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Produced (at the time of this bottling) by Heaven Hill in Bardstown Kentucky, Ezra Brooks is a brand owned by Lux Row which itself is a property of the Indiana overlords at Midwest Grain Products. There are 99 proof, 99 proof finished, rye, and seven-year versions of Ezra Brooks floating around. They have a robust private barrel program and also have put out a number of distiller select barrels to large retailers to get rid of excess inventory. Lux Row now produces the juice in house at their own Bardstown Facility.
🛒Sourced: $41.99 - 750ml - World of Beverage Smyrna, GA - Discounted as the last few bottles of a store pick, normally $54. I see distiller's selects of this around the $60 mark, though some ABC state picks are around $35. March 2025 update - seeing distiller picks in the low $50s, they're trying to move these and not having much success.
🧪Proof: 120 proof, 60% ABV - This is a great example of how "Cask Strength" is not a regulated term. Barrel entry proof for Ezra Brooks is 125 and this nice round number across many different private barrels suggests the addition of water to reach the 120 proof point.
🎨Color: R3 - A slightly orange sunrise, lighter than I would have expected for the proof. I do dig the bottle and label design.
🥔Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Barley. No Age Statement. This bottle is from barrel number 7699991 which was filled on 5/15/2017. I have no idea when they picked it, but I'd imagine it has been in the store for a bit. Most picks with ages stated by their stores are around the 5-year mark and that aligns with my timeline for this bottle.
It is charcoal mellowed similar to Jack Daniel's Lincoln county process by filtering the whiskey through maple charcoal to theoretically remove impurities and result in a more smooth profile.
👃Nose: Sweet with some butterscotch, peanut shells, and new oak. Some bite but in not out of balance with the proof.
😜Palate: Strong warmth from the get-go, but again not out of alignment with the alcohol content. Somewhat oily on the palate, the flavors start with a strong brown sugar / molasses / corn syrup profile that is pronounced and solid. One dimensional but it maintains great strength of flavor through tongue and onto the finish. I do get some spicy oak from the barrel and a touch of Heaven Hill mint; I suspect from the yeast. Late into the glass, I can start to make out some blood orange towards the end, though it definitely takes a while to warm up the tongue enough to find it.
Upon addition of one regulation large ice cube, the citrus fruit and sweetness are even more apparent, though I think it drinks better neat. The water seems to unbalance the bourbon.
💦Finish: Pretty darn long but mostly heat, flavor less so. It's a solid throat temperature, not too hot, and continues to make its presence known far after the whiskey is down-the-hatch.
🏆 Overall: 6.5/10 - Solid - I started off skeptical of this Ezra Brooks Cask Strength Store Pick, but it has won me over across a number of sessions. As has become my expectation, the "neck pour" was a bit overly hot, though I probably could have solved that by resting the glass more than my standard 15 minutes. A second brush plus the ice cube similarly left me wanting, but I've had three more runs at the bottle with some intentionality, liking it more each time. With some warm-up, there is complexity to be found here and the Cask Strength aspect is pretty well balanced between heat and flavor. I wish it was a bit thicker and more spice character, but it executes on its profile well enough and I'll be perfectly happy finishing off the bottle. Between this bottle and another contract distilled Rebel Cask Strength store pick also from Lux Row, I prefer the Ezra Brooks.
Bottom of the Bottle Update - Yeah this is good whiskey. With some air, the orange peel and wood blossom into a delightful cream sickle. I have a hard time rating bottles that morph substantially over the course of a bottle, but this is a gem that kept getting better and better with air and time. Open probably like 8 months total, I think we got to peak flavor at about six months. In another six months, it may be flat and over oxidized. Time is a tricky thing.
💵Would buy again? Sure, a balanced Cask Strength in the low $40s is a solid buy in any market. Not sure I would pay full retail.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously.
10 | Perfect | You didn't think anything could be this good | A clear champion.