Traverse City
8.75 Year MGP Bourbon
Barrel #21-L075
Distilled: May 25th, 2012
Bottled: February 16th, 2021
116.2 Proof, Non-chill-filtered, 8.75 Years Old
75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley

Are you vaxxed, waxed, and ready to party??

Well this beaver sure is. What's to say about Traverse City? Well, if you know, you know. This is one of those bourbon-drinkers bourbons, that taters have been going absolutely nuts for on all the interwebs. They found a stash of well-aged MGP barrels, didn't mess them up with any wacky finishing, proofing, or blending, and they're serving them up in a beatiful presentation complete with wax tops and everything. So... DAMN! We're in!

We first tasted this barrel two years ago and have been fighting to get our grubby little paws on it. And it was definitely worth the wait. It's an eight year, eight month 116 proof NCF high-corn MGP bourbon. So, yeah, basically everything we want out of life.

While it's a high-corn mashbill, this one definitely has its share of spice. The nose is white sugar and mint, and then yellow roadside wildflower before we get to the deep notes of richness and sweets. Root beer, cream soda, tart cherries, and then little pops of smoke, like sweet juicy bits clinging to the bars on your grill. It almost kind of leads with spices and flowers, and then dives into bbq sauce. It could almost be mistaken for a rye on the nose, but then you get to the palate and we're right in the pocket for MGP bourbon. Sweet, thick, juicy goodness all the way through. The spice and mint persist, but now they're alongside a hefty dose of vanilla, cream, and deeper cocoa flavors. Kind of like a root beer float with vanilla ice cream melting into the syrupy flavors of the soda. The finish is just pretty awesome. The spice comes back, and the wood carries through, and all the wonderful sweets and unique flavors come together into a long warm finish that starts in the belly and slowly crawls back. It leaves you with a great sweet syrupy and slightly spicy aftertaste. Incredibly, dangerously, smooth. Don't leave this bottle on the table unless you have a spare hiding under your bed!