Creamy nougat | Sweet caramel | Slight oak | Surprisingly light for the proof

Dry cinnamon sticks | Rye spice | Charred oak | Leather | Dab of honey | Nougat | Light nuts | Pleasant

Sweet spiced vanilla | Bold cinnamon spice | Dry oak | Undulating rye spice lingers

Behind Brother's Bond Bourbon is two American actors - Paul Wesley and Ian Somerhalder. Probably most well known for their collaborative roles in the CW’s The Vampire Diaries, Wesley and Somerhalder’s friendship eventually led them to create Brother’s Bond Distilling Co. For their cask strength release, the company states that “Ian and Paul hand-selected 70 of the finest Brother's Bond Bourbon barrels to create this limited release for bourbon lovers.”

The sip itself is a classic story of sweet and spicy. Opening with one-dimensional sweet scents, the nose comes across as lackluster and light. Thankfully the midpoint of the sip is much more dynamic, bringing with it an array of dry spicer notes with a dollop of honey to add intrigue. The finish ends with a bed of spice that’s further aided by a sweet spiced vanilla component. We found the company’s standard bourbon to be lackluster, and thankfully the increase in proof brings much needed depth to the whiskey. While the nose starts things off slowly, the rest of the sip delivers, and in the end, this is a good example of well-constructed Indiana sourced bourbon.

The bottle being reviewed is number 01356 with Batch ID G17 G21 I26 I.19, IN 35-50-06-05.