I have taken a while to review these; I have had the American Batch 10 since after Christmas and I got the Bourbon Batch 3LA a couple of months ago. Old Carter bottlings are very expensive largely because they are double barrelled for extra flavor.

Batch 3LA is 118 proof. The color is a very nice deep amber, and the swirl reveals a very thin film. Very traditional bourbon nose that is heavy on the vanilla, like a lot of MGP bourbons are. On the palate is heavy vanilla, candied cherries, gingerbread, black pepper, and baking spices. Very nice full mouthfeel. On the finish the cherries fade into cinnamon and oak. This is a really delicious bourbon and a great example of why I will sometimes splurge and buy a bottle of Old Carter.

American Batch 10 is a bruiser at 131.8 proof. Despite having first been aged in used cooperage, the color is a nice medium amber and darker than other American whiskies I have had. I think that this might have undergone secondary aging for longer than usual. On the swirl is big thick legs and film. On the nose is wonderfully doughy pastry, creme brulee, candied peaches, with a slight oak note. On the palate, peach cobbler with a ton of baking spices comes to the fore, with notes of vanilla bean in the background; despite the high proof this is very drinkable. On the finish the peaches fade into cinnamon. While I generally prefer bourbon to American whiskey aged in used cooperage, I do have to say that Old Carter American is an amazing whiskey that is really different but good at the same time. This is a really amazing dessert whiskey that is really sweet but complex at the same time.

Old Carter continues to impress me with how good their whiskies are. I also love the fact that their Louisiana distributor, Uncorked, continues to arrange for special small batch releases for just the Louisiana market, but continues to increase the number of bottles of their bourbon releases. There are a lot of folks that clamor for limited release expensive whiskies for special occasions. In that segment, a bottle of Old Carter definitely meets that bill. Now, you aren’t going to find this on your local liquor store’s shelves, but they may have some in the back. If you splurge on a $150 or more bottle of Old Carter, you will not regret it.