Time passed, and filled along with his
The place of many more;
Time came, and hardly one of us
Had credence to restore,
From what happened one day, the man
Whom he had known before.
—Edwin Arlington Robinson
Released three times per year in January, May, and September, Larceny Barrel Proof is a small batch, non-chill filtered bourbon featuring Heaven Hill's wheated mashbill. The Larceny brand is the modern heir of Heaven Hill's historic wheated mash bill known at the distillery as O.F.D. or "Old Fitzgerald Distillate". This bolder and more distinctive expression is usually more available to consumers than another popular Heaven Hill wheated bourbon release, Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond. The standard 92 proof of Larceny was first released in 2012 and is ongoing (a shelfer, if you will). The barrel proof, however, is relatively new on the scene and was first released in 2020. Since three batches of the barrel proof are released yearly, the label distinguishes them by letters (A, B, C) and three numbers representing the month (1, 5, 9) and year (20, 21, 22, etc). It should also be noted that each batch varies in proof point, as well.
I do owe credence to Larceny, the standard proof in particular, for contributing to some of the first bottles on my shelf. The last bottle of Larceny Barrel Proof I purchased is the one featured today. As you can see, I haven't spent much time with it, perhaps four pours total, and I will admit, it lives rather far back in a dark corner on one of my shelves at this point. Was it a hiccup in the timeline of all things whiskey that kept me from revisiting this bottle? Or was this a forgotten dram for a more likely reason? Let's dive in and find out, shall we?
Company on Label: Old Fitzgerald Distillery (Heaven Hill)
Whiskey Type: Bourbon
Mash Bill Percentages: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, and 12% Malted Barley
Proof: 126.4°
Age: 6 years (a blend of 6 to 8 year barrels)
MSRP: $70 (2023) $64.99 (2025)
Further Identification: This is batch C923 released in September of 2023
Nose: Wow. Oak, you're not shy, are you? If I close my eyes and imagine my location, purely by this smell, my nose would be right up against a barrel aging in a damp rickhouse, and I am inhaling deeply. Which, let's be honest, is fun, but this is way too overpowering for the liquid in my glencarin. With effort, I can nose-blind the oak influence and find in its place classic bourbon notes, creamy caramel, and thick vanilla syrup. Crushed Michigan cherries and confectioner's sugar are also pleasantly present. Deep inhales have a slight ethanol quality, which is where the proof is most obvious.
Returning to the nose after a few sips offers some relief from oak, as a toasted brown sugar has taken over but is quickly dominated by the alcohol, unfortunately. The evolution isn't complex, and the proof does not jump out of the glass in a way that burns. The empty glass smells of cotton balls, wood varnish, and a used incense holder.
Palate: Sizzling caramel and cherry syrup coat my tongue with the first sip. The silky wheat influence shows up mid-palate like a loaf of freshly baked wheat bread. The finish is all heat, burning off any additional flavors that could have sat down and chatted for a minute. Maybe a second sip will offer them room at the table. Yow. Hot. Caramel, cherry, and a passing by wave of vanilla combine in one fast and furious hello before the obvious heat and abundance of cinnamon take over. The linger is long and tingling, a bit earthy too, albeit slightly drying. I find myself less inspired to continue sipping as I believe subsequent tastes will result in a stacking effect of this very obvious heat, but sip on I will. Luckily, the gap between flavor and heat does not change, although the imbalance remains constant. As the liquid grows lower and I take my final sip, I find my palate waving a white flag.
TL;DR: a sip with kicked-up heat but at the detriment of developing flavors
Rating: 3/5
Unfortunately, this drank hotter than the stated proof and eventually dominated the flavors as a result. I remember thinking the same thing when I purchased this bottle in 2023, but am glad to have explored it again. I will likely gift this bottle at this point.
If you have brands that once enticed and are wondering what happened, or if they will be just as nice, I encourage you to dust off those bottles and give them another go. Even if they don't land like you once remembered, it's probably the most validating way to gauge your palate's growth and, in turn, will educate you on what you like now and what's worth spending your money on as a result.
Comments