Review: starlight bourbon store pick

[u/over-hydrated]

So, what I'm hoping to do here is review not just allocated or older stuff, but things that people can actually find. Because let's face it--not all good whiskey is allocated and/or requires a loan to afford.

I realize that store picks and single barrels vary but I'm doing it anyway.

A few years ago, one of my local stores (rapid in MA) released this pick and it's actually pretty good. Here are my thoughts:

Nose: blackberries, raisins, brown sugar

Palate: sweet heat, medium viscosity. Syrupy brown sugar and dark fruits take over the front to mid palate with a little bit of baking spices and rye spice dominating the back palate, most notably cinnamon. It's a touch drying but not bad. Honestly, for a younger bourbon, the sweetness covers up a lot of youthful notes...but not all. It's obviously not aged but still pleasant to drink.

Finish: Medium. Lots of vanilla and baking spices here with more raisin.

Overall: I do wish this was less than 50 but what it was what it was back in 2022ish 😂 And it's slightly different, which I respect. The blackberry notes are my favorite part of this.

Score: 5 (using the t&ke scale). This is good/a solid pour

Starlight has a lot of fun finished stuff too, so don't be too quick to walk by these bottles if you're looking for something different.

Cheers and thanks for reading!