Veteran Bourbon Review: Heavens Door Single Barrel Cask Strength

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History – “I wanted to create a collection of American Whiskeys that, in their own way, tell a story. I’ve been traveling for decades, and I’ve been able to try some of the best whiskey spirits that the world has to offer. This is great whiskey.”-Bob Dylan

Heaven’s Door and retailers across the country selected barrels that vary in age, mashbill, and warehousing locations, in order to select their own Cask Strength Single Barrel Bourbon.

​This limited release will be hand numbered and adorned with our partners name, offering a distinctive experience.- www.heavensdoor.com

Value – This Bourbon surprised me. I figured it was just another one of those companies with a flashy bottle and mediocre Bourbon. I was actually able to taste test this bottle before buying it and picked it out among 6 other cask strengths. I think it’s a little pricey at $65, but would gladly pay it again for this wonderful product.    

Appearance – This bottle is awesome. It is tall and decorative, depicting Bob Dylan’s artistic abilities. It comes with a corked top and is filled with a light amber colored Bourbon. Overall, beautiful bottles.

Nose – Dried Fruit/Dark Cherry/Spices/Vanilla bean- The aroma is very light. Due to the high proof, you get a hit of ethanol to your nostrils. The ethanol isn’t too overwhelming though. Make sure you swirl this one around in the glass. There’s a lot of complexity in this Nosing. It’s better to let this one open up for a bit to be able to pick the individual smells out.

Palate –  Earthy/New Oak/Spicy/Rye/Fruity- The first sip is interesting. It’s complex, thin and hot. You’ll get that high proof heat for about 4-6 seconds followed by a barely sweet new oak taste. After that, you taste the rye. Since this bottle does not have a disclosed mash bill, I’m going on a limb and saying it has a higher rye content. It’s very interesting and flavor packed.   

Finish – Lingering/New Oak-The finish is packed with heat as is with most high proofs. It goes down pretty smooth and leaves you with a lingering new oak flavor. It only lingers for about 30 seconds, so it’s not bad if you were to walk away from it.   

Summary – This bourbon is packing a lot of complexity. The flavors really compliment each other and it has a wonderful fruitiness to it. I truly  enjoyed every sip of this. This has made me curious about other Heavens Door products and I’ll be trying them all.

8.0

Uniqueness – 1-10 – 8

Appearance- 1-10 – 8

Nose- 1-20 – 12

Palate- 1-20 – 18

Finish- 1-20 – 17

Value- 1-20 – 17