The people at 15 Stars have been bottling some fine Bourbon. This bottle is no exception. The First West Explorer is made with four grains and Baby Black corn and it gives the Bourbon a nice fruity flavor. I recently received a bottle of this fine Bourbon and Matt and I sat down to taste it. Here are our tasting notes.
15 Stars First West Explorer Bourbon
Proof: 95
Age: Five Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, blackberries, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, cereal grains, mixed berries and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, corn, blackberries, nutmeg and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the vanilla becomes a rich French vanilla and cinnamon comes out to join the party. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes buttered caramel with a hint of dark chocolate.
- Matt: Vanilla, mixed berries, red pepper flakes and oak wood. The dried cranberry added ginger and orange zest to the flavor. The pecan brought out caramel, buttered toast and blackberry.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, nutmeg and blackberry. The dried cranberry added cinnamon to the finish. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, caramel and chocolate.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and vanilla. The dried cranberry added ginger spice to the finish. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, caramel and blackberry.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with a cigar that has vanilla and dried fruit in the smoke. I would reach for a Tabernacle Havana Seed CT #142 cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller