Finally getting to review this one. Mardi Gras has kept me busy and my 1792 Bottled in Bond had not yet been tried even though I had the bottle for two weeks. I ended up grabbing it for the Garden District Promenade and Block Party last Saturday. Drank almost half of it neat out of a plastic cup. Brought it on the Krewe Des Invognes d’Alexandrie tour de drunk of South Central Louisiana where I and some of my buddies had a few sips on Mardi Gras day among other beverages. It’s a dollar or two less than E.H. Taylor Small Batch, so at the around $35 category this fits my profile of party bourbon.

So I picked up a second bottle, which is my ultimate recommendation for a bourbon.

On the nose, fruit and oak, but very mild. On the palate, fruits and corn syrup with wonderful oak, more oak than E.H. Taylor Small Batch. On the finish, oak fades into sweetness. Delightful.

Compared to the high rye and sweet wheat expressions of 1792, this one is head and shoulders better. The full proof is very different and very good, so they really aren’t in the same class for me. But I think I would find myself buying this one more often. The closest comparison would be the Single Barrel, which is more sweet than this one, but I really like the oak notes this one has.

By the way, this is a bourbon that, like EH Taylor Small Batch, tastes really good in a plain old tumbler rather than a tasting glass. It’s fine in a Glencairn but it really doesn’t need a tasting glass to enjoy it neat.