Review #: 444
Description: Anderson Club 10 Year (1995)
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: This is a bottle of Japan export bourbon from the 90s, likely 1995 and from Heaven HIll. It used the standard HH square bottle, mentioned charcoal filtration, and sour mash process. There were some varying levels of age and proof but this one has a 10 year age statement and is 86 proof. I’ve had a few pre-fire Heaven Hills and they have been good, so I hope this continues the trend.
Distillery – Heaven Hill
Bottler – Heaven Hill
Brand – Anderson Club
Selection – N/A
ABV – 43%
Age – 10 Years
Nose – Cherry cough syrup, I know this is going to sound crazy but I swear I got a whiff of steamed broccoli, lots of wonderful toasted oak, earthy spices, maybe some dry nuttiness, chocolate, cola.. Such a robust smell. Not overly sweet, not too oaky, really great and not often seen in a bourbon
Taste – Cherry cola, baking chocolate, vanilla cream, butterscotch, salted caramel
Finish – Oaky without being drying (though there is a slight bitterness), toasted marshmallow, dark cherries, slightly burnt chocolate
Score: 7
Would I buy a bottle? Apparently these are mildly available for reasonable prices in Japan. I would keep my eyes open if I ever get over there
Thoughts: This is really good bourbon and shows how different modern day is from nearly 30 years ago. Not really an indictment of modern stuff as there are several cheap bottle I really like, but they are often more bright and sweet, where this stuff is well aged, oaky, and rich. Always grateful for the chance to drink these pieces of history.