Medley Exclusive Selection Bourbon Barrel #1

Except for one 5-year blip (1991-1996), a member of the Medley family has been a master distiller in the bourbon industry continuously in this country since 1812. Charles Medley and his son Sam are the current generation of distillers, and they have been slowly releasing single-barrel and rare expressions under the Charles Medley Distillery name for several years, earning a cult following. These two know what they are doing, and each release (along with the more readily available Wathen’s brand, a regular offering from the distillery), shows the best of a classical bourbon profile, though refreshingly light on the cherry notes. This exclusive barrel is bottled at full strength, a whopping 125 proof, and undiluted the notes of pepper and red hots are quite strong on the nose. With a bit of water added, the nose opens up to reveal bay leaf, milk chocolate, medjool dates, peppermint and macaroon. On the palate we found buttermilk biscuit, Luxardo cherry, red pepper flakes and Mexican wedding cookies. 

• Barrel #: 1                      
• Barrel Proof: 125.94
• Age: 8 years old
• Bottle Yield: 180

Tasting Notes from Bourbon Enthusiast: On the nose there’s notes of dark caramel, oak, honey, herbal tea and nutmeg. The taste starts with a heated blast of brown sugar, then transitions to notes of luxardo cherry, cinnamon, and vanilla. Finishes strong with notes of classic caramel, sweet barrel char and lingering notes of burnt sugar.