Welcome back, Bourbon lovers, to another tasting here at Talking Bourbon! Today, we’re drinking a release from Heaven Hill Distillery: the Larceny Barrel Proof Lot A124. This particular batch has been making waves in the Bourbon community, not only for its bold flavors but also for the awards it has garnered, including being named the **Bourbon of the Year** by The American Distilling Institute (ADI) at its 2024 International Spirits Competition.
Larceny Barrel Proof, meaning it is uncut, so no added water, is bottled at a stiff 124.2 proof, sells for around $65, aged between 6-8 years, is somewhat hard to find, and comes in the same shaped corked bottle as regular Larceny. Its mash bill consists of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley, so it is a wheated Bourbon offering a sweeter profile compared to its counterparts that have rye as the second ingredient. From their website, “Larceny Barrel Proof offers a new opportunity to experience our acclaimed wheated Bourbon mash bill in its purest form: non-chill filtered and bottled at full barrel proof.”
We have found the regular Larceny Small Batch Bourbon to be a decent drink but nothing really special. Having said that, it somewhat surprised us that it won the Bourbon of the Year award. As stated above, we are tasting the actual batch that won the award. While there are some very small differences in each batch, there is a general taste profile they are trying to achieve. There can also be slight differences in the proof as well. We have never come across a small batch that we liked and then had a different batch that we didn’t.
Frank cannot be here today but joining us as a guest taster is Dan. Dan is into real estate, his kids, and of course, Bourbon. Let’s drink.
NOSE
Dan: Immediate nose of cherries and maple syrup followed by praline, brown sugar, and a nuttiness. Ice added vanilla, citrus, and more sweetness.
Todd: A good nose of oak, candied pecans, butterscotch, nuts, sweet vanilla, and brown sugar. Getting a fruit aroma that I can’t quite place. Ice just seemed to mute the scents.
Matt: A complex nose. Nutty, toasty, and sweet with vanilla and caramel. Secondary smells are dark chocolate and leather. Ice brought out more vanilla. Hopefully a sign of what’s to come.
TASTE
Dan: Very hot and somewhat harsh on the palate. With some ice I get a nice brown sugar/maple syrup sweetness along with a little wood and fruit.
Todd: Yeah, super hot neat. I get the oak and sweetness that I got on the nose but that is about it. Adding ice makes it much more drinkable and enjoyable with notes of fruit, butterscotch, and maple.
Matt: Hot and a sweetness like burnt sugar. Ice calmed it down, now I get caramel, oak, leather, cinnamon, and tobacco. Behind all that is a slight taste of cherries.
FINISH
Dan: Medium with some sweetness and heat.
Todd: Medium-long with a slow, long burn.
Matt: Medium long with some more toastiness.
OVERALL
Dan: I wouldn’t drink it neat, but it is a tasty drink with some ice or water. At $65, it is a really good value.
Todd: I wouldn’t make it my Bourbon of the year, but at $65, it is something to definitely have around.
Matt: It is okay, neat, but I love how the nose and flavor change with ice, making it more complex.
Nose 4.5 out of 5
Taste 8.75 out of 10
Finish 3.75 out of 5
Total score 17 out of 20 barrels.
If you like to drink your Bourbon neat and like it to have a serious bite, this is definitely for you. But by drinking it that way, you are losing out on a big part of the value. That is, by cutting this down yourself to a lower proof, you are not paying for water. That’s what makes this such a good buy. Plus, in our opinion, it is better tasting and more complex with some added water.
Either way you can’t go wrong. So we recommend, if you can find it, grabbing a bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof. Just maybe have a little water handy.