Well it's been a hot minute since my last review, so for anyone who's been missing me, I'm sorry. For those who aren't, why aren't you?!?
Forged Oak 15 year! The new release from the highly criticized Orphan Barrel. Following my review of Barterhouse and my tasting of Lost Prophet, I was eagerly anticipating what has already been called the best of Orphan Barrel project. Well folks, I'm here to tell you, this...is...a dud. Very disappointed in this release. I will explain more in the tasting notes, but suffice to say, there was little to nothing interesting to say about this release. The price, for a 15 year is great! But the price for a 15 year bourbon like this, is not so great. To the Tasting Notes!
Nose: Do you smell something? Anything? If you dig through the emptiness you may notice caramel, honey, oak. But it's very faint.
Taste: Very smooth, little to no burn, which should be expected at only 90.5 proof. Unfortunately, beyond that, it's very bland. Again, if you dig, you can find some sweetness, vanilla. At 8% rye, don't expect too much of it to pop out at you. Same amount of barley, so you're looking at 84% corn, definitely a sweeter flavor. But not much of a flavor to be found, sadly. Watered down.
Finish: Well, as if you didn't know, there isn't much of a finish either. A little but of sweetness and oak hang around but quickly dissipate. Again, no burn, smooth as silk, but without character.
Talking price, you're at $65+ retail. I say + because you can be paying upwards of $100, for which this is definitely not worth. At $65 I really think I would pass. There's little to no complexity to this pour and honestly, there are much better whiskies at the $25 range (I'm looking at you Elijah Craig).
Rating 70/100
