STARLIGHT BOURBON UFS-23-2358

On the nose: Immediately bells are ringing and my brain is telling me “this is a different sort of bourbon.” Dates, damp tobacco leaf, and faint menthol begin the medley and are joined by sweet sugar wafer cookies and a cinnamon cheesecake note. Further investigation unearths marigold – like a mix of bitter herbs and ripe apples – along with a petrichor-and-moss aroma that is slightly different from the aforementioned damp tobacco on first pass. In the mouth: Those unique notes from the nose follow through on the palate as medjool dates open the floodgates before being joined by the milk leftover from a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. A faint dark chocolate and damp tobacco leaf presence seeps in next before giving way to a honey-and-rosewater-atop-phyllo-dough flavor that reminds me of well-made baklava. Finally, we’re met by more earthy tobacco notes on the back end which are reminiscent of inhaling an unlit Oscuro cigar – this is also where the spearmint on the nose visits the palate. The viscosity is not very robust and veers toward being called “thin,” which results in these flavors fading too quickly for my liking. However, the medium length finish resplendent with Cinnamon-Toast-Crunch-milk and rich earthiness leaves a satisfying impression