Brown sugar | Honey | Vanilla powder | Light floral notes | Hints of summer fruits | Delicate pleasing scents

Honey | Vanilla | Light syrup | Brown sugar | Oak | Sweet delicate flavors mingle together nicely with the oak notes

Vanilla | Light leather | Sweet oak | White peppercorn | Dab of honey | Pleasing way to end the sip

Old Charter Oak French Oak continues Buffalo Trace Distillery’s exploration into exTotic oak origins. According to the press release, this is the third release of Old Charter Oak French Oak, and the sixth release overall for the Old Charter Oak brand. For this latest release, the distillery once again focused on oak from France which tends to have a tighter grain than American oak.  

The time spent in the French oak barrels gives this bourbon a surprisingly unique flavor profile. The company states on their website that this bourbon was aged for 12 years, which is surprising since while noticeable, oak notes aren’t the driving force throughout the sip. Instead, delicate sweet flavors nicely compliment the present oak notes creating a sweet yet distinctly layered bourbon. It’s a shame that this is released in such limited quantities, since the resulting pour is one that is incredibly enjoyable and easy to drink. While companies have used French oak staves for barrel finishing techniques, Old Charter Oak French Oak makes me wish that more brands would invest in aging in new charred French oak barrels.