Striped Pig #13 - Drums & Drams (9 year, 130.6 Proof)

Sourced from OZ Tyler 9 years old (aged 1 year in Kentucky, 8 years in the South Carolina heat) 130.6 proof / 65.3% ABV 70% corn / 21% rye / 9% malted barley 90 bottle yield While Striped Pig Distillery has largely flown under the radar, they’ve recently been making quite an impact with some of the oldest OZ Tyler barrels on the market. These are highly extracted bourbons, aged in char 4 Kelvin Cooperage barrels that carry immense oak presence and a remarkably dark color (made even more extreme from the South Carolina heat). Our friend Cam from Drums & Drams recently picked 4 barrels of Striped Pig 9 Year Bourbon with varying profiles: one was coffee, one was mixed berry, and another was hot fudge sundae, with this fourth and final barrel perhaps being the most unique. Only a handful of bottles from this barrel remain. This barrel has a profile of blood orange, some raspberry, aged leather, caramel candy, and grippy tannins from the Kelvin. It stood out at the pick because of a rich “melt on your tongue” sensation from the caramel candy note, but at home it became obvious that there was much more blood orange than we initially thought, as well as a grippy tannic leather note like you might find on old Barton. There’s a great counterbalancing vanilla sweetness as well. It had the most fruit out of the bunch, but not in the traditional Kelvin cherry/berry way. Probably the odd one out because of its very different, specific profile. Nose is like a caramel-covered blood orange. Tangy and sweet. Palate is grippy and tannic right away, with an almost acidic quality. Activates the palate and gets you salivating immediately, with the fruit notes and tannins creating a long flavor ride that doesn’t depend on spice to drive it forward. Lots of leather in the finish. You must like tannin, tangy fruit, and blood orange/citrus! If you’re on the fence but want to take a chance on this, you’ll find something quite different than other OZ barrels on the market.