I ventured in to the Liquor Cabinet in Lamberville, Michigan at least four times before I finally grabbed their special barrel pick of Nulu Single Barrel, uncut (cask strength) and unfiltered.
At first, although it didn’t present itself as a 120° pour, the flavors were difficult for me to isolate. The nose wasn’t particularly pungent, neither of ethanol nor and significant notes, and on the palate the heat was sufficient enough for me to take two dosings before I could really start to isolate flavors.
The first thing I noticed was that the first taste dried out my mouth like the waters receding in front of a hurricane’s arrival. Then I noticed the heat. Finally on the third pour, I picked up vanilla, salted caramel, butterscotch, a little honey and a hint of milk chocolate. The mouthfeel was very silky and creamy and I felt rewarded by drinking it.
With a little water, it continued to remove the moisture from my mouth, although the flavors did present themselves a little more. On an ice sphere, the cool temperature muted the flavors enough for me to really catch some additional notes, like honey and sweet hazelnuts.
I will stand by my assertion that this bottle could stand up to George T. Stagg in a taste test if they’d just let it age another 6 years, but the final word on this one is BUY IT!
“¡Salúd!” 🥃