2015 Orphan Barrel Forged Oak 15 Year Bourbon Review
Lordy I’ve had this sample for a while now so figured it was time to whip it on out. I actually don't remember how I acquired this sample but I'm sure it was sent to me by the distillery because they respect my bourbon prominence.
I know very little about the Orphan Barrel series but from what it looks like they go and pilfer barrels from rickhouses across the land and then turn them into money. This particular one came from the Stitzel-Weller distillery which is a great way to get people to blow their money loads. This berbin comes in at 90.5 proof and was aged for 15 years. If you put the glass of liquid to your ear you can hear Julian Van Winkle dancing.
In da nose it's actually quite floral - I can picture myself dancing in fields of roses only to realize it hurts like hell because them thorns. There's also some honey and salted caramel going on - I rather like the nose. Unfortunately though I had to taste it. Do you like wood? Like tree wood not...nevermind. Anyway, there's some tree in there, maybe some smoke and a little brown sugar / vanilla because it's bourbon. The mouthfeel is pretty solid for a 90 proof drank. However, I can see why this barrel was left in the back.
It isn't horrible but it's certainly not amazing. I don't think you should go out and spend $65 on it but it would be something interesting to try at a bar especially if you like a cedar / cigar smoke flavor. It would probably pair well with a medium-light cigar as you get a tramp stamp in Cabo.