Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey Review

I’m a fan of everything put out under the Ezra label, and yes that includes this new Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey. It’s not always amazing whiskey like the Old Ezra Barrel Strength 7 Years, that’s not why I like the line so much. I like it because it’s almost always priced appropriately. LuxCo doesn’t gouge on this brand and instead consistently delivers value. It also delivers something a little bit different.

Like the regular Ezra Brooks Bourbon, this whiskey is charcoal filtered before it’s bottled. It’s an unusual practice in Kentucky, the only other one I can think of right away is the Jim Beam Green Label, but this one… this one has something else going on. Something interesting I’ve only really found in one other whiskey before… more on that below.

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey – Details and Tasting Notes

Whiskey Details

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Undisclosed (Heaven Hill most likely)
Bottler: Lux Row Distillers
Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Rye + Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 4+ Years
ABV: 49.5%

Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Price: $25*

White background tasting shot with the Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“Bottled at an elevated 99 proof for an enhanced flavor profile, this pure, oak-barrel-aged Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is charcoal filtered for a smooth, mellow finish and features a spicy, ryed bourbon mash bill.” – Ezra Brooks

Tasting Notes

EYE
Toffee

NOSE
Cornbread, caramel, vanilla taffy, butterscotch, cereal grain sweetness, oak and peanuts and a touch of grassy fresh corn. The aroma has a balanced, diverse sweetness to it, a bit light overall in the delivery, but the range of grain to dark sweets makes it interesting with a touch of oak to ground it.

PALATE
Caramel, cornbread, vanilla taffy, butterscotch, cereal grain sweetness, oak and peanuts with a bit more of that grassy fresh corn and touches of herbal spice and roasted marshmallows. Palate is nearly the same with a more pronounced caramel and some added herbal spice and toasted marshmallow notes.

FINISH
Medium -> Dried corn, butterscotch, spice, oak and fresh corn. Finish is a soft sweet grainy fade that starts dry and ends fresh.

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Decent balance, medium body and a soft easy feel.

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey – Overall Thoughts and Score

As the bourbon opens there’s a light apple note that arrives on the nose and palate, but more interestingly that fresh corn note grows. It’s an interesting and distinct note to get and there’s only one other bourbon I’ve experienced it with. A divisive whiskey where this particular note hangs heavy and is suspected to be contract distilled at Heaven Hill: Wathen’s Barrel Proof Bourbon.

I love that Wathen’s, I think it’s an absolutely brilliant, interesting and unique bourbon and this Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey comes across like a toned down, slightly more caramel-driven, version of that awesome whiskey. So if you’ve had any of those Wathen’s, and liked them, you’ll probably like this too – or vice versa. Though if you’re looking for the same-old Ezra Brooks taste… this ain’t it.

SCORE: 3/5

*Disclosure: The bottle for this bourbon review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey Back Label

Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Whiskey Review $25

Summary

The combo of sweet and oaky notes makes this both a decent sipper and a fantastic mixer and the not-so-subtle reminder of those awesome Wathen’s Single Barrels doesn’t hurt either.