Larceny Barrel Proof Batch A122
Larceny Barrel Proof Batch A122
Next up is the new Larceny Barrel Proof release of Batch No. A122. Larceny is Wheater Bourbon, meaning that it uses Wheat instead of Rye as the third grain or the flavor grain in the bourbon mash bill. Larceny is owned by Heaven Hill and has a nice back story about, well….about theft as the name implies. And of course, you can’t be a wheated bourbon without having your origin story tie into Pappy Van Winkle and Larceny is no exception, but this isn’t a post about how all wheated bourbons have a claim to be “young Pappy” so let’s get on with the sipping.
ABV: 62.2%
How it smells….vanilla, straw/haystacks that I typically associate with ryes, which is odd since there’s no rye in this, cinnamon and plenty of booziness….with some water you rightfully lose some of that booziness and you get more of a vanilla and cinnamon combination.
How it tastes….from the get-go this is a cinnamon bomb. Cinnamon starts up front and stays throughout the sip but you do get some caramel and vanilla notes on the end and finish….with some water, it is more nuanced up earlier on with more vanilla, honey and some oak throughout the sip while the finish remains strongly cinnamon.
Price..$60
Rating….🥃🥃🥃🥃
Final thoughts….This is a great little bourbon and when you take flavor, price and proof into considering, it’s a solid 4x 🥃. It is not the most complex of bourbons as it doesn’t do a lot but what it does do, it does well. Cinnamon is the real dominant flavor during this sip, straight up or diluted down with a bit of water, but vanilla comes through strong as well.
I have had a couple of different store pick single barrels for the Larceny Small Batch, one of those reminds me of this Batch No. A122 quite a bit as it was also full of cinnamon notes and it ended up being one of my favorite bourbons to use in winter cocktails given its rich baking spice and vanilla notes. I don’t think I will be making cocktails with this particular bottle as it stands up quite well on its own as a neat sipper. If you put in some water, tread lightly as too much of it tames the beast a bit too much and it loses a lot of its character. If you like it colder on the rocks, use a big cube to limit the dilution.
