My love of Larceny Barrel Proof, especially the B521 batch, is well-documented. However, it occurred to me I’ve never actually given my thoughts on the standard production 92 proof version on here. I received a mini of Larceny recently when buying a bottle EW BiB, and I figured serendipity wanted me to fix this omission.

Nose: Caramel syrup poured over sweet corn is the dominate note, with cut grass and wet earth in that supporting role. Although this is in no way a malt whisky, Josh Peters ( @thewhiskeyjug ) talks about how he gets a light malt funk note in the nose and man I get exactly what he’s talking about with this. It’s Weller SR with an organ transplant from Glenfiddich 12.

Palate: Caramelized brown sugar shows up early and often, but I get increasing maraschino cherry in the mid and late palate as the pour breathes. There’s some mild-moderate oak that cuts the sweetness, assisted by some lighter cinnamon in the mid-palate that transitions to cinnamon sugar late. Much like its obvious competitor Weller SR, this has a buttery smooth mouthfeel.

Finish: Medium length, a little longer than Weller SR I think, to finish my comparison. The maraschino cherry is more pronounced, but the brown sugar and oak still have something to say.

Summary: This is still a great working wheater. It’s a bit of a splurge buy as a straight mixer as its SRP has crept past $25 to nearly $30, but if you’re using it as a do-everything for neat pours and occasional Old Fashioned mixing, it still has solid value in my opinion. I straight up prefer Larceny to Weller SR, although I have to note how rounded off and soft this drinks compared to what its up-gunned sibling Larceny Barrel Proof can show you. But that all said, if like me you live in an area where every Weller product is an allocated ghost, we don’t lack for anything when it comes to a readily available (…and maybe even a little superior?) substitute to Weller SR. But for full disclosure: I prefer the wildcard tendencies of the Barrel Proof version versus the über-classical profile of the standard Small Batch.

Image courtesy of Jon who also writes on Low Class & High Proof.

Low Class & High Proof

I learned how to make cocktails watching Danger 5