I was lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to sample two exquisite bourbons from Lux Row Distillers. Both drams are from America’s Bluegrass State, Kentucky. They are Ezra Brooks 99 Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Rebel 100 Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Ezra Brooks 99 Kentucky Straight Bourbon First up, I tried the Ezra Brooks 99 Kentucky Straight Bourbon which has an ABV of 49.5%. Nose: Pear drops, caramel, vanilla & bitter almond oil. Taste: Dark fruits and pepper. This has a thinner mouthfeel than I had hoped for, most likely as a result of the charcoal filtering. It’s a very pleasant and easy to drink bourbon, it goes down effortlessly. Finish: Long and spiced at first, yet little to no burn, which gradually transitions into a subtler, gentler and sugared finish. Rebel 100 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Secondly, I sampled the equally impressive Rebel 100 Kentucky Straight Bourbon. A wheated bourbon with an ABV of 50%. In order to be labelled a straight bourbon whiskey it is r...

Much has been written about this greatly admired drink before, for sure. However, I have only recently been able to try this impressive dram from Four Roses. It has flourished since first released and possesses a long list of very successful accolades, the most recent of which came in 2019 (Gold at the Cigar & Spirits World Spirits Competition). At first sight you think, this doesn't even look like a bottle of whiskey. To me, the bottle resembles a bottle of brandy rather than a bottle of bourbon whiskey. This is bottled at 90 proof and only contains bourbon that has been aged for at least five years. Appearance Toffee brown, honeycomb and autumn leaves. Nose Stewed apples,  Fruit cake,  Demerara Sugar,  Vanilla and  Oak. Taste Very smooth at first and then the vanilla and citrus fruits, predominantly Orange zest begin to emerge. Full bodied Finish This has a nice long finish with an abundance of citrus notes as well as some caramel too. Overall I would highly re...