Sierra Norte Single Barrel Whiskey, Native Oaxacan White Corn, Barrel No. 12, Bottle No. 156-186, batch 03, 45% abv.

The company behind Sierra Norte is more famous for Scorpion Mezcal and apparently decided to diversify their portfolio by producing corn whiskey with single barrel versions based on Oaxacan yellow, black, and white corn. These are distilled from a mashbill of 85% corn and 15% malted barley and aged in French Oak barrels for approximately 10 months. I believe this came out around the same time as the Balcones wave.

Nose: sour burnt corn, bad cologne, citrus zest.

Palate: initial palate was wood, orange zest, lemon zest, after some time wood appears, mid palate is burnt corn, plastic, back palate has honey, burnt corn, bitter wood.

Finish: medium to long, has a strange burnt vine aftertaste.

A strange one, with time the dry wood flavor appears. In the beginning it was very citrus zesty with a few sweet flavors here and there... but then it gets weird... the other side or corn domimant whisky.

Grade: C

Whisky advocate, Jonny McCormick, 90 points

Image courtesy of Eric Yee.

Eric Yee

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