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Whiskey Review: Orphan Barrel Rhetoric Aged 22 Years

We review Orphan Barrel Rhetoric Aged 22 Years, the 2016 release in Diageo's Orphan Barrel series.

OVERALL RATING

9
$173.00
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Tasting Notes

About:

Distilled at the Bernheim Distillery and aged at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery for 22 years. Mash bill of 86% corn, 8% barley, and 6% rye. Bottled at 45.2% ABV and selling for about $173 per 750mL bottle.
Appearance:
A darker amber coloring, taking on a bronze or light copper hue.
Nose:
A little hard to place at first with an usual bouquet at the front, the nose starts with quick burst of milk chocolate followed by a wave of mellow fruit – primarily banana, sweet apple and pear. While those two flavors remain dominant, they make room for a gentle but assertive hum of chardonnay and indistinct floral scents.
Palate:
While the nose was relatively bold in its unique scents, the first sip is contrarily subtle, starting off like a very mellow vanilla with faint hints of the chocolate and banana in the nose. That flavors holds on the tongue for longer than usual as spicy flavors of nutmeg, clove, and oak very gradually build up, but with no more potency than a moderate tingle on the tongue. Swallowing brings a burst of raisin-forward sweetness with a hint of nutmeg. That brings another wave of mild, nutmeg-flavored tingling throughout the mouth that carries with it a mellow chocolate. Those two flavors give and take for a few minutes in coating that lingers on the tongue for another minute or so.
Finish:
Comments:
Rhetoric, at least its 22-year-old iteration, is smooth, subtle, spicy and sweet in all the ways that I could ask for in a bourbon. The spiciness and sweetness in my dram of 22-year-old Rhetoric were especially well balanced to create an interesting sipping experience that was perhaps even a little too subtle at times. While I wasn’t overwhelmed in a way that would lead me to give Rhetoric a perfect score, I enjoyed drinking it and I can’t find anything to fault in it. A great sipper, though at a hefty price.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Aaron Knapp

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