Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 25 Year Bourbon

The latest Orphan Barrel bourbon has arrived, and it will be familiar to fans of the brand. Rhetoric 25 year old follows up on the previous five releases at 20, 21, 22, 23, and 25 years old with one more year of age and a tiny bump in proof to 45.5% ABV. This whiskey is from the dwindling bourbon stocks found in the old Stitzel-Weller warehouses in Louisville, Kentucky, and  was distilled between 1990 and 1993 at the Bernheim distillery, “historically located at 17th and Breckenridge”. Rhetoric (bottled at 90.8 proof) has a mash bill that’s 86% corn, 8% barley and 6% rye.  Official tasting notes suggest an “aroma of rich vanilla oak, brown sugar and chocolate. Taste begins with orchard fruit accented with a hint of allspice, and gives way to a warming finish with of nutmeg and caramel notes.”