Barton 1792 12 Year Old Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Maturing whiskey is a complicated picture, and the easiest way to identify a nincompoop out of his depth is to listen for someone saying “older is always better.” This is especially not the case for American Whiskey, where climate and new oak combine to produce whiskeys that are over-oaked as a matter of routine after about 15 years. The reliably good stuff from America is usually middle aged, which depending on the distillery in question, is between 10 and 15 years.

Hence my particular interest when Sazerac announced Barton 1792 would release a 12 year old version of their bourbon. The brand and the distillery remain the only gem in Kentucky that could be truly described as “overlooked,” and sweetening the prospect of trying a middle aged expression of their bourbon was its strength: they bottled it at a quite approachable 96.6 proof.

The Bourbon
A pour of Barton 12 Year Old has a coppery look, so it is not as dark as one might expect. The swish left a thick coating, though, one that dropped only a single, meaty leg when I was looking at it.

The nose sat down exactly where I expected it to, given that it’s a Barton: brown sugar, cinnamon graham crackers and vanilla, accented by toasty oak. The latter aspect points right to the time in the wood. The flavor followed in that vein, packing a hefty wave of sweet vanilla, underscored by cinnamon and moderately tannic oak. The finish came across as predominately oaky, the first time the barrel really stood up and asserted itself, but nonetheless this was a relatively light part of an otherwise quite flavorful experience, and it faded away fast. I’d describe the finish as just the exclamation point on the affair as a whole, rather than a major clause in it.

Barton 1792 12 Year Old doesn’t present the drinker with any surprises; there are no twists or particularly subtle nuances. It’s not novel or complex, but is instead just an outstanding, flavorful and fully mature bourbon. Traditionalists should buy a bottle and savor it.

The Price
The official price on this lovely bottle is $50.