American Whiskey Review #4: I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Distillery: Who knows?

Region: Kentucky

ABV: 41%

Age: NAS

Price: $9/2 Oz during happy hour.

Color: 1.3, Russet/Muscat.

Mashbill: 73% Corn, 18% Rye, and 9% Barley

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Nose: Not a lot going on, a bit of corn mash but that’s about it.

Palate: Smooth and easy drinker. It’s thin and lightly sweet. There’s a subtle bit of corn mash along with just about as much banana.

Finish: The finish is short, not a whole lot going on.

Conclusion: If there were an entry for “boring and inoffensive whiskey” in Webster’s dictionary, this should be pictured next to it. There’s not much going on at all. You get just enough of the corn mash to let you know you’re drinking a bourbon and the trace of banana is nice but that’s all there is. It’s good enough that I’d drink it if offered but not interesting enough to keep a bottle or order in a restaurant/bar (again). It kind of reminds me of what Johnnie Walker Black is for scotch, but JWB is definitely better.

Final Score: 69

American whiskey review #4, Bourbon review #3, Whisky Network Review #79

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.