Review Note: This tasting was conducted blind, with the bottle identity revealed after our notes were complete.
Nose
The nose starts with a nice blend of sweet oak, slight tobacco, and a lot of sweet corn-caramel. That leads into vanilla, brown sugar, and burnt sugar, with a light craft note showing up toward the end.
As it opens, there is a soft pastry quality, almost like sweet corn mash or a bakery note. It gives off a late spring feeling, with a little floral character in the background — almost like walking near a farm with sweet blooms in the air. At times, deeper butterscotch, crystal sugar, and almost candy-like notes come through.
On the second nose, the craft side becomes more noticeable. There is more of that sweet farm, floral, and bakery note, while still keeping plenty of vanilla, caramel, burnt sugar, tobacco, slight anise, and Ceylon cinnamon. After more time in the glass, the craft notes become more assertive, but not overwhelming. Sweet corn, pastry, chewy caramel, burnt sugar, sweet leather, and a soft floral note all continue to build.
Palate
The first sip is really good upfront. It comes in sweet, with a nice mouthfeel, and follows the nose closely. There is more burning marshmallow, caramel, vanilla, and sweet tobacco, with a slight wintergreen and floral edge. It feels like a more grown-up whiskey — sweet and smooth, but with enough oak and spice to give it structure.
The fruit is subtle, but there is a soft sweetness running through the whole palate. Oak is present throughout the experience, leaning sweet, with even a slight smoky edge. Ceylon cinnamon carries through the sip and gives the whiskey a really nice balance against the caramel and vanilla.
On the second sip, the whiskey feels more crafty. There is still plenty of sweet oak, but honey starts to show up, moving into caramelized sugar and a more developed finish. Tobacco leaf, sweet leather, floral anise, and wintergreen come together nicely. The caramel becomes chewy and coats the palate well. There is also a slight toasted almond note that adds another layer.
Finish
The finish is medium to long, with really nice viscosity and mouthfeel. Sweet corn-caramel candy, sweet oak, toasted almond, tobacco, sweet leather, butterscotch, burnt sugar, caramelized sugar, and chewy caramel all continue through the finish.
What stands out most is that the whiskey stays sweet through the whole experience, but it does not become flat. As it sits in the glass, it gets better. The flavors become more complex and more craft-driven, while still holding onto a traditional bourbon-style profile of vanilla, caramel, oak, and cinnamon.
Overall
This is a really good pour. It starts sweet, smooth, and approachable, then slowly opens into something more layered. The traditional notes are all here — vanilla, caramel, sweet oak, brown sugar, cinnamon — but the craft traits give it personality. The sweet corn, pastry, floral note, tobacco leaf, leather, wintergreen, and toasted almond make it more interesting with time.
It feels both familiar and slightly different. Very good, especially after it has had time to sit in the glass.
Unwind Verdict: Worth Trying
A good bottle with clear strengths, but more dependent on personal preference, price, or expectations. Best for curious drinkers or people looking to explore something different.
Keep In Mind: At $500 MSRP ($470 Our Price), this is more of a special-occasion bottle than an easy recommendation. The whiskey is very good, but the price makes it more dependent on how much you personally value age-stated bourbon.
Shop This Bottle
Calumet 18 Year Bourbon is available at Unwind Bottle Shop. Order online for pickup or shipping where available.