I finally got to try Nulu, a bourbon bottled by Prohibition Craft Spirits in Louisville, Kentucky. Hokus Pokus got some of the LA-1 special release. This is a blend of four and six year old MGP bourbon distilled in Indiana, non-chill filtered before bottling at 118 proof. This bottle cost $64.

The color is a nice golden amber that one would expect from four to six year old bourbon. On the swirl is a nice thick film and legs; very oily. The nose is very traditional bourbon but with an emphasis on rye spice and herbs. On the palate, there are lovely notes of vanilla, dark fruits, candied herbs, and rye spice, which leads me to believe this is a high rye mashbill. Those candied herbs are unmistakable. The mouthfeel is medium but tongue coating. The finish is dominated by candied rye and a tad of baking spice and oak. The finish is fairly long and as it fades the dark fruits, particularly cherries, wave goodbye.

This is a very nice high rye cask strength bourbon, at a decent price. This isn’t as good as Old Soul Tintype, but it doesn’t cost as much either. But this really hits the same notes as Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel. I can certainly see why this bourbon is getting a fair amount of buzz on the bourbon groups I participate in. There is a huge demand for high rye bourbon with a flavor profile that is as oaken as Blanton’s high end releases. Nulu definitely fits that bill. And while Blanton’s Gold has a green apple fruit note going on, I prefer Nulu’s dark fruit/cherry notes to green apple, but other than the fruit notes, the flavor profiles are very similar. Really good.