There is a lot to like about Heaven’s Door Spirits Decade Series Release #01 on paper. At 100 proof and $100,, let us see if it lives up to expectations.
Nose
Light brown to gold, dark tan, like gingerbread that darkens as it cools. Speaking of gingerbread, there is some ginger on the nose. Not as spicy as gingerbread, but it is sweet. Graham crackers with cinnamon, but the cinnamon smells a little synthetic, like its made in a factory. And toffee.
Palate
Cinnamon on the palate too, and a little fake-tasting here as well. I wrote about a Yellowstone whiskey recently that screamed it was 100 proof, and I feel like that about this one, too. It starts spicy and ends sweet, and I wish it started a little smoother too; it smooths out by the end but it definitely calls attention to itself. Look how rock & roll I am, it boasts. Its not a personal affront, but its like the palate equivalent of making my ears ring. Like Im at a show (and I dont enjoy live music, most of it sounds like loud to me) and I would rather be home in bed having washed all the sweat and people off me and be reading a book. That said, I did give this a try a couple days later and I found myself liking it more than I did initially. Maybe it needed time to grow on me. Like a song. It started as a 3 and Im going to bump it to a 3.5. Its kinda catchy.
Finish
Its warm to hot, like touching the top of a toaster oven before its too hot to go back in the cabinet. I liked this more on the second go-round. That said, although it seems stupid to put a $100 whiskey into a whiskey & Coke, I’d still do it. This whiskey needs bandmates.rn
The Bottom Line
Heaven’s Door Spirits Decade Series Release #01 is a perfectly respectable whiskey that does what it sets out to do. At $100,, the value is reasonable — it will not blow your mind, but it will not disappoint you either. A reliable choice.
