Onyx & Amber 8 Year Bourbon 101.2 Proof Drums & Drams "The Ant's Share"

While it’s fun to chase scorching barrel proof whiskey (especially hazmat these days), it’s equally fun to find those crushable barrels that come out at lower proofs. In this case, you’d think 101.22 proof meant that water was added before bottling, but this rich, sweet bourbon is uncut and unfiltered.

With a barrel entry of only 103 (industry standard is 125), this bourbon spent 8 years in Kelvin Antique barrels, picking up decadent dessert notes like dark honey, amaretto, cookies and cream, brown sugar, and fig. It drinks creamy and full for the proof, almost like a darker, elevated profile you’d get from an older, well-developed BT product. Incredibly delicious stuff!

One interesting note on this one: it has a mash bill of 30% blue corn, 30% yellow corn, 26% rye, and 14% malted barley. I have to imagine the cooperage, lower barrel entry, and the addition of blue corn helped add those rich dessert flavors and heavier mouthfeel that make this pick stand out.

And if you’re wondering about the name of the barrel, well.. that’s an inside joke in the Drums & Drams Patreon. I hope you love this barrel as much as I do!

- Cam