83

Score

Red Stag Black Cherry, 40%

Price: $18.00 Issue: Spring 2012 Reviewer: Lew Bryson

Smells like sweet, dead-ripe cherries, mashed up in bourbon with some brown sugar and just a dust of cinnamon. It's sweet, a bit thick, but 80 proof warming, and the bourbon — the Beam cinnamon note comes out clearer now — is dominant over the cherries here. The finish sees more cinnamon, even a hint of barrel oak, and manages to dry out a bit.