I have loved everything from Stellum to date, and my first pour of Stellum Single Barrel Bourbon Lyra lived up to my expectation. This is a spicy, creamy, wonderfully hot MGP 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley bourbon. Anyway, let's get down to the review.
Nose
This excellent nose of Stellum Lyra Single Barrel Bourbon permeates the bar once you open the bottle. There is a beautiful candied and creamy, minty rye spice aroma. At 120 proof, ethanol is present as well. It will tingle your nose hairs if you get enough of a whiff. Way, way beneath the spice, are very mild cinnamon notes. Again, a mild ethanol smell is always present.
Palate
Everything that I’ve had from Stellum has a beautiful oily texture. That is one of the primary characteristics I look for in most whiskeys. Stellum Lyra Single Barrel Bourbon had it as well. At 120.4 proof, it drinks hotter initially. The palate is a mildly candied peppercorn spice. At 120 proof, it seems to drink above that. However, not so much that it takes away from the flavor. Additional baking spices like cloves are there as well. There’s also a nuttiness, possibly walnut, that lingers. These are balanced with a mild candied sweetness that is layered well below the spices. This is hotter and spicier than the shelf Stellum bourbon blue label. It is also not quite as sweet.
Finish
Interestingly, the finish of Stellum Lyra Single Barrel is the sweetest part of the experience. As hot as it is on the palate, you would expect the finish to last longer, but it’s shorter than I thought it would be. Still, enough lingers on the finish with the sweetness, walnuts, and clove.