Here are the tasting notes for each Bourbon in the IW Harper Range
IW Harper 15 Year Old
Nose: Bright and enjoyable thanks to an abundance of fruit notes. Cherry and apricot are the most striking, with orange and lemon coming across a bit fainter. Mint and dark chocolate inhabit deeper layers that become more apparent as the fruit scents dissipate. Swirling the bourbon in the glass stimulates the aromas much more so than I’ve noted in other bourbons. This is evenly layered for a 15 year old bourbon, and one that’s hard to find obvious flaws in.
Palate: Not quite the striking fruit-forward palate that the nose lead me to believe, but fruit is still very much present. The milder fruit flavours dissipate and give way to heavier notes of oak and leather. Chocolate and caramel also pop up and help provide a nice balance between the sweet and dry notes. It’s smooth creamy mouthfeel helps the sweeter flavours coat your mouth until the finish kicks in.
Finish: It begins with a manageable amount of heat that soon gives way to an oaky underbelly. The bourbon’s mouthfeel helps the palate’s flavours slowly pull back one by one as the finish slowly fades. New notes of vanilla and caramel become more noticeable and a mild oaky aftertaste lingers on the finish. This combination provides a gratifying sweet and dry ending.
Summary: The first time I had I.W. Harper 15 Year, all I could notice was its fruit flavours and it immediately brought to mind Barterhouse, another Diageo product I enjoy. After having it a few more times, I began to notice its oak side much more. The two bourbons share many similarities, mainly their modest oak notes compared with their noticeable sweet fruit-forwardness. This is especially noteworthy since both products are high-aged bourbons and often the fruit flavours fade the longer a bourbon is aged.
IW Harper 12 Year Old
Nose: Vanilla, almonds, sweetness from the corn, caramel chews, dried citrus, alcohol, maple syrup.
Palate: Very clean with light, watery feel. Quite a nice introduction with a splash of sweetness, baking spices, vanilla, butterscotch, spots of charred oak, and orange zest.
Finish: The finish is short to medium in length with a taste of candy and a nice burn that starts slightly before you swallow. The spirit finishes clean with an astringent quality. I wish there was a little bit more to the finish. I will be looking forward to trying the 15 year expression in the coming months.
Summary: This is whiskey is a real bargain for the flavour and drinkability. Usually listing in Australia for around $110. It’s a rewarding sipping whiskey. I.W. Harper is not too strong to be enjoyed neat and it really opens up the vanilla flavours with a touch of water or a cube of ice. Comparing it to other 12 year bourbons on the market like Elijah Craig, it is very competitive. In fact, the only 12 year bourbon that I enjoy more is W.L. Weller because of the depth of flavour and the character on the palate. This is a solid whiskey that I recommend if you can find it at your local store. It sounds like that may be increasingly common in the coming years
IW Harper Straight Bourbon No Age Statement
Nose: The nose is light and airy without a lot of standout flavours, which is to be expected from such a low proof bourbon. Traces of light vanilla, corn, fresh cork, and new oak are all present. The nose comes across as really young and makes me think that they’re using a bourbon not a day older than 4 years old, which is the bare minimum to be labeled straight bourbon without an age statement. Not a hint of alcohol is found on the nose which isn’t surprising for an 82 proof bourbon.
Palate: Taking my first sip, I immediately notice how sweet of a flavour profile Diageo imparted on the reincarnation of this brand. Honey, elderflower, vanilla, and toasted sugar are noticeable upfront. Additionally I notice that slight corky-ness that was on the nose in the palate too.
The palate isn’t bad per se, however it’s just not very complex. I would really like to see what this bourbon tastes like at a 100 proof or higher since I feel a lot more complexity would be revealed. Again the seemingly youngness of this bourbon comes to mind when tasting it.
Finish: Much like the palate, the finish lacks in complexity. I’m immediately hit with a big burst of juicy Georgia peaches upfront that’s mixed with lightly dried raisins and vanilla. The finish ends on a very short light leather and oak note. The shortness of this finish is something that really surprised me. While I really like the immediate taste of peaches, the flavour only lasts for a few seconds before morphing into the leather and oak, and peters out altogether within about 30 seconds. I do wish it would have lasted a little longer, because it’s pretty tasty for the moments when it’s present.