Apple caramel | Maple syrup | Bananas foster | Cinnamon | Rich & thick

Molasses | Brown sugar | Cocoa powder | Thick syrupy oak | Potent

Nutmeg | Rich oak | Reduced maple syrup | Cinnamon | Long & rich

According to Preservation Distillery, “Wattie Boone was the first person documented to have made bourbon in Kentucky, along the Beech Fork just behind Preservation Distillery.” Current day Wattie Boone & Sons is sourced from an undisclosed distillery in Tennessee and aged in Kentucky. It’s labeled “whiskey” as opposed to a bourbon because it is aged in used barrels that have been re-charred, which explains a lot regarding how it tastes.

This bourbon packs a whopping flavor punch but does it in all of the right ways. There’s definitely something different about it, as the majority of 10 year old whiskey don’t taste as flavor-concentrated as this whiskey does. Even from the start, its nose is surprisingly rich which gives off a degree of thickness to it. Big apple caramel, maple syrup, and bananas foster scents combine to form a powerhouse of an aroma. The palate isn’t too far off either, displaying rich molasses, brown sugar, and thick syrupy oak. The finish continues, crescendoing with more oak, warm nutmeg, and reduced maple syrup. It’s surprising the flavor punch this whiskey hits with and it’s a shame this couldn’t have been labeled straight. If you’re open to a whiskey that packs this much flavor and can overlook the straight part, it is definitely a bottle that is a must have.