Forbidden Bourbon Batch 2(?)

Forbidden Bourbon Batch 2(?)

Cost: $142 at Total Wine (South Carolina)

Age: NAS

Proof: 95.2

Mash Bill: 73% white corn, 10% white wheat, 17% malted barley

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

Appearance: Rich caramel color with thick, fast legs. (It's noticeably darker than batch 1 and looks slightly more oily.)

Nose: Rich and full. I get a good amount of vanilla and the sweetness of caramelized peaches with a hint of charred oak. It's not as delicate as batch 1 and has a more familiar bourbon smell.

Palate: This has a light flavor on the palette which is similar to batch 1. In this one, I get apricot and peach slices dipped in sugar, a light mingling of vanilla and orange zest, and a hint of bitter oak. This is a lot more complex than batch 1. Additionally, the heat I found in batch 1 isn't as prevalent making it easier to hone in on tasting notes, though it hasn't completely removed that heat. This has a thin and astringent mouthfeel, but it's not offensive.

Finish: Much improved over batch 1! I get a much nicer hug, with some sweetness. The sweetness is a little muffled, but kinda brown sugary, sweet oak like. There's also a slight bitter note that pops up for just an instant and then disappears. The finish is medium in length. In batch 1, I felt like the finish was practically non-existent it was so faint and forgettable. This is significantly improved.

Rating: 6.2/10

Overall: This is less unique than batch 1, sporting more familiar bourbon notes. However, it is more robust and bold than batch 1 and complete from start to finish. That said, it's still nowhere near being worth $140! I still think there's some promise for Forbidden, but the price has to come down or the robustness be increased. Based on the first two batches, general consensus I get from people that have had it is it's a $60-80 bourbon. It has complexity and uniqueness, but there are fantastic bourbons out there for less than half this price that are a more complex and rich experience.

Batch Confusion: One thing that I found funny with this bottle is that the labeling was identical to batch 1 with the exception of one little round sticker stating “Batch No. 2” placed on the front of the bottle. However, the label around the neck of the bottle still states batch 1. (See pictures 2 and 3.) I noticed this right away at the store and asked an employee. They hadn't noticed that and said they know for a fact the case just came in that day and they hadn't had batch 1 in over a month so he felt confident it must be batch 2. Still skeptical and hesitant, I decided to pass, but a relative of mine decided to pull the trigger because they liked batch 1 enough that even if it was the same, they would still enjoy it. When we got home that night, four of us tried the “batch 2” side by side with a pour of batch 1 and all thought they were different. So I feel confident in saying that they were different, but why the conflicting labeling?

Our opinion and the conclusion we came to is they must have had bottles premade for batch 2 prior to batch 1 even being released. However, there was an oversight and the neck label saying batch 1 was applied to all the bottles. When this was finally noticed, instead of taking the time to do it right and remove the neck label and put on a new one, they just decided to put on a sticker calling it batch 2.

Again, that's just our opinion and speculation. If that is true, it would bring into question the QC process, laziness, and cheapness of Forbidden. Paying $140+ for a bottle…there's ZERO reason for QC issues like this that can create serious confusion and skepticism.

I'll also add that this can be more concerning since it's an allocated bottle. People see stuff like this and think there's something nefarious going on with either a distributor or a store doing something fraudulent. Whether this was a conscious decision by the Forbidden team or a complete lack of QC and a total miss, it brings into question the legitimacy of other businesses and individuals. I mean, it DEFINITELY looks like someone just took a batch 1 bottle and put a 10¢ sticker on the front...come on man!

If anyone out there has any info on this labeling issue, please provide more info in the comments. I'm very curious as to what's going on there.

Final Thoughts: This is the second batch released by Marianne Eaves’ newest project, Forbidden Bourbon. As I mentioned in the review of Forbidden Bourbon Batch 1, I felt like the price and hype around this is based solely on Marianne’s name being associated with this. After batch 2, I still think that. And with the labeling confusion, I even moreso see this as way over priced. I have 100% confidence that if Heaven Hill mislabeled an ECBP bottle with the wrong batch, it would NOT be used, and certainly not make it past QC and into a case for distribution. And that's an $80 product that is significantly better than either batch of Forbidden Bourbon in my opinion! I'm personally going to be steering clear of Forbidden going forward until the price comes way down or I hear about some significant changes. I'm still intrigued, but there's just too many red flags for me with this product to have any desire to spend anything over $80 on it.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect