Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Review (2020)

Updated December 13, 2020

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

To paraphrase my longtime friend, founder of New York’s Whiskey Selections, author and the Deputy Editor here at The Whiskey Reveiwer, Kurt Maitland, more of a good thing is a better thing, so stronger proof whiskey is often better. That is the logic behind the new release from Heaven Hill, introduced just this month, Larceny Barrel Proof.

Fans have been anticipating a high octane version of Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon for some time now. They now receive it in the form of a six to eight year old bourbon coming out in batches three times a year. This inaugural batch came out at 123.2 proof. Following the naming convention used at Heaven Hill, this batch is A120.

The Bourbon
As befits a bourbon with above 60% ABV, the color here is deep and dark, a heavy and reddened amber. Swishing the glass leaves behind streaking, thick legs.

The nose is dense with melted brown sugar and oodles of vanilla extract and citrus oil, plus a hint of dill. A splash of water brought more out of the scent, adding a light sprinkle of nuttiness to the mix.

Sipping on Larceny Barrel Proof is a sweet experience, and by sweet I mean more of that classical brown sugar and vanilla. However, it is also quite spicy, surprisingly so. The wood really comes across in that spiciness, and although not actually hot (amazingly so given the strength of the whiskey), it is verging on it. That splash of water dialed the spiciness down quite a bit, allowing the floral nature of the wheat to assert itself, and bringing the whole thing into better balance.

From there, the finish wound it all down on a fading note of nuts and oak.

Fans of Larceny will find a lot to like here, and my one caveat is that while perfectly drinkable as is, this potent whiskey needs a little water to bring out its best.

C-290
I’m coming back to Larceny Barrel Proof with the September 2020 release. In my mind, the most interesting thing about the way Heaven Hill and Jim Beam have organized their cask strength releases (like Larceny) is how it turns out. The distillate is always the same; barrels are chosen from similar warehouse locations, so batching overlaps heavily from release to release. The only hard variable known to us is the proof, so where do these usually subtle, sometimes not differences come from?

Take this release against it’s January cousin. It came out at 122.4 proof, but wasn’t as woody/nutty, and had a spicier, more herbaceous character.

The Price
The official price on this item is $49.99.