The 2005 release of Pappy is much woodier than in the past. I also must say that while Pappy 20 is an excellent extra aged Bourbon, I find it much too dry and woody.
So as we sat looking at this fine duo on the table, Art jokingly (I think) suggests that we vat them to see what an 18yo Pappy would taste like. An evil grin spreads across my face. You know, I reply, I think we can do something with these, and besides that, it will offend the crap out of most people. Let’s do it!
We started out with a 50/50 mixture, ½ oz of each Pappy. The result was a predictable middle ground. Art thought it was still too dry and I knew just the way to fix that. In came a dribble of Forty Creek Barrel Select, perhaps 1/8 oz. OK, now we’re getting somewhere. All the refinement and dignity of the Pappy with a better sweet/dry balance. But it still wasn’t right, we needed just a little more sweetness, but with some complexity as well. Art reached for the Old Grandad 114. Yes, perfect, I thought. So we added a dribble of OGD, again about 1/8 oz. Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. The best attributes of youth and age. Rich, slightly sweet, and very complex all wrapped up in mature Pappy.
That distinct wheater sweetness shows up first on the palate. The Forty Creek caramel and honey make a short appearance and then OGD closes the show. The final flavor is very rich and complex. The Pappy’s provide a spectacularly ornate stage on which the other actors perform. The finish starts sweet and then flips rather abruptly to dry.
Mike