City Department Distillery makes a variety of whiskey that spans the spectrum of fairly beloved to virtually reviled, and with Imperium MMXXV (that’s 2025 in Roman numerals), the corporate makes an attempt so as to add one other high shelf whiskey to its arsenal.
Imperium MMXXV — the second Imperium launch after MMXXIV in 2024 — attracts from “City Department’s unique Imperium Bourbon Shares, which embody solely the best barrels from three of the distillery’s bourbon mashbills:”
Pot-still Kentucky bourbon: 72% corn / 15% rye / 13% malted barley
Column-still Kentucky bourbon: 72% corn / 15% rye / 13% malted barley
Column-still wheated bourbon: 70% corn / 22% wheat / 8% malted barley
This expression consists from 50% of the wheated bourbon expression and 50% the opposite two shares.
That won’t sound like a variety of info, so right here’s what City Department says about issues:
Every barrel pulled from the rickhouse and arriving at manufacturing is evaluated for its highest goal — base mixing, single-barrel program or Imperium shares. The tasting of those barrels is sort of a tryout — very like an athlete re-earning a spot on the crew every season. Solely the perfect of the perfect makes the minimize.
“This yr we once more put aside our favourite and most original bourbon shares, tasting them as many instances as wanted to make sure every barrel nonetheless deserves a spot within the Imperium stockpile earlier than mixing,” says Dave Bob Gaspar, Head Blender. “After virtually a yr of tasting hundreds of barrels and accumulating the rarest ones, we narrowed it right down to solely 6 barrels for this very particular, small batch bourbon.”
Excellent news, right here’s a bit extra data on what’s within the bottle right here, although it’s nonetheless lacking proportions and nonetheless varieties.
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (72C / 15R / 13B)
SN 3963 / Fill Date: February 17, 2017 (Aged 8 years, 6 months)
SN 4308 / Fill Date: February 7, 2017 (Aged 8 years, 6 months)
SN 15647 / Fill Date: April 1, 2019 (Aged 6 years, 5 months)
Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey (70C / 22W / 8B)
SN 16368 / Fill Date: March 6, 2020 (Aged 5 years, 6 months)
SN 16391 / Fill Date: March 6, 2020 (Aged 5 years, 6 months)
SN 16394 / Fill Date: March 6, 2020 (Aged 5 years, 6 months)
Backside line: This can be a mix of 5 to eight yr outdated bourbon inventory, a veritable cigar mix with a four-grain composition. Let’s style.
City Department Imperium MMXXV Bourbon Evaluation
So: By no means thoughts all of that. This can be a wild, daring, aggressive bourbon that actually doesn’t connote the softness {that a} considerably wheated mashbill would recommend. The nostril is large with oak and lumberyard parts, fairly smoky (or at the very least scorched). If nothing else, it comes throughout as way more mature than it really is.
The palate has extra fruit than you may count on given the aromatics: plum and cherry, each roasted over smoky embers. Insistent notes of cloves and darkish chocolate discover some nuance in hints of dill, all rumbling, smoldering leather-based and, ultimately, scorching tar on asphalt. Cigarette ash and anise inform a fairly prolonged end, studded with rosemary and smudged sage, although little hints of candy honey and lemon curd present some respite from the punch.
In search of a huge bourbon to sink your tooth into? Nicely, look no additional.
105 proof.
B+ / $120
City Department Imperium MMXXV Bourbon
USD120
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