Ezra Brooks Port Cask Finished Bourbon Review

Ezra Brooks 99
Special Cask Finished Series
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Finished in Port Wine Casks
99 Proof
MSRP: $34.99 / 750ml
Review

Please enjoy our Ezra Brooks Port Wine Cask Finished Bourbon Review by Ray Marcano!

It’s always nice to find a solid bourbon at a price point that doesn’t make you choke.

History

Ezra Brooks Bourbon has been around since 1957, moved to Bardstown in 2018, and is now produced at Lux Row Distillers.

(Ed’s comment: The history of the Ezra Brooks brand is a bit complex and convoluted. To begin with, Ezra Brooks was a made up person, and never had a distillery. The brand was developed by Frank Silverman, and was intended to mimic Jack Daniels, which was in high demand and short supply at the time. There’s a great history over on BrianHaara.com. In addition, once Lux Row took over, the bourbon was distilled at Heaven Hill Distillery. That may or may not still be the case, although the mash bill continues to be identical to Heaven Hill’s standard bourbon recipe, known as HH Reg.)

Mash bill – Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finished Bourbon Review

78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malt
Finished in Port Wine Casks for 6 months

Tasting Notes – Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finished Bourbon Review

 Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn glass

👉🏻Nose: Cherry candy, vanilla, pepper, leather
👉🏻Taste: Creamy, cinnamon candy (think Red Hots), chocolate, oak, dark berries 
👉🏻Finish:  Cinnamon candy, dark berries, chocolate, leather

Summary

I’m a huge Ezra Brooks fan because they provide solid products at a fair price. I have the Ezra Brooks 99, which retails for $25.99, and it’s a solid daily drinker. My bourbon group, the 32 Staves Society, recently tasted and selected a barrel of Ezra Brooks Cask Strength, and it’s spectacular. 

So I was excited to try this latest expression, finished for six months in port wine barrels from Portugal. I wasn’t expecting it to be this good. It has a full, creamy mouthfeel that bursts with complexity of flavors. From the first sniff to taste, this bourbon has a consistency not often found at this price point. Some bourbons start strong and finish weak; others smell and taste great but have a short unimpressive finish. The Ezra Brooks has a long finish with a flavor profile that doesn’t quit.

Conclusion – Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finished Bourbon

After I finish this newsletter, one of the first orders of business will be buying three of these bourbons so I have some in reserve. I don’t make many predictions, but I think the combination of price point and taste will make this a popular pick. Cheers!🥃

 Have you tried the Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finished Bourbon? What do you think?

We hope you have enjoyed our Ezra Brooks Port Wine Cask Finished Bourbon Review by Ray Marcano! Ray publishes a free monthly newsletter, The Bourbon Resource. You can subscribe here.

Would you like to read about some other Ezra Brooks whiskeys? Then check out our Ezra Brooks 99 Rye Review, our Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Bourbon Review and our Old Ezra 7 Rye Review. If you would like to learn more about Lux Row Distillers, then check out our Lux Row Distillers Tour Review!

Note: Lux Row Distillers provided the Ezra Brooks sample without any special considerations. The Bourbon Resource appreciates Lux Row.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!