for $30?! Double damn.

Nose: Sunflower! Roasted walnuts and yerba mate (con palos). Lemon and raspberries. A pile of pencil shavings sprinkled with cinnamon. Vanilla, corn chowder and vitamin b lurk beneath the heady perfume. It smells a little colonial, like a visit to the hay strewn footpaths of Old Sturbridge Village. Late August tobacco sheds. Boiled potatoes, fried chicken and biscuits.

Palate: Fiery. Lots of sweet oak char beat down the sunflower but just can’t contain it. Black pepper and caraway seed lead me to believe it’s probably high in rye content. Lemonade and candle wax. Looong, perfumed, hot finish accompanied by a well-seasoned wooden rocking chair and a bowl of Cap’n Crunch. Numbing gunpowder and corn niblets. 

A delicious, late-night whisky not for the faint of heart. Straight Bourbon complex enough to ponder until you are far too drunk to write sensible reviews. For $30?!? Love it!!!

Rating: Recommended

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