1792 Full Proof Review
Old Man Winter has certainly come to central Ohio and when he makes a visit, I like to crank up the heat on my whiskey. So with that in mind I thought what better time to review 1792 Full Proof. I was a bit shocked as I looked through all my reviews that I had not done a review of this bottle yet. Let’s put an end to that right now and get into it.
Make sure you put in the comments any bottles that you would like me to review.
NAME – 1792 Full Proof
PROOF – 125
AGE – non-age stated (rumored to be between 7 and 9 years)
COLOR – cinnamon streusel (1.6 mahogany, henna notes on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)
NOSE – Buttered French toast, cooked cinnamon apples, vanilla whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and smoky oak
TASTE – Rye spice and ethanol welcome you right away on the first sip. After your palate calms down you get vanilla, red delicious apples, cinnamon, some citrus, smoky oak and small hint of caramel. Far less caramel than what you would expect. Good mouth feel with this whiskey.
FINISH – I would call this a medium to long finish. The smoky oak and cinnamon run until the very end.
REVIEW – This is a power punch of flavor and ethanol. This is not for the faint of heart or someone that enjoys “smooth” whiskies that are below the 90 proof mark. Even though it has a good mouth feel there is plenty of heat and sharp edges from the rye that is rumored at 18% in the mash along with the 125 proof. This variety of 1792 does dial back the sweetness that is usually found in their small batch, bottled-in-bond and single barrel varieties. Though it does have sweetness, it doesn’t lead the show and instead the cinnamon, vanilla and smoky oak are more prominent versus caramels, brown sugars or toffee.
FINAL COMMENTS – Though this is hard to find in Ohio, outside of Ohio it is not that difficult to find and many good store picks are out there too. Many times, you are able to find it for $60 or even less. At that price it is an absolute steal. After it won whiskey of the year in 2020 by the Whiskey Bible, prices went nuts and availability went in the tank but now it has got back to more of a regular footing (at least in these whiskey crazed times we are in).
On the back of the bottle is says, “Bourbon insiders have long acknowledged that full proof bourbon has a distinctively rich flavor. This bourbon has been bottled at its original 125 barrel entry proof, just as it was years ago, when the barrels were first filled.” That is a distinction to be made. Some get confused between barrel proof and full proof. Barrel proof is the proof of the whiskey after it has aged which most of the time is higher than the entry proof due to evaporation of water during the aging. Full proof on the other hand is the proof at which the whiskey went into the barrel. For 1792 that is 125 proof. If Maker’s Mark ever wanted to do a full proof it would be 110 proof as their entry level of their new make is 110 proof.
If you are out in your travels and run into a place that has the 1792 Full Proof, I recommend the purchase. I think it has all the flavor of a Bookers without the kick in the teeth that sometimes Bookers gives you. It’s not quite as good as Stagg Jr. but a good alternative and if you think Elijah Craig is too sweet, then 1792 Full Proof might be what you want in your glass.
To find out more check it out here – 1792 Full Proof
You can look at all the past Sunday Evenings Reviews and I would still love to hear what your personal reviews are from each of the whiskies reviewed.
