Bourbon Review: Johnny Drum Private Stock Bourbon

This medium bodied, and is dominated by sweetness, fruit notes, and woods. I get light caramels, navel orange, sugar cookie, and a fair bit of oak. There is a slight but noticeable astringency. Finish: The finish is medium length, is spicy, and very drying, and has notes of cinnamon, charcoal, and leather. With Water- Nose: With the water addition there is a nice candied apple note on the nose, otherwise the character does not change much. Palate: In the mouth it is much smoother and more integrated, and a slight smokiness peaks through the sweetness. Finish: The finish is still very dry, but is more warming rather than prickly, and the cinnamon note is the most prominent. Final Thoughts and Score: I would be very interested in try this bourbon from previous years when there was a 15-year age statement, and what is in the bottle today. All of the promotional materials about this speak to a strong smoke character, but this bottle was much sweeter and fruitier, which I enjoyed. The defining character of the however is the dryness, which is the most pronounced in memory. Ultimately it’s a solid bourbon for the price.