Seelbach's Amburana Finish Straight Bourbon Whiskey 750 Ml

Nose

Maple candy starts on the nose, like crystalized, sugary, maple-flavored rock candy on a stick, the kind you might find in a zoo gift shop or carnival. That’s followed by a hint of still-warm, fresh peanut brittle, graham cracker, and pralines.

It’s sweet and decadent, a blend of dessert scents that gradually dissipate over time to reveal more traditional bourbon notes just beneath. After the initial pop of sweetness, there’s a bit of citrus peel — a lemon twist, and I would have welcomed even more — along with a tiny bit of baking spice.

What starts indulgent develops more balance with oak and spice entering the fray just in time. There’s also a small underlying hint of spearmint gum at the very end of a long sniff.

Taste

While maple leads on the nose, oak dominates at first sip — which comes in remarkably docile for its 111.3 proof. It’s far less sweet than the nose first suggests, and initial tastes are certainly in line with the toasted French oak finish. It’s woody without too much astringency, and a remarkably subtle progression of tannins builds over a couple returns to the glass.

Lightly sweetened citrus develops across the midpalate, almost as if from an orange extract or fruity cough drop. It’s complex enough on its own, but I can’t help searching for the maple I was getting on the nose; there’s a tiny bit of that influence here, but it’s far more subdued than virtually every other maple finished whiskey I’ve tried.

As far as the palate is concerned, this is a toasted finish first, with maple largely relegated to the nose, though it doesn’t lose sight of the bourbon base in either phase.

Finish

The finish is long and heavy on pepper, made even more pronounced by the progression from sweet (the nose) to oak (the taste) to spice at the very end. There are also notes of leather and cinnamon chewing gum, along with sour lemon.

A drop or two of water helps bring out some additional floral notes and tempers the finish for a more gradual, enjoyable end.  

~ David THomas Tao/91pts VinePair