Litchfield Straight Bourbon

Litchfield Straight Bourbon is a straight bourbon, so it follows the category's legal rules. The mash bill is at least 51 percent corn, and the spirit is aged in new, charred oak. Nothing else is added except water. The listing doesn't give a proof, age statement, mash bill or distillery. Treat the tasting notes below as what straight bourbons usually show, not as measurements of this bottle. Expect a nose led by caramel and vanilla from the charred oak, with corn sweetness underneath and some baking spice. Styles like this often add a dry oak or light char note and a little orange peel or cinnamon. The palate is usually medium-bodied. Sweetness comes first, then pepper or clove from the grain and oak, and the finish tends to be dry and woody. This sweet-then-dry arc is why bourbon works so well in stirred drinks. For sipping, start neat in a Glencairn glass. The tapered bowl holds the vanilla and oak aromas close, so you can find them before you taste. If the alcohol feels sharp, add a few drops of room-temperature water, which often opens up the caramel and spice. A single large ice cube in a rocks glass is a better choice for slower sipping. It chills the pour and dilutes it gradually, and it doesn't water the whiskey down the way small cubes can. Bourbon of this style suits the classic cocktails. In an Old Fashioned, the corn sweetness and oak need only a sugar cube, two dashes of Angostura bitters and an orange peel, and you can use a bit less sugar than usual. A Manhattan with sweet vermouth and bitters gives a richer, rounder drink than the same recipe made with rye. A Whiskey Sour with fresh lemon juice, simple syrup and an optional egg white lets the vanilla balance the acidity. For a Highball, pour over ice and top with cold soda water at roughly one part bourbon to three parts soda. A lemon peel on top brightens it. Barbecue, smoked meats, aged cheddar and dark chocolate go well alongside any of these.