Tobacco leaf | Green peppercorns | Wet charred oak | Rye bread | Mushroom compost | Earthy

Cinnamon syrup | Spiced raisins | Light vanilla bean | Gentle oak | Rye spice | Silky mouthfeel

Baking spices | Cinnamon stick | Light rye spice | Touch of syrup | Dry oak | Short

Established in 2020, World Whiskey Society (WWS) is a non-distiller producer that sources whiskeys from all over the world, often packaging them in highly unique bottles. The company has a standard Doc Holiday collection composed of a 7 year old, an 8 year old, and a 10 year old bourbon. This release varies from those as it is both younger and comes from a different source.

The name Doc Holliday pays homage to John Henry Holliday, an American gambler, gunfighter, and surprisingly also a dentist - hence the reason he earned the nickname “Doc.” Holliday is best known for his role as a temporary policeman in the 1881 gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, which is regarded as the most famous shootout in the history of the American Old West. In the spirit of WWS’s unique bottle designs, the bottle stopper is a solid metal replica of the cylinder of a loaded six-shooter revolver, the label resembles an old-timey document, and it's adorned with a 3-dimensional metallic skull of a steer.

The sip opens with a very funky nose that is full of earthy organic scents. Tobacco leaf and green peppercorns are present, but so is a wet charred oak scent along with a highly unusual mushroom compost aroma. It’s a very strange combination and while it’s not a turnoff, it definitely makes you pause. Thankfully the palate reverts things back to more standard rye mashbill territory, delivering a silky mouthfeel that’s full of spice notes along with a gentle underpinning of sweetness. The finish brings things home on a short, albeit spicy note, highlighting baking, cinnamon, and rye spice. Overall this is a nice bourbon that falls just a touch short due to its unusual opening and incredibly short finish. While the distillery is not disclosed, the bourbon’s mashbill is one that is produced at MGP, a common source for single barrels bottled by many different producers, though this barrel tastes unique even when compared to that group. Like all single barrels, each will taste different, and I’d be interested in seeking out another barrel from the Doc Holiday line to see if this vein of uniqueness is consistent among other barrels in the series.

The bourbon in review comes from barrel number 122A2 and is bottle number 182 out of 197.