Old Kentucky Takumi Edition Bourbon

Classification: Blend of Straight Bourbons
Distillery: Sourced from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery(ies)
Mashbill: Undisclosed blend of bourbons containing corn, rye or wheat, and malted barley
Age: NAS (blend of 4,5,6, and 13 Year Bourbons)
Proof: 100

Ah yes, bourbon meets Japanese whisky — like sumo wrestling in a three-piece suit. Very strong. Very elegant. Maybe too elegant. I wore flip-flops to the tasting.

Nose: First impression? Smells like someone made rye toast, drizzled it with caramel, and then dropped in a confused fruit salad. It tickles the nose like it knows a secret. Very polite, very mysterious. Like a butler with a citrus hobby.

Palate: Buttery rye bread says hello first — very full, very serious. “I am the base,” it says. Then caramel shows up and says, “I brought cinnamon!” And together they do a dance across your tongue with apples and pears trying to keep up. It’s like breakfast at a hotel that costs too much but makes you feel fancy.

Finish: Long. Flavorful. Polite. Doesn’t slam the door when it leaves — just bows and whispers, “Arigatou.” You think it’s gone, but it turns around and waves. Still spicy. Still friendly.

Final Thought: This is what happens when Kentucky drinks tea with Japan and decides to write a haiku together. It’s savory, sweet, balanced — and just odd enough to make you grin like you know something the others don’t.

10/10 would share with a samurai and a cowboy.