Breaker Bourbon Port Barrel Finished

Appearance: This whiskey pours with a muted vermilion hue with drab blotches of orange enrobing it. Thickness is apparent in its steadfast legs and slow drips. It bounces playfully as the glass is swirled, but the dullness in appearance does not do much to visually promote this product.

Nose: The initial sniff finds a cohesive, yet busy aroma wafting off this whiskey. A mapley, brown sugar sweetness permeates and lands in the forefront, barely, as a soft, powdery oak presence creeps up behind it. The meddling of grapes proudly offers an extra element, aromatically, in the form of sniffable tannins and a touch of Welch’s. Notes of cinnamon weave through this experience, adding to the maple character, producing a lasting smell of freshly baked holiday cookies.

Palate: When grape juice and cookies are hinted at in the aroma, sweetness is an expected hazard ahead, and this bourbon makes good on that promise. The first sip follows through on the big blast of brown sugar, molasses sans dark depth, and dances with the richer, more profound sweetness of port in the finish. Further enjoyment brings out a nuttiness from the oak akin to pecan pie, and some heat joins the party to offer some semblance of balance on the palate. Additional sipping finds a leatheriness reminiscent of an oiled baseball glove, and the aromatic cinnamon spice translates flavorwise to enhance this note. It’s an interesting flavor overall, certainly twisted by the port barrel, yet dominated by sweetness.