Distillery: Heaven Hill
Proof: 114.8
Age: Between 6-8 years
Mashbill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley
BACKGROUND: Larceny is a wheated bourbon line distilled and produced by Heaven Hill. Larceny is one of the few wheated bourbons on the market competing with Makers Mark and Weller primarily. Wheated bourbons are traditionally smoother and sweeter without the bite that the rye provides. In 2020, Heaven Hill decided that they would entire the tri-annual cask strength release market by releasing their wheated bourbon, Larceny, at cask strength. A120 was the first release and it had mixed reviews. However, each release of the 3 part series last year got better. A121 is the first of the Larceny Barrel Proof releases to be beneath 122 proof.
NOSE: The nose is very sweet and balanced. I was greeted by scents of cherry coke, rich caramel, cotton candy, brown sugar, and oak. The flavors are not overly rich but they play together nicely. The nose is a little one dimensional but is very smooth and rich. There is no burn whatsoever. (22/25)
PALATE: As soon as the whiskey touched my lips I was met with a creamy mouthfeel with notes of vanilla, charred oak, hazlenuts, and maple. It is slightly dry as it sat at on my tongue. The proof gives the whiskey a nice full feeling while still being easy to drink. It's a nice tasting whiskey but it is on the drier side and like the nose, pretty straightforward. (34/40)
FINISH: The finish on batch A121 is quite dry and is dominated by loads of oak, tobacco, leather, and some honey. The finish medium in length and had a lighter mouthfeel. (21/25)
VALUE: Larceny Barrel Proofs have an SRP of $50 and we think that's pretty fair. We would pay right up to SRP but nothing more. (8/10)
Overall: 85/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Larceny Barrel Proof A121 was a nice continuation to the Larceny Barrel Proof line. I think it needs a few more years in the barrel but overall it's not bad. I think that this release was a little flat and dry and doesn't quite have the same bold, rich, and complex flavor profiles that come from Heaven Hill's other tri-annual barrel proof releases, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. This however is an easy sipping, smooth, high proof bourbon that's great for new whiskey drinkers or long time whiskey lovers.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Old Weller Antique
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Jefferson's Ocean Wheated
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Larceny Barrel Proof B520
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
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