Bhakta 2011 Bourbon (75cl, 55.5%)

A Tennessee bourbon from Bhakta, distilled in 2011 and bottled at 55.5% in a 750ml bottle. The mashbill is 84% corn, 8% rye and 8% malted barley, and the spirit was charcoal mellowed before it went into barrel. After its first maturation, the whiskey spent 12 months in 11 Armagnac casks from the 1970s and 1980s, some of which had held Bhakta 1973 Armagnac. Vanilla fudge, caramel and butterscotch lead the nose, with rum raisin and fresh berries appearing as it opens. The palate brings peanut butter fudge, brown sugar and brandied cherry with black pepper, and the finish is long, with dark chocolate, lemon zest and a trace of leather.