The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: A-
Larceny Barrel Proof
(Credit: Heaven Hill)
Larceny Barrel Proof has been bucking the expectations for what wheated bourbon is supposed to be lately. Through 2023, the expression became quite spice-driven, although how much so varied from batch to batch. Although they still had a softened character, and were certainly not falling into the spicy and dry character attributed to high rye bourbons, they were all well outside the floral and/or fruity territory associated with using wheat as the flavoring grain in the mash.
In my mind, that underlines just how loose these broad categories should be or perhaps how much association with a single distillery’s style has come to define a much larger category. That is a matter I should give more thought to, but the main thing is Larceny Barrel Proof has lately been a spicy bourbon for one that doesn’t have a speck of rye in it, and Batch A124 has continued in that vein. We will all see if the expression continues in this trend in May.
The Bourbon
Larceny Barrel Proof A124 (the January 2024 batch ) came out at 124.2 proof and with a surprisingly light coloring. Even without a splash of water, the whisky had a look of light amber with brown tones in the glass. I found the scent to caramel with clove and cinnamon spiced chocolate, which when combined with the light current of tea tannin are quite reminiscent of a chai/hot chocolate combo I made last winter. Further nosing brings out a faint hint of dill, an odd but interesting twist.
Sipping on this Larceny batch pushes that spiciness more into the background. In the main, it has the body of benchmark bourbon: caramel and candy corn, baking spices, a sliver of wood. What separates it from the rank and file is how complex the spicy aspect is. It really is as if in making the pie, the baker went for more than the usual cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Half the spice rack is in there. The finish curiously rolls out of the caramel, not the spiciness, and as it fades down the whiskey goes to a hint of barrel char.
Fans tend to go for barrel proof whiskeys because they love the big and ballsy flavors, often to the point of trying to drink a hot spirit with no added water. What I found here is that if you dial down Larceny Barrel Proof A124 just a little, it becomes both approachable and sophisticated, winningly so on the latter point.
The Price
A bottle of this sleeper bourbon is priced at $65, and at that price point is well worth acquiring.
