I have a fondness for the Ezra Brooks labels. I worked on the history of the brand when I was archivist for United Distillers. The brand was created in the 1960s to ride on the coattails of Jack Daniel Old No.7. It had the square bottle and black and white label as did Jack, and it also advertised itself as “charcoal mellowed”. This was simply using charcoal in the filtering process, not the “Lincoln County Process” that makes Tennessee whiskey. The brand has evolved since the 1960s and no longer has to ride on the coattails of Old No.7. This is a barrel proof expression of the Ezra Brooks line and is a favorite of my friend Tom Reinert. We picked up a bottle the other day and Matt and I sat down to taste it. Here are our tasting notes.
Old Ezra Seven Year Old Barrel Strength Bourbon
Proof: 117
Age: Seven Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, apples, cardamom spice, oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, cigars, rosewater, apples, oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, apples, cardamom spice and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the apple is enhanced and a note of chocolate comes forward. Tasted with a pecan and chocolate – rich dark chocolate comes out with even more oak.
- Matt: Caramel, cayenne pepper, apples, citrus and oak wood. The dried cranberry added some wild berry flavors to the mix. The pecan made the taste very spicy with cayenne and black pepper.
Finish:
- Mike: Long and dry with oak wood, cardamom spice and lingering caramel notes. The dried cranberry added some lingering apple to the finish. The pecan made the finish very long and dry with oak, tobacco and lingering chocolate.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and tobacco. The dried cranberry added chocolate notes to the finish. The pecan made the finish long and spicy with oak, spice and chocolate.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with a RomaCraft Neanderthal cigar. I think the rich vanilla and tobacco in the smoke would pair well with the caramel and spice of the Bourbon.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller